Find McCormick County Marriage Records

McCormick County Marriage License

Marriage licenses in McCormick County are issued by McCormick County Probate Court. The office is in Room 101 of the McCormick County Courthouse, 133 S. Mine Street, McCormick, SC 29835. The county lists public hours as Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the research captured Probate Court phone access at (864) 852-2630. The county Probate Court page names marriage licenses as one of the office's core duties, along with estates, conservatorships, and mental-health matters.

Local application text found during research says marriage license applications are taken Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. by appointment only. The local application fee is $45.00 cash, correct change only, and debit or credit cards are not accepted. South Carolina law also requires a written application filed with the probate judge at least 24 hours before the license is issued. Both applicants sign the application, provide required identifying information, and affirm that they are legally entitled to marry.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health explains its statewide vital records role on the DPH vital records page, which is useful when a McCormick County marriage certificate falls within a state-held date range.

That state route supports certificate requests, but it does not replace the local Probate Court when the county is the issuing office for the license.

Apply for McCormick Marriage Records

Applicants should treat the Probate Court as the first access channel for a new McCormick County marriage license. The county PDF could not be fully text-extracted because it is scanned, so the safest workflow is to call the office before travel, confirm the appointment window, and ask what identification the office wants to see with the local form. State law supplies the core rules: a license is required before the ceremony, the application must be signed by both parties, and the probate judge keeps the application permanently.

1. Call McCormick County Probate Court at (864) 852-2630 to schedule or confirm the application appointment.
2. Prepare the local application and bring identifying information, including Social Security number or alien identification number where required.
3. Bring $45.00 in cash with correct change for the local license fee.
4. File the written application with both applicants' signatures and wait at least 24 hours before issuance.
5. Give the issued license to the officiant, then return the completed copies for probate recording and state reporting.

South Carolina has a premarital preparation course provision, but the research identifies it as a one-time $50 nonrefundable state income tax credit, not a McCormick County fee discount. The course must meet state timing and certification rules. It should not be treated as a way to lower the Probate Court license fee.

McCormick Marriage Form Fields

The local McCormick County marriage license PDF was image-based, so full local field capture was not available. The state rules and DPH form inventory still show the information commonly needed to process a marriage certificate or verify a marriage record. Applicants should use the local Probate Court form for a new license and the DPH application for state certificate requests.

The DPH marriage certificate page describes who may order state-held certificates and which date ranges DPH can supply.

Use that state source for certificate access, then route records outside the state-held range back to the McCormick County Probate Court.

McCormick County Record Fees

Marriage and divorce fees differ because one office does not hold every record. McCormick County Probate Court handles local marriage licenses and certified local marriage copies. DPH handles state marriage certificates within its date range and state divorce reports. The Clerk of Court is the proper office for an actual divorce decree from a McCormick County final hearing.

DPH publishes vital-record fee information on its fees page.

Those fees apply to the state vital-record request path, while local Probate Court and Clerk requests use the local office that holds the record.

Search McCormick Marriage Records

DPH holds certified marriage records from July 1950 through December 2023. Records before July 1950 and after December 2023 must be obtained from the Probate Court that issued the license. For McCormick County records, that means the Probate Court is the local source when the state office does not hold the certificate or when a certificate amendment must be handled by the issuing county.

Mail requests to DPH require the state application, payment by money order or cashier's check payable to SC DPH, and a photocopy of current government, school, or employer photo ID. The research notes that DPH in-person and drop-off service was listed as temporarily unavailable as of June 19, 2025, with DPH directing mail requests. Applicants should check the current DPH page before relying on walk-in service.

Note: McCormick County certified marriage copies use Probate Court payment rules, not the DPH fee schedule.

Find McCormick Divorce Records

A divorce report and a divorce decree are not the same record. DPH provides divorce reports from July 1, 1962 forward, while the actual decree must be obtained from the Clerk of Court in the county where the final divorce hearing was held. McCormick County Family Court records, including divorce and domestic relations files, are maintained locally by the Clerk of Court.

South Carolina divorce actions are governed by Title 20 Chapter 3. The research identifies grounds such as adultery, one-year desertion, physical cruelty, habitual drunkenness, and living separate and apart without cohabitation for one year. It also identifies residency rules and timing limits before a reference or final decree. People filing without counsel can use the South Carolina Judicial Branch simple divorce packets when the facts fit that process.

The DPH divorce-report page separates state reports from court decrees.

For the court case file and decree, use the Clerk of Court record path rather than the state vital-report path.

Certified Marriage and Divorce Copies

Certified copies are the record type most often needed for legal name changes, benefits, remarriage, and agency proof. McCormick County certified marriage copies come from Probate Court when the county issued the license and the record is outside the DPH-held range or needs local handling. DPH can issue eligible marriage certifications within its date range to authorized requesters.

For divorce, DPH can issue a divorce report, but the Clerk of Court must be used for the decree from the Family Court case. A requester should be ready to give names, case number if known, date of divorce or approximate date, and the county where the final hearing occurred. If a McCormick County divorce file contains restricted domestic, juvenile, adoption, or abuse and neglect material, access may be limited even when a basic case record exists.

South Carolina Vital Records

The South Carolina Department of Public Health is the statewide vital-record channel for qualifying marriage certificates and divorce reports. The DPH marriage and divorce application inventory captured requester name, phone, address, email, relationship, signature, names of spouses, dates, county, copy type, additional copies, and total fees submitted. Mail requests go to the DPH Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171.