Co-parenting in South Carolina, without the 10 p.m. scramble

The school email. The $120 receipt. The pickup you have to confirm again. Hand Civly any of it as it arrived and it lands on one calendar both houses read — and if you ever need the record for Family Court, where SC custody matters are heard, it's already there. You won't be building it at 10 p.m.

Start tonight — $79/year

Set up your side tonight · Cancel anytime · 30-day refund by email

Family Court

handles custody in SC

S.C. Code § 63-15-240

custody statute

South Carolina custody law

South Carolina courts consider the best interests of the child in custody decisions and evaluate each parent's character and fitness.

What South Carolina courts consider in custody decisions

South Carolina courts consider a detailed statutory list under § 63-15-240 including the temperament and developmental needs of the child, each parent's capacity to meet the child's needs, the child's preferences, the child's relationship with each parent and siblings, each parent's actions to encourage the continuing parent-child relationship, any manipulation or coercive behavior by a parent to involve the child in the parents' dispute, any effort by one parent to disparage the other in front of the child, whether a parent has relocated more than 100 miles in the past year, and whether the child or a sibling has been abused or neglected.

How the custody process works in South Carolina

South Carolina custody cases are heard exclusively in Family Court, which has jurisdiction over all domestic matters. There are no jury trials for custody — a Family Court judge hears all evidence and makes the ruling. Parents are generally required to attend mediation through a court-approved mediator before a contested hearing. The court may appoint a guardian ad litem to investigate and represent the child's best interests, and the GAL's report carries significant weight.

Key South Carolina custody statutes

  • S.C. Code § 63-15-240
  • S.C. Code § 63-15-230
  • S.C. Code § 63-3-530

How Civly helps South Carolina parents

One week, both houses, one version

Paste the school email or a calendar link and the events build themselves. Color-coded custody schedule from your own parenting plan. Share a read-only link with grandparents, attorneys, or mediators.

Say it how it comes out. Send the calm version.

Type or speak what you really feel — Civly writes the calm version — the one you would not cringe at if it were read back later. Your vent stays private and never enters an export. What you send is what gets kept.

Snap the receipt, skip the math

Snap a receipt or forward an email. AI extracts the amount. Your co-parent approves or disputes. Everything documented, timestamped, and exportable for your attorney.

Records your attorney can work with

Every message is timestamped, and exports as a certified PDF with a SHA-256 hash and a code anyone can check at civly.com/verify. How to present it in South Carolina's Family Court system is your attorney's call, and whether a record is admitted is always the court's decision.

Pricing comparison

Civly

$79/year

or $7.99/month

  • AI message rewriting
  • Custody calendar
  • Expense tracking
  • Timestamped PDF exports
  • Certified exports with verification codes

OurFamilyWizard Essentials

$149.99/year

Their cheapest tier that includes Writing Assistant. Cheaper OFW tiers exist without it. Per parent, list price August 2026.

Frequently asked questions

You don't need their agreement to start

Set up the calendar, log what's owed, draft the message you have to send tonight. Invite them when you're ready — the shared parts switch on the day they join.

Start tonight — $79/year

30-day money-back guarantee. Available in every state.

Civly is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Custody law and the rules of evidence vary from state to state, and individual judges apply them differently. For advice about your own case, speak to a family law attorney licensed in South Carolina. Civly launched in 2026 and is not named in many court orders yet — if your order already requires a specific platform, keep using it and ask your attorney before switching.