Horry County Death Records and Certificates
Horry County death records cover one of South Carolina's largest and fastest-growing populations. The county stretches from the Grand Strand coast inland through Conway and beyond, and it includes major communities like Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest, and Socastee. Death certificates for Horry County residents are issued by the South Carolina Department of Public Health, while local offices including the coroner, probate court, and library provide additional resources. This guide covers where to request Horry County death certificates, how the coroner's office is involved, and what online tools support searches of historical and recent mortality records.
Horry County Quick Facts
Horry County Death Certificates
Certified Horry County death certificates are issued through the South Carolina Department of Public Health Vital Records office. The state office is at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201, phone (803) 898-3630, and handles requests from across the state. Online ordering and full instructions are at dph.sc.gov/public/vital-records/death-certificates. The DPH regional office for the Horry County area is at 1931 Industrial Park Road, Conway, SC 29526, phone (843) 915-8802. The Horry County Health Department is nearby at 800 4th Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, phone (843) 915-8804.
Mail requests cost $12 and take approximately four weeks to process. Online orders through VitalChek or GoCertificates cost $17 and arrive in five to seven business days. Each additional certified copy costs $3. Death records less than 50 years old are restricted to immediate family members and legal representatives under Section 44-63-84 of South Carolina law.
Horry County is the largest county by area in South Carolina and one of the top three by population. The volume of death certificates issued each year is significant. Researchers and family members seeking recent records should plan for potential delays during busy periods.
Note: Horry County's rapid growth means that many residents were born in other states or counties, so searching multiple jurisdictions may be necessary for a complete family history.
Horry County Coroner Death Records
The Horry County Coroner's Office is at 2560 N Main Street, Conway, SC 29526, phone (843) 915-5010. The coroner investigates deaths that are sudden, violent, suspicious, or lack medical attendance. When a death in Horry County meets those criteria, the coroner determines the cause and manner of death and submits those findings to the state vital records system. The coroner's determination becomes part of the official death certificate on file with the state.
The Horry County Coroner's Office website provides contact information and describes the office's role in investigating and documenting deaths in Horry County.
Contact the Horry County Coroner's Office directly for questions about a specific case or to request information about a coroner-investigated death in Horry County.
Autopsy reports and investigation case files are separate from the standard death certificate and contain more medical detail. Immediate family members and legal representatives may request these documents from the coroner's office. Given the county's size and the volume of cases, contacting the office in writing and including the decedent's full name, date of death, and your relationship will speed the response. Horry County's large year-round and seasonal population means the coroner handles a high volume of cases, particularly in summer months.
Searching Horry County Death Records Online
The SC Courts Public Index for Horry County is at publicindex.sccourts.org/horry/publicindex/. This free tool lets you search probate and court filings that may reference an Horry County death, including estate cases and guardianship records. Searching by surname will often surface probate cases that confirm a date of death and identify surviving family members.
The statewide probate index at scprobate.net includes Horry County cases and can be searched by name to quickly check whether a probate filing exists. This is a useful first step before making a more detailed request to the probate court directly.
The Horry County government website at horrycounty.org provides department directories, online services, and links to county records resources relevant to death records research.
From the Horry County government portal, navigate to the coroner, probate court, and clerk of court pages for direct contact information and online services related to death records.
FamilySearch holds indexed South Carolina death records that include Horry County entries going back to 1915. Searches on FamilySearch are free. The CDC's vital records guide at cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/south_carolina.htm explains the state system and is helpful for researchers new to South Carolina records.
Note: Horry County has grown dramatically since the 1970s, so researchers looking for records from that era onward may find the volume and geographic spread of records challenging to navigate without using multiple tools.
Horry County Probate Court and Vital Records
The Horry County Probate Court is at 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, phone (843) 915-5080. The Clerk of Court is at the same address and phone number. Probate court records are public once a case is opened. They typically include a copy of the death certificate, a list of assets and debts, names of heirs, and the decedent's last will and testament if one was filed. For researchers, probate files often contain more information about a person's life and death than the death certificate alone.
Wills filed with the Horry County Probate Court are part of the permanent public record. Older wills from earlier in the twentieth century may be accessible only in person at the courthouse, while more recent filings may appear in the online public index. The probate court can confirm whether an estate was opened following a specific death and direct researchers to the appropriate file.
Horry County Library Heritage Research Resources
The Horry County Memorial Library Heritage Center at 1008 5th Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, phone (843) 915-5222, is an outstanding resource for death records and genealogy research. The Heritage Center holds local history collections, obituary files, and access to major online genealogy databases including Ancestry and HeritageQuest. Librarians at the Heritage Center are knowledgeable about Horry County records and can help researchers navigate both digital and physical collections.
Ancestry, available at the library for free, includes digitized South Carolina death certificates and indexed mortality records. HeritageQuest provides access to census records, newspaper archives, and other historical materials. Together these databases cover much of the Horry County death records available from 1915 to the present, plus earlier records from census and church sources.
The South Carolina State Library genealogy guide provides research pathways for Horry County mortality records, vital records, and historical death documentation.
Follow the state library's genealogy guide to find indexes, digital collections, and research strategies that apply specifically to Horry County death records research.
The Horry County Library system's website at horrycountylibrary.org lists all branch locations, hours, and available databases. The Heritage Center in Conway is the main genealogy location, but other branches may also provide access to online research tools. Visiting in person during a weekday gives the best chance of getting one-on-one assistance from a librarian.
Historical Horry County Death Records
Horry County death records before 1915 are not held by the state. For that earlier period, researchers rely on church registers, cemetery records, the federal census mortality schedules, and probate filings from the Horry County Probate Court. The county was relatively rural and sparsely settled before the twentieth century, and record survival from that era is uneven. However, many families have deep roots here, and local genealogical collections often hold materials not available anywhere online.
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History at scdah.sc.gov, 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223, phone (803) 896-6100, holds microfilm of SC death certificates from 1915 through 1963. Researchers can visit in person or submit a written inquiry. The archives also holds earlier county records that can supplement death certificate research for the same individuals.
FamilySearch has indexed and digitized a significant portion of the South Carolina death certificate collection, and Horry County entries are part of that database. Searching by full name and approximate year will usually return matches if a record has been indexed. New batches are added periodically, so returning to FamilySearch after a few months can sometimes surface records not found in an earlier search.
South Carolina Vital Records Law and Horry County Death Records
South Carolina's vital records code in Title 44, Chapter 63 governs all Horry County death records. Section 44-63-74 requires the attending physician, or the coroner when no physician was present, to file the death certificate within five days of the death. Statewide electronic filing was mandated under S.C. H3325, enacted in 2022, and applies to all deaths in Horry County.
Section 44-63-84 restricts access to certified copies of death records less than 50 years old. Only the spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the deceased may request a full certified copy during that restricted period. Other parties may obtain a verification of death but not the full document. Once a record is 50 years old, it is open to any requester. The full text of the statute is at scstatehouse.gov/code/t44c063.php. South Carolina's FOIA statute at scstatehouse.gov/code/t30c004.php can be used to request coroner investigation reports and other county death-related records not governed by vital records law.
Cities in Horry County
Horry County includes several large communities along the Grand Strand and inland. Death records from any of these cities are part of the Horry County system and can be accessed through the same state and local offices described above.
Nearby Counties
Horry County borders Georgetown, Marion, and Dillon counties in South Carolina, and shares its northern border with Brunswick County, North Carolina. Researchers tracing Grand Strand families often find records that span these county and state lines.