Horry County Master-In-Equity Overview
The Master-In-Equity is a division of the Circuit Court, not a court that stands on its own. It exists in counties that qualify by population, and Horry County qualifies. A Circuit judge sends a case to the Master through an order of reference. From that point the Master takes over the day-to-day work on that file. The Master can hear evidence, weigh proof, rule on motions, and enter orders within the limits the reference sets. The South Carolina Master-In-Equity page lays out this role for the whole state.
The current Horry County Master-In-Equity is Alan D. Clemmons. His office sits in the county seat of Conway, in and around the same judicial complex that holds the Circuit Court and the Clerk. Most of what the Master decides is equity-heavy. Foreclosure is the largest single share. Because the Master is part of the Circuit Court, its rulings carry the weight of that court and its cases show up in the same state docket as other Common Pleas matters. That overlap matters a lot when you go to look up a file.
Contact the Horry County Master-In-Equity
The Master-In-Equity keeps a separate mailing address from the Clerk of Court, even though the two work closely on the same files. Use the contact below to reach the Master's office for foreclosure sale questions, hearing dates, and matters tied to a referred equity case. Horry-specific procedure for the Master is thin in public sources, so a phone call is often the fastest way to get a straight answer. The county judiciary directory also lists this office on the South Carolina Judicial Branch Horry County page.
Master Alan D. Clemmons
P.O. Box 1236
Conway, SC 29528
843-915-5310
Call ahead before you plan a trip. Sale dates, filing rules, and where a hearing is held can change, and the office can confirm the current process for your case. For court filings and certified copies, the Horry County Clerk of Court is the office to use, since the Clerk holds the actual case file.
What a Referred Equity Case Is
A referred case is a case the Circuit Court hands to the Master under an order of reference. The order spells out what the Master may do. Some references are full, which means the Master can hear the whole matter and enter a final order. Others are limited, which means the Master handles one piece, such as taking testimony or computing a debt, and then reports back. Either way, the case stays a Circuit Court case. The Master is simply the judicial officer assigned to move it along.
Equity is the side of the law that deals with fairness-based relief rather than money damages alone. A foreclosure is the classic equity case. So is a partition suit that splits jointly owned land, or a request to enforce a lien. These cases tend to need close handling of property facts, sale terms, and competing claims. That is the kind of work the Master is built for. The terms below come up often when reading a referred equity file.
- Equity
- A branch of law focused on fairness, such as forcing a sale or enforcing a lien, not just paying damages.
- Order of Reference
- The Circuit Court order that sends a case to the Master and sets what the Master may decide.
- Foreclosure
- A court action by a lender to sell property and recover an unpaid mortgage debt.
- Lis Pendens
- A recorded notice that a lawsuit affecting a specific piece of property is pending.
- Deficiency Judgment
- A judgment for the gap left when a sale brings less than the debt owed.
- Judicial Sale
- A court-ordered public sale of property, often run by the Master, to satisfy a judgment.
Note: a reference can be broad or narrow, so always read the order itself to learn exactly what the Master was asked to decide in a given case.
The Horry County Foreclosure Path at a High Level
A home foreclosure in Horry County is a court case, not a quick out-of-court process. South Carolina uses judicial foreclosure, which means a lender must file suit and win a court order before any sale. The lender files in the Court of Common Pleas, the civil side of the Circuit Court. The court then often refers the case to the Master-In-Equity for handling. The Master can take proof, rule on the debt, and order the property sold if the lender wins.
The broad steps below show the common path. They are a general map, not a strict rule, and any one case can skip, pause, or repeat a step. Court rules and timing change, so confirm the current process with the Master's office or an attorney.
- Lender files a foreclosure complaint in Common Pleas and records a lis pendens on the property.
- The borrower is served and given time to answer the suit.
- The Circuit Court refers the case to the Master under an order of reference.
- The Master hears proof, rules on motions, and may enter a judgment of foreclosure.
- The Master sets and conducts a judicial sale of the property.
- The sale result is reported, and any deficiency issue is decided.
Sale terms, bidding rules, and any redemption right depend on the court order and state law. The Master's office can tell you the current sale schedule. Recorded steps like the lis pendens and the final deed live with the land records, not the case docket, which is why a full search touches more than one office.
Master-In-Equity vs Circuit Court
The Master and the Circuit Court are not two separate courts. The Master is a division inside the Circuit Court. Still, the two play different roles in a case, and the table below sets them side by side on the points that matter for an equity or foreclosure file. For the full picture of the trial court, see the Horry County Circuit Court page.
| Master-In-Equity | Circuit Court | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Division of the Circuit Court | The general trial court |
| How Cases Arrive | By order of reference from a Circuit judge | Filed directly by a party |
| Typical Matters | Foreclosure and other equity cases | Civil suits and criminal prosecutions |
| Key Powers | Hear evidence, rule on motions, run judicial sales | Try cases, enter judgments, hear appeals from lower courts |
| Where Files Live | Common Pleas index with the Clerk | Common Pleas and General Sessions index with the Clerk |
So the Circuit Court owns the case. The Master works it once it is referred. Both rely on the same Clerk of Court to keep the file. A foreclosure judgment entered by the Master is a Circuit Court judgment for all practical purposes.
Where Horry County Foreclosure Records Live
Foreclosure leaves a paper trail across more than one office. The case docket sits in one place. The recorded land documents sit in another. Knowing which record lives where keeps a search from stalling. The table below maps the main foreclosure record types to the office that holds them.
| Record | Where It Lives | How to Reach It |
|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure case docket and orders | Court of Common Pleas, Clerk of Court | Public Index online |
| Master's judgment and sale orders | Common Pleas file with the Clerk | Public Index or certified copy from the Clerk |
| Recorded mortgage | Register of Deeds | County land records search |
| Lis pendens | Register of Deeds | County land records search |
| Deed after sale | Register of Deeds | County land records search |
The court file shows what the Master and the Circuit Court decided. The recorded documents show the property side, such as the mortgage, the lis pendens notice, and the deed that transfers title after a sale. For deeds, mortgages, and lis pendens filings, the Horry County Register of Deeds is the office of record. For the case file itself, the Clerk of Court holds the documents and issues certified copies.
Note: the case docket and the land records are separate systems, so a complete foreclosure search usually means checking both the Public Index and the county land records.
Finding Horry County Foreclosure Cases in the Public Index
Most foreclosure and equity cases show up online through the state Public Index. A foreclosure is a Common Pleas civil case, so it appears under the civil side for the county. The tool is free. It does need cookies and JavaScript turned on, and it makes you accept a disclaimer and type a security code before it will run a search. You can search by party name, case number, or case type. For real estate cases, a tax map number search can help when you know the property but not the parties.
- Open the Horry County Public Index and confirm the county.
- Read and accept the disclaimer that appears.
- Type the security code, then click Validate. Pressing Enter will not work.
- Search by party name, case number, case type, or tax map number for a real estate case.
- Open a result to view the parties, the filings, and any posted document icons.
As of January 1, 2026, home addresses were removed from the Public Index, so newer results may show less personal detail. The state explains the search system on its case records search page. The Public Index is good for tracking a foreclosure case, but it does not replace a certified copy, and document images are not posted for every case. For broader help on case lookup, see the Horry County court records page.
What the Horry County Master Can Decide
The Master's authority comes from the order of reference and from state law. Within those bounds, the Master acts much like a judge for the referred case. The Master can hold hearings, take sworn testimony, weigh documents, and decide motions. In a foreclosure, the Master can rule on the amount owed, enter the foreclosure judgment, and set the terms of the sale. The Master can then conduct the public sale of the property and confirm the result.
What the Master cannot do is reach beyond the reference. If a case was sent only for a narrow task, the Master sticks to that task and reports back to the Circuit Court. The depth of Horry-specific procedural detail in public sources is limited, so anyone facing a referred case should confirm the exact scope with the Master's office at 843-915-5310. The state Master-In-Equity page gives the general framework, and the Circuit Court page explains the larger trial court the Master sits within.