Find Dorchester County Marriage Records

Dorchester County Marriage Licenses

Dorchester County marriage licenses are issued by Dorchester County Probate Court, not by the Clerk of Court. The county states that all marriage licenses are processed online. The Probate Court office is at 5200 E. Jim Bilton Blvd., St. George, SC 29477, and the Marriage License Division uses the Probate Court phone lines, (843) 563-0105 and (843) 832-0105. Office hours are 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Each applicant must be over 18. Both applicants upload a Social Security card and an accepted ID. Dorchester County's online marriage license instructions are narrow on identification: a state-issued driver's license or a military ID is accepted, while the county FAQ says passports and visas are not authorized forms of identification for the online process. Applicants do not need to live in Dorchester County or in South Carolina. A license issued by any South Carolina county may be used anywhere in the state, but the ceremony must take place in South Carolina.

The license is not available at the instant the application is sent. South Carolina requires a 24-hour waiting period from application before the license can be received. Dorchester Probate Court also states that it does not perform marriage ceremonies. After the ceremony, the Probate and Probate/DHEC versions must be mailed back to Dorchester Probate Court before a certified copy can be ordered.

Apply for Dorchester County Marriage Records

The online application path is the main access channel for a new Dorchester County marriage license. Before starting, both applicants should have the required identity documents ready in digital form, know where the ceremony will occur, and be prepared to pay online. The application does not expire, but the certified copy process cannot start until the required post-ceremony license copies are returned to the court.

1. Open the Dorchester County online marriage license application from the Probate Court Marriage License Division.
2. Confirm both applicants are over 18 and enter the requested applicant information in the online form.
3. Upload each applicant's Social Security card and accepted photo ID, using a state-issued driver's license or military ID.
4. Pay the non-refundable application fee and online processing fee through the application system.
5. Wait 24 hours from the application time before receiving the license.
6. Use the license for a ceremony that takes place in South Carolina.
7. After the ceremony, return the Probate and Probate/DHEC versions to Dorchester Probate Court before asking for certified copies.

Dorchester Marriage Application Fields

Dorchester County's marriage application requirements focus on identity, age, and eligibility. The research source does not publish every line of the local online form, so the field inventory below stays with the documented items required by the county and the state vital-record application fields used later when a certified marriage record is requested from South Carolina DPH.

The SC Probate public search displays marriage-license records through the same statewide system used for probate files. The South Carolina Probate search was captured in the manifest as an official source for Dorchester County marriage records.

The county selector matters because the search separates Dorchester Marriage from Dorchester Probate, even though both record groups use the same public portal.

Dorchester Marriage and Divorce Fees

Dorchester County marriage records and divorce records use more than one fee schedule. The Probate Court license fee applies to a new marriage license. South Carolina DPH fees apply when ordering a certified marriage certificate or certified Report of Divorce from the state for the date ranges DPH holds. Family Court copy costs apply when asking for a divorce decree or file copy from the court.

Search Dorchester County Marriage Records

For county-level marriage license records, start with the Probate Court route. The public probate search supports a county dropdown that includes Dorchester Marriage, optional surrounding-county expansion, license number searching, name searching, and a wildcard option for last names. Search results can show case number, case name, party, type of case, filing date, county, appointment date, creditor claim due, and case status, though not every field is meaningful for a marriage-license result.

South Carolina DPH is a separate access channel for certified marriage records from July 1950 through December 2023. DPH says records before July 1950 and after December 2023 must be requested from the county Probate Court where the license was issued. Online and phone orders through the approved DPH vendor average 5 to 7 business days and are limited to named persons, adult children, and present or former spouses. DPH mail requests go to the Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171, with an average four-week processing time.

The South Carolina DPH marriage certificate page is an assigned image source for Dorchester County marriage records.

That state channel is useful for eligible certified-copy orders, but it does not replace the Probate Court for licenses outside the DPH date window.

Find Dorchester County Divorce Records

Dorchester County divorce decrees and divorce case files are Family Court and Clerk of Court records in the county where the final hearing occurred. For Dorchester County, Family Court records copies are requested in person or by written request at 212 Deming Way, Summerville, SC 29483, during normal business hours. The Family Court records page says files more than 20 years old may be archived and can require more time. It also states that the Clerk and Family Court office does not provide research or records checks, so broad name searches should be avoided when asking for copies.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health has certified copies of Reports of Divorce for divorces decreed from July 1962 through December 2023. A DPH divorce report can prove that a divorce was reported to the state, but DPH expressly does not have divorce decrees. The actual decree must come from the Clerk of Court in the county where the final divorce hearing was held. That distinction is important for remarriage, immigration, pension, property, and legal proceedings that require a court-certified decree rather than a state report.

The manifest assigns the South Carolina DPH divorce reports page to Dorchester County divorce records.

The DPH report route is best read as a state vital-record option, while the Dorchester Family Court file remains the source for the decree itself.

Certified Dorchester County Copies

Certified copies depend on the record type and date. For a Dorchester County marriage license, the Probate Court is the local issuing office. Certified copy timing depends on the return of the Probate and Probate/DHEC versions after the ceremony. For state marriage certificates, DPH covers July 1950 through December 2023. For dates before or after that range, the county Probate Court where the license was issued is the correct channel.

For divorce, a certified Report of Divorce from DPH is available only for decrees from July 1962 through December 2023. A certified divorce decree, by contrast, comes from the Clerk of Court or Family Court file in the county of the final hearing. Dorchester County Family Court copy requests cost $0.50 per page, and archived files can take extra time. A request should identify the parties, divorce or annulment date, county, and document needed.

South Carolina Vital Records

South Carolina DPH is useful when the needed marriage certificate or Report of Divorce falls inside the state date window. The same DPH application form asks for applicant contact information, mailing recipient details if different, relationship to the person named on the record, and the core marriage or divorce details. The form allows a long-form record or statement option for marriage and divorce records.

Note: DPH in-person service was listed as temporarily unavailable as of June 19, 2025, so mail and approved-vendor channels should be checked first.