Williamsburg County Marriage License Access
Marriage licenses in Williamsburg County are handled by Williamsburg County Probate Court. The key local limit is important: the county states that there is no online access to estate and marriage license records. A person who needs a new license, an older marriage record, or a certified copy should use the probate office directly instead of expecting a county web search.
The probate office is at 147 W. Main Street, with mail to P.O. Box 1005, Kingstree, SC 29556. The office phone is 843-355-9321 ext. 6200, fax is 843-213-6997, and email is probatecourt@wc.sc.gov. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The county marriage page says marriage licenses date back to 1911, but the access channel is still the office, not an online county index.
The Williamsburg County marriage license page is the source for the county's local rules. Both applicants must appear together. Each applicant needs two forms of identification. The first form may be a driver's license or state-issued ID. The second may be a certified birth certificate, military ID, passport, Social Security card, or voter registration card.
The county marriage license page is shown in the official Williamsburg County license source screenshot below.
This source matters because it confirms the local ID rules, fee amounts, waiting period, minor applicant rules, and the fact that the probate office no longer performs ceremonies.
Important: Williamsburg County does not provide online county marriage record access, so Probate Court phone, email, mail, or appointment contact is the fallback.
Apply for Williamsburg County Marriage Records
A new marriage license is not a same-day online transaction in Williamsburg County. South Carolina requires a mandatory waiting period before the license can be issued. Probate Court also lists local rules for minor applicants. A minor applicant must be at least 16, have parental consent, and present a certified or original birth certificate. Parents of minors must provide identification.
- Contact Williamsburg County Probate Court before the visit if appointment timing, forms, or identification questions need to be confirmed.
- Have both applicants appear together with two forms of identification that match the county's published license rules.
- Complete the county marriage license application with applicant names, birth data, residence, contact details, prior marriage information, identification type, and required signatures.
- Pay the Williamsburg County license fee and wait through the required South Carolina waiting period before the license is issued.
- Use the license with a minister, South Carolina notary public, or another official authorized to perform the ceremony, because Probate Court no longer performs marriage ceremonies.
Note: A duplicate license is a separate service when the license is lost or damaged before the ceremony.
Williamsburg County Marriage Form Fields
The county's fillable application asks for detailed personal data from both applicants. Sensitive items, including Social Security or alien registration information, should be treated as private identifying data. Public copies and online court images may be redacted under South Carolina court privacy rules when protected data appears in a filing or public image.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application date and applicant names | Unspecified | First, middle, last, name at birth, and suffix fields appear. |
| Birth and residence details | Unspecified | Birthdate, age, birthplace, residence, city, state, ZIP, and county are visible. |
| Race, gender, email, and phone | Phone is required | The extracted PDF text states phone number is required. |
| Prior marriage question | Unspecified | The form asks whether this is the first marriage and, if not, what number. |
| Identification and sensitive ID number | Unspecified | Identification type and Social Security or alien registration number fields appear. |
| Second applicant fields | Unspecified | The same applicant data repeats for the second applicant. |
| Signature and notary block | Conditional | Applicant signatures and notary date, signature, printed name, and expiration fields appear. |
Williamsburg County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Williamsburg County fees differ by office and record type. Marriage license and certified marriage copy fees come from Probate Court materials. Divorce copy fees come from the Clerk of Court division duties page, because divorce records are Family Court and clerk records. State vital records fees apply only when the request is routed to South Carolina vital records for marriage certificates or divorce reports within the covered date ranges.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Williamsburg County marriage license | $40 |
| Duplicate marriage license before ceremony | $30 |
| Certified copy of county marriage license | $10 per copy |
| Orders, divorce decrees, child support, affidavits, certified print outs and copies from Clerk | $5 |
| Entire Clerk file | $10 or more, based on size |
| Divorce packets from Clerk | $10 |
| State vital records search and one certification if found | $12 |
| State vital records additional copies | $3 |
| State onsite expedite fee when available | $5 |
Look Up Williamsburg County Marriage Records
For county marriage records, start with Probate Court. Williamsburg County does not publish a county online marriage license search. The certified copy request form can be mailed with a check or money order payable to Williamsburg County Probate Court, or completed and emailed to probatecourt@wc.sc.gov so staff can follow up after receipt.
The certified copy request asks for the person requesting the copy, mailing address, phone number, bride's maiden or marriage-time name, groom's name, date of marriage, approximate date if exact date is not known, license number if known, and number of copies. Mail requests go to Williamsburg County Probate Court, P.O. Box 1005, Kingstree, SC 29556.
State vital records can help with some date ranges. South Carolina DPH Vital Records provides certified copies of marriage records from July 1950 through December 2023. Records before July 1950 and after December 2023 must be obtained from the Probate Court in the county where the original license was issued.
Find Williamsburg County Divorce Records
Divorce records are not Probate Court records in Williamsburg County. Divorce case files and decrees are handled through Family Court and the Clerk of Court. The county Clerk of Court page lists Family Court work such as divorces, domestic disputes, DSS matters, DNA paternity issues, alimony, child support, custody, adoption, emergency domestic protective hearings, and rules to show cause.
A public search may start with the South Carolina Family Court public portal, but copies of the actual divorce decree should be requested from the Clerk of Court in the county where the final divorce hearing was held. Williamsburg County Family Court Division can be reached through 843-355-9321 ext. 6100. The Clerk fee list includes divorce decrees and divorce packets, which confirms that the clerk channel is the local route for decree copies.
Divorce file materials may include pleadings, summons and complaint, financial declarations, temporary orders, custody and support orders, mediation or settlement documents, final decree, name-change language, and alimony or child-support records. Protected financial data, minor information, abuse-related details, and protected addresses may be redacted or restricted. A simple self-represented divorce packet from the South Carolina Judicial Branch applies only to narrow uncontested cases that meet the state criteria.
The South Carolina simple divorce packet source appears in the image below.
That state source is useful for filing context, but it does not replace the Williamsburg County Clerk route for certified divorce decrees or full local case files.
South Carolina Vital Records Copies
South Carolina DPH Vital Records is a statewide certificate source, not a county court file office. DPH can issue marriage certificates for its covered marriage date range and divorce reports or certifications from July 1, 1962 forward. DPH does not issue actual divorce decrees. Decrees must come from the Clerk of Court in the county where the final hearing occurred.
South Carolina DPH Vital Records
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Marriage certificates for July 1950 through December 2023
Divorce reports from July 1, 1962 forward
DPH application fields include applicant name, day phone, address, email, alternate mailing information, relationship to the record, signature, spouse names, date of marriage, county where the license was obtained, divorce plaintiff and defendant names, divorce date, and divorce county. DPH requires current government, school, or employer photo ID, and applications without proper ID are returned unprocessed.