Georgetown County Marriage License Office
Marriage licenses in Georgetown County are handled by the Georgetown County Probate Court, not by the Clerk of Court. The Marriage Division is part of the Probate Court at the Judicial Center, and its work includes the application for a license, issuance of the license, and recording of the certified marriage record. That split matters because divorce files are Family Court records, while marriage licenses and certified marriage-license copies stay with Probate Court.
The county's marriage license instructions describe a mail-focused process. Applicants complete the Application for License and Certificate of Marriage, send copies of accepted identification for both applicants, include the correct fee, and provide a self-addressed stamped envelope. The office prepares the license after the complete package is received and sends a courtesy email copy for proofreading before mailing the official license.
Georgetown County's marriage-license page shows how the local Probate Court routes license applications.
The screenshot is useful because it ties the marriage record to Probate Court and shows that the county requires a complete mailed application package before processing.
Apply for Georgetown County Marriage Records
Applicants should treat the marriage license package as a court filing. The Probate Court will not process the request unless the application, both identification copies, payment, and return envelope are all included. South Carolina also has a 24-hour waiting period from the time of application until the license may be issued, so a same-day ceremony plan can fail if the license has not cleared that wait.
- Complete the Application for License and Certificate of Marriage linked from the county marriage-license page.
- Copy accepted photo identification for each applicant, such as a state ID, driver's license, military photo ID, passport, or visa.
- Prepare the fee as a cashier's check or money order payable to Georgetown County Treasurer, and do not mail cash.
- Include a self-addressed stamped envelope, or a prepaid fully addressed express envelope if faster return is needed.
- Mail the full packet to Probate Court/Marriage Division, P.O. Drawer 421270, Georgetown, SC 29442.
- Review the courtesy email proof when received, then wait for the official license to arrive by mail.
For express return, the county notes that FedEx has daily pickups from the office. Other express carriers may add delay. Active-duty military members are treated as residents of the county or state where their assigned installation is located, which can affect the fee tier.
Georgetown County Marriage Form Fields
The research did not locate a full field-by-field transcript of the county PDF, so the inventory below tracks the items the official county page expressly requires with the application. It is still the practical checklist for a Georgetown County marriage record filing because Probate Court says the license is not processed unless all required items are received.
| Field or item | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application for License and Certificate of Marriage | Yes | PDF form linked from the county marriage-license page. |
| Applicant 1 identification copy | Yes | State ID, driver's license, military photo ID, passport, or visa. |
| Applicant 2 identification copy | Yes | Same accepted identification list applies. |
| Email address | Practical yes | Used for the courtesy proofreading copy before the official license is mailed. |
| Fee | Yes | Cashier's check or money order only, payable to Georgetown County Treasurer. |
| Self-addressed stamped envelope | Yes | Used to mail the official license back after processing. |
| Prepaid express envelope | Optional | FedEx is recommended by the county for daily pickup. |
Note: Under-18 questions should go straight to Probate Court because the county instructions route those issues to office staff.
Georgetown County Marriage Divorce Fees
Marriage-license fees depend on applicant residence. Divorce-related fees come from the Georgetown County Family Court fee schedule because divorce cases are domestic cases in South Carolina Family Court. Copy and certification fees differ by office, so a marriage-license copy request should go to Probate Court, while a divorce decree or case-file copy should go to Family Court or the Clerk of Court.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license, one or both applicants live in Georgetown County | $50 |
| Marriage license, no Georgetown County resident but one South Carolina resident | $75 |
| Marriage license, both applicants live outside South Carolina | $115 |
| Family Court domestic case filing fee | $150 unless exempt by judge |
| Family Court motion or Rule to Show Cause | $25 |
| Rule to Show Cause strictly for child or spousal support | No fee |
| Family Court copies | $0.50 per page |
| Family Court certification | $1 |
Search Georgetown County Marriage Records
Certified marriage records are handled locally by the Probate Court Marriage Division. The statewide South Carolina Probate Search is useful for probate case records, but the research does not show it as a marriage-license index for Georgetown County. For a license copy, use the Probate Court contact path rather than assuming the statewide probate case search will return a marriage record.
The Probate Court contact point for marriage records is 401 Cleland Street, Room 140, Georgetown, SC 29440. Mail goes to P.O. Drawer 421270, Georgetown, SC 29442. The phone number is 843-545-3274, and the fax number is 843-545-3512. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed legal holidays.
South Carolina's Family Court jurisdiction statutes show why marriage and divorce records sit in different legal tracks.
The statute source helps distinguish a marriage license from later domestic-relations litigation, which belongs in Family Court rather than Probate Court.
Find Georgetown County Divorce Records
Divorce cases in Georgetown County are Family Court matters. The county Family Court page lists divorce among the matters it presides over, along with alimony, annulment, child support, custody, marital property, paternity, separate maintenance, and visitation. Public divorce case and docket access may be available through the FCCMS Public Access Portal, while certified copies and file copies are requested from Family Court or the Clerk of Court.
Not every Family Court record is public. Adoption, abuse-neglect, termination of parental rights, and juvenile matters are confidential. Cases sealed by a Family Court judge also are not public without a court order. A divorce file may include restricted documents even when the docket is public, so the online portal should not be treated as the full certified case file.
The FCCMS Public Access Portal is the documented public search channel for Georgetown County divorce records when the case is public.
The portal screenshot supports the divorce-record workflow because it shows the public Family Court access point separate from Probate Court marriage licensing.
Certified Georgetown County Copies
A certified copy is an official copy that the record office confirms as true and complete for its file. Use Probate Court for a certified marriage-license copy. Use Family Court or the Clerk of Court for a certified divorce decree, divorce filing, or public divorce case document. A screen print from an online portal is usually not a substitute for a certified court copy when a government agency, school, benefits office, or foreign authority asks for certified proof.
Requesters should give the names on the record, the approximate date, the record type, and the number of copies needed. For divorce files, a case number can speed the search. For marriage records, ask Probate Court whether the license copy can be handled by mail and what current payment and return-envelope instructions apply before sending a request.
State and App Access Limits
South Carolina vital-record certificate channels may help in some certificate contexts, but the research for this project points local marriage-license copies to Probate Court and local divorce case files to Family Court. County court records should not be requested through Georgetown County FOIA as the first step when a court office has a direct records process. Judicial records that are not available through public systems may require the South Carolina Judicial Branch Rule 610 path.
The manifest also includes the Georgetown Co SC Sheriff anonymous tips app, but that tool is not a marriage or divorce record source.
The app screenshot is included because it appears in the assigned image set, but the correct record channel for marriage and divorce remains Probate Court or Family Court.