Found an item? Your responsibilities

What to do when you find someone else's property — your responsibilities and how to return it safely.

Found something in Columbia? Handling it responsibly protects both you and the owner. Rules vary by location, but the principles are consistent.

Make a reasonable effort to find the owner. Check for ID, contact details, or anything that identifies who it belongs to.
Don't assume it's yours to keep. Keeping found property without trying to return it can have legal consequences. When in doubt, hand it in.
Hand valuables to the authorities. Report significant or high-value finds to the police non-emergency line for Columbia; they'll log it and may issue a reference.
Store it safely. Keep the item secure and unchanged while you try to return it.
Post a found listing. Add a found-item listing for Columbia with enough detail for the real owner to identify it — while holding back one verifying detail.

Helpful resources for Columbia

Nextdoor
Reach neighbors to return a found item

Recent reports in Columbia

found J

Found: synthesizers in Columbia

I found them today around 3:15 PM outside the Columbia Museum of Art on Main Street. The gear was in a hard-shell case, cables spilling out, and a small sticker that simply read 'Synthesizers.' They looked like someone set them down for a quick photo and forgot to come back. I picked them up and walked to the cafe across the street, waiting a moment to see if the owner would return, but the crowd moved on. I'm posting this here because something like that deserves to be returned to its owner sooner rather than later.

Sentimental

Main Street near the Columbia Museum of Art 3 days ago

found E

Found medication bottle near Five Points

Found medication bottle near Five Points plaza, outside The Freeway Coffee, around 9:40 AM today. It’s a small blue prescription bottle with a white cap; the label is peeling, so I couldn't read the name. I tucked it into a zippered pocket of my bag and kept it in a safe place, thinking someone would be looking for it. I know how important daily meds can be, and I hope the owner spots this post soon and knows it’s in a secure spot until it can be picked up.

near Five Points plaza, outside The Freeway Coffee 11 days ago

found J

Found travel visas near the State House steps

Hi, I’m Jordan Lee. Around 9:30 AM on Tuesday, I found a stack of travel visas lying on the sidewalk outside the South Carolina State House on Main Street in Columbia. They were in a worn folder with a few stamps and a couple of passport-sized photos. It looked like the owner might have dropped them in a rush. I picked them up and kept them safe, hoping to help the rightful owner retrieve them soon.

State House steps, Main Street, Columbia 28 days ago

found C

Found your flutes near the State House, Columbia today

Last Friday at 4:15 p.m., I found a case of flutes left on a bench near the State House on Gervais Street in Columbia. The case had a few sheet music pages peeking out and a red cleaning cloth tucked inside. I checked for a name tag and found nothing, so I brought the instruments to the downtown lost-and-found, hoping the owner would see this. It feels strange to imagine someone practicing late on a Friday and losing track of their gear, and I'd be glad to help reunite them.

Near the State House on Gervais St, downtown Columbia about 1 month ago

found S

Found stamps near the State House, Columbia.

This morning around 7:15 a.m., I was walking along Gervais Street near the State House when I spotted a small plastic case and a bundle of stamps tucked behind a planter. I picked them up and checked the surroundings for an owner, but no one came by. The stamps look like a mix of foreign issues and commemoratives, all neatly arranged in a worn sleeve. I’m hoping whoever lost them sees this and can claim them through the site.

State House steps on Gervais St. about 2 months ago

found C

Found sheet music in Columbia, SC

Today around 4:30 pm I found a small stack of sheet music on the sidewalk outside the State House steps on Gervais Street in downtown Columbia. The papers are yellowed with age, bound with a pink rubber band, and one page has a treble clef sketched in the corner. A note on the top page looks like a name—Ella—penciled in the margin. The music feels like it belongs to someone who practiced here after class, and finding it brought a weird sense of connection. I’m hoping the owner will see this and claim them through the site so someone can bring back a memory in the form of a song.

Sentimental

near the State House steps on Gervais St, downtown Columbia about 2 months ago