Document preparation help for homeowners in Columbia, Forest Acres, Irmo, Blythewood and across Richland County. South Carolina is a judicial foreclosure state — understand the 90-day pre-foreclosure notice and the 30-day Answer deadline and act early.
South Carolina Judicial
Circuit Court / Court of Common Pleas
90-Day Notice
Pre-foreclosure right-to-cure
30-Day Answer
From date of service
Richland Court
1701 Main St, Columbia
Rush response within 24 hours
Dream Legal’s saved South Carolina sources describe a 90-day pre-foreclosure right-to-cure notice before filing, followed by a separate 30-calendar-day Answer deadline after the homeowner is served with the foreclosure summons and complaint. These are two different time periods — do not merge them into a single timeline.
Dream Legal’s current South Carolina saved sources describe a 90-day pre-foreclosure right-to-cure notice under S.C. Code § 29-3-310 before the foreclosure action is filed. If this notice was not sent or was defective, it can be raised as an affirmative defense.
What this is not: The 90-day notice is not the deadline to file your Answer. It is a pre-filing notice of the right to cure.
In the South Carolina judicial foreclosure process, the homeowner must file a written Answer within 30 calendar days from the date of service (SC R. Civ. P. 12(a)). Failing to respond can lead to a default judgment.
30 days from service is the Answer window. The 90-day notice is the pre-filing cure notice. They run on separate clocks.
Act early. Review your paperwork to see whether you have received a right-to-cure notice, a lis pendens, or a summons and complaint, and respond within the deadline that applies to your stage of the case.
South Carolina is a judicial foreclosure state. Foreclosure proceeds through the South Carolina Circuit Court / Court of Common Pleas. The steps below follow Dream Legal’s current saved South Carolina sources.
Default / mortgage issue. A payment is missed or another default triggers the process.
90-day pre-foreclosure right-to-cure notice. Under S.C. Code § 29-3-310, the lender generally must send a right-to-cure notice at least 90 days before initiating foreclosure.
Lis pendens and foreclosure complaint. The lender records a lis pendens and files a foreclosure complaint in the South Carolina Circuit Court / Court of Common Pleas in the county of the property.
Summons and complaint served. The summons and complaint are then served on the homeowner, starting the response clock.
Written Answer — 30 calendar days from service. Under SC R. Civ. P. 12(a), the homeowner must file a written Answer within 30 calendar days from the date of service. No filing fee for the Answer.
Defenses, litigation and loss mitigation. Raise defenses such as standing, notice defects, improper service, and chain of title. Loss mitigation or loan modification may be pursued before judgment.
Court proceedings. The case proceeds through discovery and motion practice in Circuit Court. In some cases, saved South Carolina local materials reference proceedings before a master-in-equity or special referee who reports to the court, but the Richland courthouse data used here does not establish a specific Richland procedure.
Foreclosure judgment. If the lender prevails and a foreclosure judgment is entered, the court authorizes a judicial sale.
Judicial sale. The property may be sold at a judicial sale.
No statutory post-sale redemption. Dream Legal’s current South Carolina saved sources state that South Carolina does not provide a statutory post-sale redemption period after judicial sale. Pre-sale defense is critical.
Deficiency may be sought. Dream Legal’s current South Carolina sources state that deficiency judgments may be allowed and that fair-market-value considerations may apply, but they do not establish a specific filing deadline or precise FMV formula for this page.
Important: Dream Legal’s saved sources do not establish a specific sale-hour rule, sale-publication clock, upset-bid period, postponement procedure, or mandatory foreclosure mediation for South Carolina, and none is stated on this page. With no statutory post-sale redemption, addressing the case before judgment matters.
Richland County is home to the state capital, Columbia, and to the communities of Forest Acres, Irmo, and Blythewood. Homeowners in Columbia and the surrounding areas served by the Richland County Circuit Court may look to this page for document-preparation help.
Primary city and Richland County seat, South Carolina state capital.
Richland County community in the Columbia metro area.
Columbia metro community; portions of the surrounding area may cross county lines.
Columbia metro community; parts of the surrounding area may cross county lines.
1701 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201
The Richland County Circuit Court information above is used for judicial foreclosure filing and Answer context. It does not establish a specific Richland County Master-in-Equity or Special Referee procedure, and none is stated here.
Document-preparation support is offered to help you organize and file papers. Dream Legal Solutions is a document-preparation service, not a law firm, and cannot guarantee case outcomes.
Having the right documents ready helps us prepare your foreclosure paperwork and organize your case. Collect whatever applies to your situation.
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South Carolina is a judicial foreclosure state. Foreclosure proceeds through the South Carolina Circuit Court / Court of Common Pleas.
Dream Legal’s current South Carolina saved sources describe a 90-day pre-foreclosure right-to-cure notice under S.C. Code § 29-3-310 before the foreclosure action is filed. If it was not sent or was defective, it can be raised as a defense.
In the South Carolina judicial foreclosure process, the homeowner must file a written Answer within 30 calendar days from the date of service (SC R. Civ. P. 12(a)).
No. The 90-day right-to-cure notice is a pre-filing notice under S.C. Code § 29-3-310. The 30-day Answer deadline is a separate clock that begins after the homeowner is served with the foreclosure summons and complaint. They should not be merged into a single timeline.
A lis pendens is recorded as notice that a lawsuit affecting the property has been filed. In South Carolina foreclosure, the lender records a lis pendens and files a foreclosure complaint in Circuit Court.
Judicial foreclosure is filed in the South Carolina Circuit Court / Court of Common Pleas in the county of the property. For Richland County, this is the Richland County Circuit Court at 1701 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201.
Dream Legal’s current South Carolina saved sources do not establish a foreclosure mediation program, eligibility rule, deadline, or automatic delay, so none is stated on this page. Loss mitigation and loan modification may still be options to pursue.
Dream Legal’s current South Carolina saved sources state that South Carolina does not provide a statutory post-sale redemption period after judicial sale. Addressing the case before judgment matters.
Yes. A homeowner may challenge whether the foreclosing party has standing, the note-ownership chain, and the validity of the mortgage assignment or chain of title. These can be raised as defenses in the Answer.
Dream Legal’s current South Carolina sources state that deficiency judgments may be allowed and that fair-market-value considerations may apply, but they do not establish a specific filing deadline or precise FMV formula for this page.
With no statutory post-sale redemption, act before judgment. Check your 90-day notice and your 30-day Answer window and get document-preparation help today.
Disclaimer: Dream Legal Solutions is a document-preparation service, not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice or representation, and we cannot guarantee case outcomes. For legal advice, consult a licensed South Carolina attorney.