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In Colleton County, money disputes up to $7,500 go to the small-claims court: simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
Here you will find the claim limit that applies in Colleton County, what filing costs, where the case is heard, how the defendant is served, the deadlines, and the order of steps. Squabble can take the preparation and filing off your hands.
These cases are heard at the single courthouse below. Colleton County confirms the venue from the defendant's address or where the events happened.
Tap a courthouse to see its details in the list below.
Confirm the courthouse before you file. The court's own small-claims page carries its current filing location and hours, and Squabble confirms the courthouse for your case when you file.
Colleton County Magistrate, in Walterboro, is the courthouse listed for Colleton County. The nearest counties to Colleton County are Dorchester County and Hampton County.
Small claims are filed here on paper, at the counter or through the mail. Squabble prepares the full packet before it goes.
The small claims list is heard in person, at the courthouse itself.
Bring copies of your evidence for the judge and the other side; some courts also accept electronic submission ahead of the hearing.
Residents of Colleton County, South Carolina, who wish to bring a small claims case do so through the South Carolina Magistrates Court, which handles claims up to $7,500. The Colleton County Magistrate is located at 40 Klein St in Walterboro, 29488, and can be reached by telephone at 843 549 1122. This court serves a county of about 39,259 people, covering communities such as Cottageville, Green Pond, Islandton, Round O, Ruffin, Smoaks, and Williams, along with ZIP codes including 29435, 29446, 29474, and 29493. Colleton County lies near Dorchester County, Hampton County, and Beaufort County. Electronic filing is not available in this county, so case documents are handled in paper form at the courthouse. Anyone with questions about filing procedures, forms, or case status can contact the Colleton County Magistrate directly using the telephone number listed above, or visit the office in Walterboro during regular court business.
A case filed here usually comes from one of these 11 communities:
Canadys, Cottageville, Green Pond, Islandton, Jacksonboro, Lodge, Round O, Ruffin, Smoaks, Walterboro, Williams.
ZIP codes:
With about 39,259 residents, Colleton County ranks 26th by population among the 46 counties of South Carolina. From Walterboro, Colleton County Magistrate is roughly 14 miles from the Dorchester County courthouse in Summerville and 16 miles from the Beaufort County courthouse in Beaufort.
If the other side lives just over the county line, the case may belong next door:
The small claims track exists for routine money disputes: fewer formalities, and a cap on what can be claimed.
Maximum claim
You generally file where the other party lives, not where the dispute happened.
Courts do not allow one dispute to be filed as several in order to beat the maximum.
A small-claims judge generally orders one side to pay money; other kinds of orders belong in higher courts.
South Carolina permits lawyers at the hearing without requiring them. Everything is built around people presenting their own case.
Under-18s are represented by a guardian the court appoints.
This state requires notarized filing documents. Squabble prepares them notarization-ready.
This state expects your supporting evidence to be submitted with the filing, not just brought to the hearing.
Over the limit? Two routes exist: reduce the claim to the cap and stay here, or take the full sum to regular civil court. Reducing it normally forfeits the difference.
These are the limits for Colleton County, population about 39,259. Colleton County is under the same limits as nearby Dorchester County and Hampton County.
Where money is owed and the sum is no more than $7,500, this is the right court. The following disputes are the common ones.
Colleton County Magistrate is the Colleton County courthouse listed below. Colleton County takes in Canadys, Cottageville and Green Pond and the rest of the county.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Prepare the claim form, work out which court covers it, and pay the court's charge.
Papers are delivered to the defendant, who may answer them or settle the matter first.
The hearing is informal and quick, sometimes by video, and the judge decides on the spot or sends the outcome later.
Everything below applies to a case filed in Colleton County, at the Walterboro courthouse. Colleton County Magistrate lists 843 549 1122 as its number.
A filed case still has to reach the defendant. Formal notice, known as service of process, does that, and delivering it personally is generally not allowed. In South Carolina, courts typically use the sheriff or constable, email service where the court allows it, delivery arranged by the court, personal delivery by an approved server or certified mail.
Courts accept service by a sheriff or constable, a professional server, the clerk via certified mail, or an adult who is not party to the case. Permitted methods and charges change by county.
There is a deadline, counted backwards from the hearing, by which the defendant must have the papers. Ask the clerk for it when the date is assigned. Service within 10 days. Proof of service before hearing.
The person who delivered the papers signs a proof of service. That document goes to the court ahead of the hearing.
Service is where many self-filed cases stall. Squabble can coordinate professional Service of Process so it's done correctly and on time.
Dorchester County and Hampton County are the counties nearest to Colleton County. Addresses in Colleton County include places such as Canadys, Cottageville and Green Pond.
The law fixes how long you have, counted from the dispute itself. A case brought later can be refused outright.
| Claim type | Time limit to file |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 3 years |
| Oral contract | 3 years |
| Property damage | 3 years |
| Personal injury | 3 years |
Colleton County, population about 39,259, is covered by the table above. The same periods apply in Colleton County as in nearby Dorchester County and Hampton County, which are in the same state.
Money owed under a contract in South Carolina generally accrues interest at 8.75% per year before judgment (S.C. Code §34-31-20).
To see what interest has added so far, the Squabble interest calculator works out the running total.
Colleton County is under the same state rate as nearby Dorchester County and Hampton County. It is the same rate across all 11 Colleton County ZIP codes.
Make sure the claim is under the maximum and that the limitation period has not expired.
Get the defendant's legal name right, set out the events, and break down how the figure is reached.
File with the Colleton County small-claims court on paper, by mail or at the counter, and pay the $40–$80 fee (or request a waiver if you qualify).
Once the court fixes a date, have the papers served and return the proof of service to the file.
Sort the documents and exhibits in advance so they can be handed up in order.
Attend the hearing, in person or by video if that is offered, make your case, and receive the outcome.
Go through the events with Eleanor. The documents are prepared, Triple-Checked™ for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and filed for you.
Start for FREE →Claim form starts the case · Proof of service shows the defendant was notified · Fee waiver if you qualify. Exact form names vary by court; Squabble prepares the right ones for your courthouse.
Colleton County has a population of about 39,259. Colleton County takes in filings from 11 ZIP codes, 29082 first in the list.
The hearing is brief and informal. The judge asks the questions, and most people speak for themselves.
Canadys, Cottageville and Green Pond are among the Colleton County places a hearing can draw parties from. Hearings in Colleton County cases are listed at Colleton County Magistrate in Walterboro.
Winning and being paid are two different things. The judgment records what is owed; collecting it is its own process, backed by court remedies that vary from state to state.
Where the law allows, an employer can be directed to send part of the debtor's pay to the court.
Money in the debtor's bank account can be seized under a levy the court orders.
Recording the judgment locally can place a lien against real property in the debtor's name.
You can also ask the court to order the debtor to appear and disclose income and assets under oath. An unpaid judgment generally keeps accruing interest at the rate state law sets until it's satisfied.
Dorchester County and Hampton County are the counties nearest to Colleton County. The judgment in a Colleton County case comes from Colleton County Magistrate in Walterboro.
Last checked in August 2026. Court fees, limits and procedures move; verify them with the court first.
Talk with Eleanor about what happened. Squabble prepares your demand letter and court-ready documents, Triple-Checks them for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files your Colleton County case for you.
