Ridgeville is twenty minutes up Highway 78 and Highway 27 from Summerville, and its families—longtime residents along Givhans Ferry and the newer households drawn by the Volvo campus at Camp Hall—are Dorchester County for probate, guardianship and General Sessions purposes. The courthouse in St. George is closer to Ridgeville than to us.
Where a Ridgeville case is heard
Dorchester County's courthouse complex—the probate court, the clerk of court and General Sessions (felony) court—is in St. George, about 28 miles up Highway 78 from Summerville. The county magistrates sit in St. George and at the Troy Knight Judicial Complex on Deming Way in Summerville, and bond hearings are held at the county detention center on Hodge Road in Summerville.
Ridgeville is a town, but tickets and misdemeanors are heard by the Dorchester County magistrate; the town does not maintain a separate court docket for most cases.
Dorchester County Probate Court
5200 E. Jim Bilton Blvd., St. George, SC 29477 · (843) 563-0105 · Website
Estates, guardianships and conservatorships for Dorchester County residents. Call before visiting; hearings are by appointment.
Dorchester County Detention Center
220 Hodge Road (off US-78), Summerville, SC 29483 · (843) 832-0215 · Website
Bond hearings for Dorchester County arrests are held here, in Summerville—not in St. George.
Dorchester County Courthouse (Clerk of Court; General Sessions and Common Pleas)
5200 E. Jim Bilton Blvd., St. George, SC 29477 · (843) 563-0160 · Website
Family Court sits at the Troy Knight Judicial Complex, 212 Deming Way, Summerville.
Dorchester County Magistrate Court – Summerville (Troy Knight Judicial Complex)
212 Deming Way, Summerville, SC 29483 · (843) 832-0370 · Website
Bond hearings, misdemeanors and tickets written by the Sheriff's Office or Highway Patrol in the Summerville area.
Heirs' property and family land
Upper Dorchester County has more family land passed down without a will than anywhere else we work. Clearing title on heirs' property, probating estates that were never opened, and writing wills that keep land in the family without splitting it into unusable shares are a regular part of our Ridgeville practice.
How we help Ridgeville families
- Estate planning — wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney and living wills drafted for South Carolina law and recorded in Dorchester County where required.
- Probate and estate administration — opening, administering and closing estates in the Dorchester County Probate Court, small-estate affidavits, and disputes when they arise.
- Guardianship and conservatorship — for an aging parent or a minor, contested or not.
- Criminal defense — bond hearings at the Dorchester County Detention Center on Hodge Road in Summerville, misdemeanors in magistrate and municipal court, and felonies in Dorchester County General Sessions, defended by a former officer.
- Personal injury — car, truck and motorcycle crashes and dog bites, through our dedicated injury site.
Getting to our office from Ridgeville
Follow West 5th North Street (US-78) to North Cedar Street, then Central Avenue, South Laurel Street, West Carolina Avenue, and turn onto Linwood Lane. The drive is about 12 miles and 20 minutes in normal traffic.
Directions from Ridgeville in Google Maps
About Ridgeville
| County | Dorchester County |
|---|---|
| Status | Incorporated town |
| ZIP codes | 29472 |
| Population (2020 census) | 1,672 |
| Landmarks | Givhans Ferry State Park (988 acres on the Edisto River near Ridgeville); Volvo Cars USA plant / Camp Hall Commerce Park (Ridgeville mailing address; site is in Berkeley County); SC-27 & US-78 junction; I-26 exit 187 (SC-27) |
Live in Ridgeville? Call Frost first.
Consultations at our Summerville office, or by phone and video when the drive is not worth it.
Questions people ask
Which probate court handles an estate for a Ridgeville address?
The Dorchester County Probate Court in St. George. Estates are opened in the county where the person lived at death.
Where is the bond hearing after an arrest in Ridgeville?
At the Dorchester County Detention Center on Hodge Road in Summerville, usually within 24 hours of a warrant arrest.
Do you meet clients in Ridgeville?
Consultations are at our Summerville office or by phone and video. For estate-plan signings we can sometimes arrange a meeting closer to you; ask when you call.
Related pages
Estate planning
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and living wills for South Carolina families.
Learn moreProbate
Estate administration, executor guidance, small estates, disputes and guardianship.
Learn moreCriminal defense
Drug charges, domestic violence, bond, warrants, traffic and expungements.
Learn more