Chesterfield County Marriage Licenses
Chesterfield County marriage licenses are issued by Chesterfield County Probate Court. Judge Gail B. Ingram's office is at 200 West Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709, with phone 843-623-2376, fax 843-623-9886, and email probatecourt@chesterfieldcountysc.com. Public hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM. Both applicants must appear together, bring a driver's license or photo ID and Social Security card, and pay the license fee before processing.
The county Probate Court source is the official local source for Chesterfield County marriage records and license requirements.
Because the Probate Court issues the county license and certified local copy, this source belongs at the start of any Chesterfield County marriage records request.
- Contact or visit Chesterfield County Probate Court during public hours.
- Both parties appear together with photo identification and Social Security card.
- If either applicant is under 18, provide the certified birth certificate that remains with Probate Court and obtain parental consent.
- Pay the marriage-license fee based on residency.
- Wait the required 24 hours from application before the license is issued.
Chesterfield County Marriage Fees
Fees depend on the office and record type. Probate Court charges one fee for the marriage license and another for certified county marriage-license copies. DPH charges a statewide vital-record search fee that includes one certified copy if the record is found. Family Court filing fees apply when a divorce action is filed, while copy fees for an existing court file are separate from DPH report fees.
| Item | Amount / Notes |
|---|---|
| Marriage license, South Carolina residents | $50 |
| Marriage license, nonresidents | $75 |
| Certified Chesterfield marriage-license copy | $10 per copy from Probate Court |
| DPH marriage or divorce record search | $12, nonrefundable, includes one certified copy if found |
| DPH additional copies | $3 each |
| DPH expedited search | $17 when expected turnaround is 10 business days or less; no mail expedite |
| Family Court divorce filing | $150; in forma pauperis order may waive fees |
The South Carolina Family Court fee schedule is the source for the divorce filing fee.
That statewide court-fee source matters because a Chesterfield County divorce decree starts as a Family Court case, not as a DPH vital-record request.
Chesterfield County Marriage Application Fields
The county marriage-license application is handled through Probate Court, while DPH Form D-0639 is the statewide form for marriage certificates and divorce reports. The county license process focuses on the two applicants, proof of identity, Social Security card, age eligibility, fee payment, and the 24-hour waiting period. The DPH form asks for applicant identity, contact details, relationship to the person named on the record, and event details that help the state find the correct certificate or report.
| Field / Section | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both marriage applicants | In-person appearance | Yes | Both parties must appear together at Chesterfield Probate Court. |
| Driver's license or photo ID | Identification | Yes | County requirement for each applicant. |
| Social Security card | Identification | Yes | County requirement for each applicant. |
| Certified birth certificate and parental consent | Document/consent | If under 18 | County says the certified birth certificate is left permanently with Probate Court. |
| Residency fee category | Fee category | Yes | South Carolina resident and nonresident fees differ. |
| Name of applicant | Text | Yes | Person requesting the record. |
| Day phone number | Text | Yes | Contact phone. |
| Address, city, state, ZIP | Text | Yes | Applicant address. |
| Relationship | Checkbox | Yes | Self, adult child, present or former spouse, or legal representative. |
| Signature of applicant | Signature | Yes | False application warning. |
| Bride/spouse and groom/spouse fields | Text | Marriage section | Names, suffixes, birth-certificate last names, and other married surnames. |
| Date and county of marriage | Date/text | Marriage section | Use Chesterfield if the license was obtained locally. |
| Plaintiff and defendant fields | Text | Divorce section | Names and other married surnames. |
| Date and county of divorce | Date/text | Divorce section | Used to search for the divorce report. |
| Copy options and fees | Checkbox/calculation | Yes | Long Form or Statement choices, plus search and copy fees. |
The DPH vital-record fee page documents the state fee structure tied to these applications.
For Chesterfield County marriage and divorce records, DPH fees apply only to state vital-record products, not to county court filing fees.
Lookup Chesterfield County Marriage Records
For a current or certified county marriage-license copy, request the record from Chesterfield County Probate Court in person or by mail. The request must supply the parties' names and the date of marriage. The certified copy costs $10. In person, the county accepts cash, local check, or money order. A mailed request should include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a money order for $10 payable to Chesterfield County Probate Court.
Historical marriage records have a separate path. Chesterfield County posts marriage register books from Book 1, covering 1911-1918, through Book 24, covering 1979-1987. DPH cautions that central filing of South Carolina marriages was not required until July 1, 1950, so earlier marriage records must come from the county Probate Judge rather than the state vital-record office.
The county marriage register page is the local source for older Chesterfield County marriage record books.
Those registers make the marriage-record path more local than a normal state certificate request, especially for genealogy work before statewide filing was required.
Chesterfield County Marriage Certificates
DPH is the statewide channel for marriage certificates where state records exist. The state vital-record office is at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201, phone 803-898-3630, with office hours Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM. Mail requests go to S.C. Department of Public Health, Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171. The research notes an average mail processing time of four weeks and a DPH suggested in-person non-peak window of 9 AM-11 AM Tuesday-Thursday.
The DPH marriage certificate page is the statewide source for certificate requests.
Use DPH when a state certificate is needed, but use Chesterfield Probate Court when the need is the county license file or an older local register entry.
The broader DPH vital-records overview also covers the state's marriage and divorce record channels.
That overview helps separate state certificates and reports from Chesterfield County court files held by Probate Court or the Clerk of Court.
Find Chesterfield County Divorce Records
Divorce decrees and divorce case files are Family Court records handled through the Clerk of Court in the county where the final hearing was held. In Chesterfield County, start with the Clerk of Court at 200 West Main Street, phone 843-623-2574. A DPH divorce report is not the same as a decree. DPH has divorce reports from July 1, 1962 forward, but it does not have the actual divorce decree signed by the judge and filed with the Clerk.
The DPH divorce report page is the state source that distinguishes reports from court decrees.
That distinction is central for Chesterfield County divorce records because agencies, courts, and benefits offices may ask for a decree rather than a state report.
South Carolina divorce law also affects where a case is filed and when a final decree can issue. Grounds include adultery, one-year desertion, physical cruelty, habitual drunkenness or drug use, and one year living separate and apart without cohabitation. Residency and venue rules decide the proper county, and timing rules can limit when a reference or final decree occurs.
The South Carolina divorce statutes are the cited law source for those filing and decree rules.
For a Chesterfield County divorce records search, these rules support why the Clerk and Family Court file matter more than a general vital-record search.
Chesterfield County Divorce Filing
The SC Judicial Branch simple divorce packet is for eligible self-represented litigants. A person using it must confirm proper county and residency, complete the first five forms if eligible, file with the Clerk of Court in the proper county, serve the spouse or spouse's attorney, and follow hearing and final-order instructions. The divorce is not effective until the final order is signed by the judge and filed with the Clerk of Court.
The SC Judicial Branch simple divorce packet page is the statewide source for the filing packet and interactive resources.
That filing source belongs with Chesterfield County divorce records because the decree is created in Family Court and filed through the Clerk, even if DPH can later issue a report.
Chesterfield County Marriage Access Limits
South Carolina marriage statutes provide the legal base for marriage licensing, but the research notes that older statutory language should be used with care because federal same-sex-marriage law affects how older text is applied. The county's live Probate Court requirements are the practical source for applicants in Chesterfield County. Court staff can give procedure and forms, but they cannot give legal advice.
The South Carolina marriage statutes are included for legal context.
That law source should be read with the county Probate Court instructions when applying for or verifying Chesterfield County marriage records.
Note: Adoption, juvenile, sealed Family Court, and sensitive personal data can restrict public access to parts of domestic court files.
Chesterfield County Marriage Divorce Channels
The cleanest record request is the one sent to the office that owns the record. Current marriage licenses and certified county copies go to Probate Court. Historical marriage registers use the county register page and, when needed, Archives catalog material. State marriage certificates go to DPH. Divorce decrees and case files go to the Clerk of Court and Family Court. DPH divorce reports are useful for some proof needs, but they are not decrees.
| Need | First Channel | Fallback |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license or certified county copy | Chesterfield County Probate Court | DPH certificate where eligible |
| Historical marriage register | County marriage registers | SC Archives catalog material |
| State marriage certificate | South Carolina DPH | County Probate Court for pre-1950 local records |
| Divorce decree | Clerk of Court / Family Court | County where final hearing was held |
| Divorce report | South Carolina DPH | Clerk for decree or full case file |