Newberry County Probate Court
Newberry County Probate Court is led by Judge Kelly Baker Nobles. The court is located in the Courthouse Annex at 1309 College Street in Newberry, with mailing address P.O. Box 442, Newberry, SC 29108. The office phone is 803-321-2118, fax is 803-321-2119, and office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The court location page states that the Annex is handicap accessible and has plenty of no-fee parking.
The Probate Court home source image comes from the Newberry County Probate Court page.
This official court source identifies Judge Kelly Baker Nobles and the local Probate Court office used for Newberry County probate records.
Newberry County Probate Court
Courthouse Annex, 1309 College Street
Newberry, SC 29108
803-321-2118
Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Newberry County Probate Records Covered
The Probate Court functions page states that the court has original jurisdiction over marriage licenses, estates of deceased persons, wills, estates of minors or incapacitated persons, trusts, and involuntary commitments. The statewide South Carolina Probate Court page also describes county probate judges and probate jurisdiction.
The local functions source image comes from the Newberry County Probate Court functions page.
This source supports the page's record categories: estates, wills, minors, incapacitated persons, trusts, marriage licenses, and involuntary commitments.
The statewide Probate Court source image comes from the South Carolina Judicial Branch Probate Court page.
The statewide source gives South Carolina context for why Newberry County has its own elected Probate Court handling these records.
Newberry County Probate Glossary
Probate filings use terms that are not always clear from the docket or form title. These definitions are plain-language reading aids for Newberry County Probate Court records and do not replace court instructions.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out the terms of a will, often called a personal representative in estate practice.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
- Guardian
- A person appointed for care or personal decision-making for a minor or incapacitated person.
- Conservatorship
- A probate case for managing property or finances of a protected person.
- Informal estate
- A routine estate process that may proceed without hearings unless an interested party demands one under South Carolina law.
Newberry County Estate Administration
The estate administration page says that if there is a Last Will and Testament, it must be filed with the court within 30 days from the date of death. The county also states that the majority of estates come under informal procedures, and no notices or hearings are required unless demanded by an interested party under South Carolina law.
The estate administration source image comes from the Newberry County Probate Court estate administration page.
The source supports the will-filing deadline and the informal-estate process that often shapes Newberry County estate records.
- Confirm that the decedent lived in Newberry County or left property requiring Newberry probate.
- File the original will within 30 days if one exists.
- Contact Probate Court to identify the correct process: informal estate, formal proceeding, small estate affidavit, guardianship, conservatorship, trust, or another matter.
- Pay opening, copy, or certification fees in cash or check.
- Publish creditor notice where required and file inventories, accountings, or final statements as instructed.
- Request certified or exemplified copies when banks, real estate transfers, or out-of-county use require them.
Search Newberry County Probate Records
No separate online Newberry County probate case search was located in the research. Access is through Probate Court in person, by phone, by forms, or through older-record archive channels when the record is historical. For current estate, guardianship, conservatorship, trust, or marriage-license copy questions, start with Probate Court. For older Newberry County probate or court materials, check the South Carolina Department of Archives and History county records guide.
The Probate forms source image comes from the Newberry County Probate Court forms page.
The forms page is part of the access route because many probate records begin with the correct court form rather than an online search result.
| Access channel | Use it for | Newberry County note |
|---|---|---|
| Probate Court office | Current probate files, copies, fees, filing questions | 1309 College Street Annex, 803-321-2118. |
| Probate forms page | Starting forms and court-process navigation | Individual PDF details were not fully exposed in searchable text. |
| Phone or mail | Copy and filing questions | Mailing address P.O. Box 442, Newberry, SC 29108. |
| SC Archives | Older county probate and court records | Use for historical or genealogy research beyond current office files. |
Newberry County Probate Fees
The Probate Court fee page lists estate tiers, copy fees, marriage-license charges, formal proceeding fees, and other probate costs. It also states that Probate Court accepts only cash or checks. Some items are value-based, so the court may need the estate or conservatorship gross value before quoting the correct amount.
The official Newberry County Probate Court fee page is the source for the cash/check policy and the itemized Newberry County Probate Court fees listed below.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Accountings, Conservatorship | $10.00 |
| Certified copy | $5.00 |
| Certifying appeal record | $10.00 |
| Estate or conservatorship gross value $0-$4,999.99 | $25.00 |
| $5,000.00-$19,999.99 | $45.00 |
| $20,000.00-$59,999.99 | $67.50 |
| $60,000.00-$99,999.99 | $95.00 |
| $100,000.00-$599,999.99 | $95 plus 0.15% over $100,000 |
| $600,000 and over | $845 plus 0.25% over $600,000 |
| Small Estate Affidavit | $25.00 |
| Filing Last Will and Testament | $10.00 |
| Litigation formal proceedings, Summons/Petition | $150.00 |
| Marriage license | $45.00 |
| Xerox copies | $0.35 per page |
Newberry County Small Estates
The South Carolina Probate Code Article 3 includes small-estate summary procedures. The official code page notes a 2025 amendment, Act No. 26, that substituted "forty-five thousand dollars" for "twenty-five thousand dollars" effective May 8, 2025 in Section 62-3-1204. Because small-estate eligibility depends on current law and case facts, confirm the threshold and affidavit requirements with Newberry County Probate Court before filing.
The Probate Code source image comes from South Carolina Probate Code Article 3.
The statute source supports the small estate threshold note and keeps the Newberry County probate content tied to current South Carolina law.
Small estate note: The 2025 amendment raises a relevant South Carolina small-estate threshold to $45,000, effective May 8, 2025.
Restricted Newberry County Probate Records
Not every Probate Court record is an open public file. Routine estate materials may be available through the court, but involuntary commitment records, sensitive guardianship or conservatorship materials, minors' matters, and sealed filings may be restricted. Marriage licenses are public records under the county marriage page, but that does not make every probate-related filing public. When a record involves medical, mental-health, minor, or protected-person information, expect redaction or access limits.
Judge Kelly Baker Nobles
Judge Kelly Baker Nobles is a Newberry County native. The Probate Court biography states she was born in Newberry County in 1964, graduated from Midlands Technical College in 1987 with an Associate Degree in Legal Assisting, worked as a paralegal with a Newberry County law firm, and joined Probate Court in 1989. She served under Hon. Margaret H. Schumpert as Clerk of Probate Court, was appointed Interim Probate Judge by Governor Beasley on October 9, 1997, and was elected to a four-year term in November 1997.
That office history is useful for probate record users because Newberry County's current Probate Court page provides local continuity, named court leadership, and a direct office route for estate, will, guardianship, conservatorship, trust, commitment, and marriage-license questions.