Municipal government provides a wide range of services and functions that have a significant impact on almost all citizens. Representing only four percent of the total records in the holdings, these records document the history, development of, and services provided by municipal governments in South Carolina.

Municipal Government

Like county governments, municipal governments are responsible to state government for its power and privileges, although they have traditionally had more self-governing authority than counties. After the American Revolution, municipalities were created by charters granted to local citizens by special acts of the state legislature. The first such municipal charter was granted in 1783 to establish the city of Charleston. From 1896 forward, municipalities have been founded or incorporated by general legislation and, with the passage of the Local Government Act of 1975, were given greater freedom in handling local affairs.

Types of Municipal Government Records

Municipal records in the holdings date from approximately 1790 to 1996. Included are records from towns still in existence, as well as those which have been dissolved (City View), had their charter revoked (Moultrieville), or been annexed by larger towns (Ebenezer). Although they vary in amount and type from municipality to municipality, the following records are generally included:

• minutes, ordinances, codes of ordinances, petitions, resolutions, annexation files, and annual reports of the City or Town Council
• financial records, audits, tax duplicate books, business licenses, building permits, and easements of the Clerk/Treasurer
• dockets of the Municipal Court
• voter registration stubs and precinct lists of the Supervisor of Registration
• minutes and ledgers of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Commissioner of Public Works
• maps, blueprints, and plans of the City Engineer

Other records of interest are those of the Charleston Orphan House, the first municipal orphanage in the United States, created in 1790; an Aiken slave patrol book; yearbooks and free Negro tax books from Charleston; cemetery records for Conway, Hartsville, Pelion, and Walhalla; and birth and death records for Summerville.

Local records not retained by the department may be housed in county and municipal offices or in archival repositories and libraries around the state.
 

Search the Summary Guide to Municipal Records

Guide to Local Records || Research || Research Questions || SCArchCat ||
On-line Records Index
Please include your postal address in all electronic correspondence