South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure
90 rules across 11 groups · 89 active
South Carolina's civil-procedure rules are cited as “Rule N, SCRCP” and were adopted by the Supreme Court of South Carolina effective July 1, 1985, modeled closely on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. They are organized into 11 groups, from general scope and commencement of an action through discovery, trials, judgment, provisional remedies, appeals and arbitration, and general provisions. Browse the full set below, with verbatim rule text, the official Notes the Supreme Court's own rules committee published alongside each rule, amendment history, and a plain-English summary for every rule.
I. Scope of Rules — One Form of Action
Cited as SCRCP · 2 active rules · 2 in the official compilation
II. Commencement of Action: Service of Process, Pleadings, Motions and Orders
Cited as SCRCP · 5 active rules · 5 in the official compilation
III. Pleadings and Motions
Cited as SCRCP · 10 active rules · 10 in the official compilation
- Rule 7 Pleadings allowed: Form of motions
- Rule 8 General rules of pleading
- Rule 9 Pleading special matters
- Rule 10 Form of pleadings
- Rule 11 Signing of pleadings; Attorneys
- Rule 12 Defenses and objections — when and how presented — by pleading or motion — motion for judgment on pleadings
- Rule 13 Counterclaim and cross-claim
- Rule 14 Third party practice
- Rule 15 Amended and supplemental pleadings
- Rule 16 Pre-trial procedure: Formulating issues
IV. Parties
Cited as SCRCP · 9 active rules · 9 in the official compilation
- Rule 17 Parties plaintiff and defendant: Capacity
- Rule 18 Joinder of claims and remedies
- Rule 19 Joinder of persons needed for just adjudication
- Rule 20 Permissive joinder of parties
- Rule 21 Misjoinder and non-joinder of parties
- Rule 22 Interpleader
- Rule 23 Class actions
- Rule 24 Intervention
- Rule 25 Substitution of parties
V. Depositions and Discovery
Cited as SCRCP · 12 active rules · 12 in the official compilation
- Rule 26 General provisions governing discovery
- Rule 27 Depositions before action or pending appeal
- Rule 28 Persons before whom depositions may be taken; Depositions in out-of-state actions
- Rule 29 Stipulations regarding discovery procedure
- Rule 30 Depositions upon oral examination
- Rule 31 Depositions upon written questions
- Rule 32 Use of depositions in court proceedings
- Rule 33 Interrogatories to parties
- Rule 34 Production of documents and things and entry upon land for inspection and other purposes
- Rule 35 Physical and mental examinations
- Rule 36 Request for admission
- Rule 37 Failure to make or cooperate in discovery: Sanctions
VI. Trials
Cited as SCRCP · 18 active rules · 18 in the official compilation
- Rule 38 Jury trial of right
- Rule 39 Trial by jury or by the court
- Rule 40 General docket, trial rosters, and call of cases for trial
- Rule 41 Dismissal of actions; Non-suit
- Rule 41.1 Sealing documents and settlement agreements
- Rule 41.2 Privacy protection for filings
- Rule 42 Consolidation; Separate trials
- Rule 43 Conduct of trial
- Rule 44 Proof of official record; Foreign law
- Rule 45 Subpoena
- Rule 46 Exceptions unnecessary
- Rule 47 Jurors
- Rule 48 Juries of less than twelve; Majority verdict
- Rule 49 Special verdicts and interrogatories
- Rule 50 Motion for a directed verdict and for judgment notwithstanding the verdict
- Rule 51 Instructions to jury: Objection
- Rule 52 Findings by the court
- Rule 53 Masters and special referees
VII. Judgment
Cited as SCRCP · 10 active rules · 10 in the official compilation
- Rule 54 Judgments: Costs
- Rule 55 Default
- Rule 56 Summary judgment
- Rule 57 Declaratory judgments
- Rule 58 Entry of judgment
- Rule 59 New trials; Amendment of judgments
- Rule 60 Relief from judgment or order
- Rule 61 Harmless error
- Rule 62 Stay of proceedings to enforce a judgment
- Rule 63 Disability of a judge
VIII. Provisional and Final Remedies and Special Proceedings
Cited as SCRCP · 9 active rules · 9 in the official compilation
- Rule 64 Remedies for seizure, remedies not provided
- Rule 65 Injunctions; Mandamus, habeas corpus, and other remedial writs
- Rule 66 Receivers
- Rule 67 Deposit in court
- Rule 68 Offer of judgment
- Rule 69 Execution
- Rule 70 Judgment for specific acts: Vesting title
- Rule 71 Foreclosure and partition
- Rule 71.1 Post-conviction relief actions
IX. Appeals and Arbitration
Cited as SCRCP · 5 active rules · 5 in the official compilation
X. Courts and Clerks
Cited as SCRCP · 4 active rules · 4 in the official compilation
XI. General Provisions
Cited as SCRCP · 5 active rules · 6 in the official compilation
- Rule 81 Applicability
- Rule 82 Jurisdiction and venue
- Rule 83 Not adopted Not adopted
- Rule 84 Forms
- Rule 85 Title; Criminal procedure; Rules repealed
- Rule 86 Effective date
Rule 83 is a numbering gap -- no rule was ever adopted under that number, confirmed against both the official source and the South Carolina Judicial Branch's own current rule list, which likewise jumps from Rule 82 to Rule 84 -- and is shown as one muted "Not adopted" row. All other numbers reconciled against the official source are active; South Carolina is the first jurisdiction in this project with zero reserved/repealed dead-stub rules.