Chester County Marriage & Divorce Records

Chester County Marriage Licenses

Marriage licenses in Chester County are handled by Chester County Probate Court. The local Probate Court is at 1476 J.A. Cochran Bypass, Chester, SC 29706, with mailing address PO Box 580, Chester, SC 29706. The phone number is (803) 385-2604, and the office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Judge of Probate Terri B. Zion is listed for the court.

Applications are in person only. Both parties must appear, and the Probate Court processes marriage license applications Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The county research says no appointment is needed for marriage licenses. Applicants must bring a valid driver's license, state ID, or current military ID, a Social Security card, and the filing fee. A person under 18 needs parental consent, and a person under 16 cannot apply. South Carolina has a mandatory 24-hour waiting period, and the license is valid only in South Carolina.

The South Carolina DPH marriage certificate page is a statewide certificate request path, separate from the local Probate Court license process.

DPH certificates help prove that a marriage occurred, but Chester County Probate Court remains the local source for licenses issued in Chester County.

Apply for a Chester Marriage License

Applicants should treat the Probate Court counter as the official start point. The county does not document an online Chester marriage application in the research file. The completed license must be returned to Probate Court after the ceremony, and certified local marriage certificate copies from Probate Court cost $5.

1. Go to Chester County Probate Court during marriage license processing hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
2. Both parties appear in person with a valid driver's license, state ID, or current military ID.
3. Bring the required Social Security card and any parental-consent material if an applicant is under 18.
4. Pay the $45 license fee by cash or credit card only.
5. Wait the required 24 hours before the license can be used.
6. Use the license only in South Carolina and return the completed license to Probate Court.

Chester Marriage Record Fields

The DPH marriage and divorce application is useful because it shows what identifying details a requester may need for statewide certificate or report searches. The local Probate Court may ask for additional information at the counter, but the research did not locate a separate Chester County online marriage application form. For a DPH marriage certificate, the requester identifies both spouses, the date of marriage if known, the county where the license was obtained, the applicant's contact information, and the applicant's relationship to the named person or people.

The DPH D-0639 application is the mail request form listed in the research for marriage certificate and divorce report copies.

Chester Marriage and Divorce Fees

Chester County Probate Court and South Carolina DPH charge different fees because they provide different records. Probate Court issues the local marriage license and local marriage certificate copies. DPH issues statewide marriage certificates and divorce reports for eligible requesters, using a nonrefundable search fee and additional-copy charge. The actual divorce decree comes from the Clerk of Court in the county where the divorce was filed or granted.

Look Up Chester Marriage Records

For a Chester County marriage license or local marriage certificate copy, contact Chester County Probate Court. For a state-issued certificate, DPH issues marriage certificates to eligible people: a party to the marriage, an adult child, a present or former spouse of either party, or a legal representative. Others may receive a statement that the marriage occurred, with the date and county, rather than a certified certificate.

DPH mail requests average four weeks and require a photocopy of a valid government, school, or employer photo ID. The research notes that DPH in-person and drop-off marriage service was listed as temporarily unavailable as of June 19, 2025, with the page directing requests by mail. South Carolina central filing of marriages was not required until July 1, 1950, so older Chester County marriage records before that date should be requested from the Probate Judge in the county where the license was obtained.

The South Carolina marriage license statutes in Title 20, Chapter 1 provide the state-law frame for marriage licensing.

Those statutes support the statewide marriage rules, while Chester County Probate Court supplies the local counter process and local copies.

Find Chester Divorce Records

Divorce records in Chester County are Family Court and Clerk of Court records locally. Chester County Family Court is at 126 Wylie Street, Chester, SC 29706, and the phone number is (803) 377-7156. The Clerk of Court is the local custodian for Family Court records and copies. A divorce decree, pleadings, orders, and related court-file materials must be requested from the Clerk of Court in the county where the divorce was filed or granted.

DPH divorce reports are different. DPH provides divorce reports from July 1, 1962 forward for eligible people, but it does not issue divorce decrees. A DPH divorce report may prove the fact of divorce, date, and county, but it will not replace the judge's decree terms. Eligibility for a certified DPH divorce report includes one divorced party, an adult child of the divorced parties, a present or former spouse of either divorced party, or a legal representative.

The South Carolina DPH divorce reports page is the state report source, not the source for a Chester County divorce decree.

Use DPH when the needed record is a state divorce report; use the Clerk of Court when the needed record is the court decree or case file.

Chester Divorce Record Limits

South Carolina divorce grounds include adultery, desertion for one year, physical cruelty, habitual drunkenness or drug use, and no-fault separation for one year. Residency and venue rules also affect where the divorce can be filed. The research notes that a plaintiff generally must have resided in South Carolina for one year before filing, unless both parties are South Carolina residents when the action starts, in which case the plaintiff need only have resided in the state for three months.

Venue generally points to the county where the defendant resides, where the plaintiff resides if the defendant is a nonresident or cannot be found, or where the parties last resided together unless the plaintiff is a nonresident. These rules explain why some people with Chester ties may have a divorce decree in another South Carolina county. Family Court records also include sensitive categories, so adoption, juvenile, abuse and neglect, and protected child information should not be treated as ordinary public divorce records.

The South Carolina divorce statutes in Title 20, Chapter 3 are the source for the divorce grounds, residency, and venue points summarized here.

Those filing rules can explain why a Chester County resident's divorce record may be held by Chester Family Court or by a different county's Clerk of Court.

Certified Chester Copies

Certified copy requests should start with the office that holds the record type. Probate Court handles Chester marriage license records and local marriage certificate copies. The Clerk of Court handles divorce decrees and Family Court case-file materials. DPH handles eligible statewide marriage certificates and divorce reports, with mail requests averaging four weeks and requiring photo ID.

South Carolina vital-record law limits who can receive certified DPH marriage certificates and divorce reports. Others may be limited to a statement that the event occurred, plus the date and county. Court files can have their own limits under Family Court confidentiality, adoption sealing rules, juvenile confidentiality, and redaction rules for personal identifiers.

The South Carolina vital-record statute supports the eligibility limits for DPH marriage certificates and divorce reports.

That distinction keeps certified vital records separate from the broader court file held by the Chester County Clerk of Court.

South Carolina Vital Records

DPH is the statewide certificate and report source listed in the research. Mail requests for marriage certificates and divorce reports use the same D-0639 application path, include the $12 nonrefundable search fee, add $3 for each extra copy, and require a photocopy of valid photo identification. For pre-1950 marriage records, use the Probate Judge in the county where the license was obtained because central state filing was not required until July 1, 1950.