Records Management Division

City of Charleston Officials 1946.jpg City Officials, 1946

The Records Management Division safeguards records of permanent importance to the City, its citizens, and future generations through its microfilm, digitization and record storage operations. The division assists citizens and city staff by ensuring that proper procedures are followed for records retention, timely retrieval, and secure disposition, in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The division also maintains a collection of primarily twentieth-century historical records and provides research assistance to city departments and the general public. 

City Yearbooks, 1880-1951

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FOIA

City Council Journals

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Public Records Requests 

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

Any record created by an office of the City of Charleston is a public record and is under the jurisdiction of the Public Records Act of South Carolina (Title 30 of the South Carolina Code of Laws). Section Four of the act is known as the Freedom of Information Act  (FOIA). 

City of Charleston policy requires that a legal representative coordinate all document and information requests. Please note that any requests made directly to the Records Management Division will be forwarded to the Corporation Counsel Division. 

As of November 30, 2020, the City of Charleston has launched a new online portal for processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Customers can access the online portal at https://www.charleston-sc.gov/801/Freedom-of-Information-Act-Request-FOIA.