How to fill out South Carolina's Magistrate's Court Complaint (SCCA/701) and Summons (SCCA/700)

County / Plaintiff / Defendant(s) / Civil Case Number

The caption identifies the county where you are filing, your name, and the defendant's name. The civil case number is assigned by the court.

Plaintiff Information — street address, city/state/zip, telephone, email address

Your contact information, one line each.

Defendant(s) Information — street address, city/state/zip, telephone

The defendant's address and phone. This is where the Summons and Complaint go, so the address drives service.

1. Residence and venue

A fill-in-the-blanks sentence stating that you believe the defendant is a resident of a named county, resides at a stated address, "and this Complaint is properly filed in ___ County." It is the form's venue statement — the county where the defendant lives and the county of filing are both named.

2. "I make this complaint upon the following"

Lined space for the reason for the complaint in your own words, with the form's note to "Attach supplement if necessary" if the lines aren't enough.

3. The amount and requested relief

A statement that, because of the facts above, you request "a judgment for $___ and/or other relief, including any costs resulting in this action," with space to spell out the requested relief. The amount must be within the $7,500 Magistrate's Court limit.

Penalty-of-perjury statement, date, and signature

Pre-printed text — "I state under penalty of perjury that the above is correct and truthful, except those statements based on my information and belief" — followed by the date and the signature of the plaintiff (or their attorney). No notarization is required.

Caption, defendant name, answer deadline, and court address

The Summons carries the same caption (county, plaintiff, defendant, case number) and tells the defendant: "YOU ARE SUMMONED and required to answer the allegations of the attached complaint and present any appropriate counterclaims/crossclaims... within ___ days from the first day after receipt of this summons," with the Magistrate's Court address filled in. The number of days is entered on the form.

Default and jury-trial notices, magistrate's signature

Pre-printed text warning that failure to answer in time can lead to a judgment by default for the amount requested plus interest and costs, and that a jury trial must be requested in writing at least five (5) working days before the trial date — otherwise the magistrate decides the case. The magistrate signs and dates the Summons; that block is not yours to complete.