Lancaster County Marriage License
Marriage licenses in Lancaster County are issued by the Lancaster County Probate Court. The Probate Judge is Mary Rathel, and the office is located at 104 N Main Street in Lancaster. The marriage license process is appointment based. Applicants begin online, then Probate Court staff contacts them to schedule the appointment and confirm that the application was received.
The county's marriage license instructions show the local process, fee, identification rules, and waiting period.
Both applicants must appear in person for the appointment. Each applicant must bring a valid photo ID plus a Social Security card or Resident Alien Identification Card. A South Carolina resident marriage license costs $75. An out-of-state resident marriage license costs $90. South Carolina also requires a 24-hour waiting period after the application is completed, so the license is not issued for immediate same-day use.
Apply for Lancaster County Marriage Records
The online marriage application is not the full end of the process. It sends the application to Probate Court, then the court schedules the in-person step. The license is valid only for a ceremony taking place in South Carolina. If the ceremony will be in another state, Lancaster Probate Court says not to apply through Lancaster County.
The county uses a SeamlessDocs marriage application for the first step of the Lancaster marriage process.
- Open the Lancaster marriage application and complete the visible fields.
- Submit the form so it is sent to Lancaster County Probate Court by email.
- Wait for Probate Court staff to contact the applicants and schedule the appointment.
- Attend the appointment with both applicants physically present and the required IDs.
- Pay the resident or nonresident fee, then observe the 24-hour waiting period.
- Provide a prepaid self-addressed envelope at the appointment if the license should be mailed after the waiting period.
Note: All Lancaster County marriage application fees are nonrefundable, and applications are handled by appointment only.
Lancaster County Marriage Application Fields
The inspected application exposed some form fields and instructions, but not a complete public field list without moving through the form workflow. Applicants should expect the form to ask for the information Probate Court needs to prepare the license, confirm identities, and contact both parties before the appointment.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant A role | Visible | Options shown were Bride, Groom, and Spouse. |
| Applicant B role | Visible | Options shown were Bride, Groom, and Spouse. |
| Required fields | Where marked | SeamlessDocs marks required fields with an asterisk. |
| Social Security number | Likely if applicable | The instruction says not to include dashes. |
| Phone number | Unspecified | The instruction says not to include dashes. |
| Electronic signature consent | Required to submit | The form uses electronic signature consent mechanics. |
Lancaster County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Published local fees were found for Lancaster County marriage licenses and Probate Court marriage certificate copies. County-specific filing fees for divorce and certified divorce decree copies were not located in the official Lancaster sources reviewed, so those items should be confirmed with the Family Court division of the Clerk of Court before payment is mailed or brought in.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license, South Carolina resident | $75 |
| Marriage license, out-of-state resident | $90 |
| Probate Court certified marriage certificate by mail | $5 per certificate |
| Probate Court marriage certificate by phone | $6 |
| DPH marriage certificate or divorce report standard mail search | $12 |
| DPH expedited search where available | $17 |
| DPH additional copy | $3 |
| County divorce filing or decree copy | Not published in reviewed county sources |
The state vital records fee schedule lists DPH search and copy fees for vital records requests.
Search Lancaster County Marriage Records
Certified copies of Lancaster County marriage certificates can be requested from Probate Court by mail, phone, or online request form. For mail requests, the county says to complete the request form, include a money order or certified check payable to Lancaster County Probate Court, include $5 per certificate, add a self-addressed stamped envelope, and mail the request to Lancaster County Probate Court, PO Box 1809, Lancaster, SC 29721.
The county's marriage certificate request page identifies the mail, phone, and online request channels.
Phone requests go through Probate Court at 803-283-3379 with credit card information, and the county lists a $6 phone request cost. The Probate Court also links an online Marriage Certificate Request Form. These county channels are important for records before July 1950 and after December 2023 because the state vital records office directs those requests back to the Probate Court that issued the license.
South Carolina Marriage Records
The South Carolina Department of Public Health marriage certificate page covers state-issued marriage certificates for marriages from July 1950 through December 2023.
DPH online and phone orders through VitalChek are limited to people named on the certificate, adult children, and present or former spouses. DPH mail requests require a completed application, a photocopy of a valid government, school, or employer photo ID, and payment. Mail requests go to S.C. Department of Public Health, Vital Records Section, PO Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171. DPH states that online or phone orders average 5 to 7 business days and mail processing averages four weeks.
South Carolina DPH Vital Records
Vital Records Section
PO Box 2046
West Columbia, SC 29171
803-898-3630
Find Lancaster County Divorce Records
Divorce records in Lancaster County are Family Court records. South Carolina Family Court handles divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation, support, alimony, marital property, name changes, adoption, and many juvenile matters. The Lancaster Clerk of Court has a separate Family Court division phone line at 803-285-6961. For an actual divorce decree, use the Clerk of Court route rather than the Probate Court or the state marriage certificate process.
The DPH divorce reports page states that DPH provides divorce reports, while actual divorce decrees must be obtained from the Clerk of Court where the divorce was filed or granted. That distinction matters in Lancaster County because a report may prove a divorce occurred, but the decree contains the court's order.
DPH eligible requesters for a divorce report include one of the divorced parties, adult children, a present or former spouse, or a legal representative. Other applicants may receive a statement that the divorce occurred, including the date and county. DPH asks for the full names of the husband and wife, the date of divorce, the county where the hearing was held, the requester's signature, current mailing address, relationship, mailing address for copies, and daytime phone number.
Restricted Lancaster County Family Records
Some Lancaster County divorce records are public in part, while related Family Court records can be restricted. Adoption files, juvenile matters, sensitive custody material, protected addresses, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and other private identifiers may be sealed or redacted. A person searching for a divorce decree should be ready to prove party status, legal authority, or eligibility if the requested document is not open to ordinary public inspection.
South Carolina law also treats juvenile records differently. The juvenile justice statute includes juvenile expungement provisions that can affect access to related court history.
The SC Judicial Branch also provides self-represented simple divorce packets for eligible cases. Those forms help with filing, but they do not replace local filing questions for Lancaster County Family Court. Contact the Clerk's Family Court division for filing and copy questions tied to a Lancaster County divorce decree.