Lexington County Marriage Licenses
Lexington County marriage licenses are handled by Lexington County Probate Court at 205 East Main Street, Suite 134, Lexington, SC 29072. The office phone is 803-785-8324. In-person applications are accepted Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mail applications are also allowed when applicants use the official application process and submit notarized paperwork and required copies.
Both applicants must appear for an in-person application. Acceptable proof of age includes driver's license, passport, military ID, or state-issued ID. Applicants must also provide Social Security proof, such as a Social Security card or a legal document verifying name and SSN, including an insurance card, W-2, or 1099. Non-U.S. citizens must use accepted passport, visa, resident alien card, or other suitable DHS-issued identification. Foreign consular ID, IDP/IDL, and ICAP are not accepted.
The Lexington County Probate Court marriage license page is the official county source for the local application process.
That page also explains the county's return rule after the ceremony.
Apply for Lexington County Marriage License
A South Carolina marriage license may be used in any county in the state, but the marriage must occur in South Carolina. Lexington County has no blood test requirement and no South Carolina residency requirement. The local fee found in research is $30.00, paid by cash, check, or money order payable to Lexington County. The license is issued after a 24-hour waiting period from application.
- Choose in-person application or mail application through the Probate Court process.
- Gather proof of age, accepted identification, and Social Security or alien identification proof.
- Both applicants complete and sign the application, with notarization required for mail workflow.
- Pay the $30.00 license fee to Lexington County.
- Wait 24 hours after application before the license is issued.
- Use the license for a South Carolina ceremony with an authorized officiant.
- Return the Probate Judge copy and Probate Judge/DHEC copy to Probate Court within 30 days after the ceremony.
Important: Lexington County says no legal record will exist if required marriage copies are not returned within 30 days.
Lexington County Marriage Application Fields
The official marriage application asks for detailed identity, residence, and prior-marriage information for each applicant. A mail application also requires an address where the license should be mailed. The form includes signatures, sworn date, and notary information.
| Section | Fields |
|---|---|
| Application | Date. |
| Applicant 1 | Name, first/middle/surname/current suffix, at-birth last name, birthdate, age, birthplace, race, gender, residence, county, first marriage yes/no, marriage number if not first, ID type, SSN or alien ID number, daytime phone, after-hours phone. |
| Applicant 2 | Same fields as Applicant 1. |
| Signatures/notary | Applicant signatures, sworn date, notary signature, and notary jurisdiction. |
| Mail instruction | Mail to Probate Court and indicate address where license should be mailed. |
Search Lexington County Marriage Records
The official county search for recent marriage licenses is the Lexington County Probate marriage license search. It covers marriage licenses from 1986 to present. The county also identifies legacy marriage search coverage from 1911 to 1987 through its disclaimer path. Certified copies are available for Lexington County licenses from 1911 to present.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | At least one of first/last | Official Probate search app. |
| Last Name | Text | At least one of first/last | Use applicant name as known. |
| Search | Button | n/a | Results show License Number, Applicant 1, Applicant 2, Issue Date, and Marriage Date. |
The Probate marriage search is the official Lexington County index for the covered online period.
For a certified copy, use the Probate Court request process rather than a screenshot of the index.
Lexington County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Research found county marriage license and certified-copy fees, plus state DPH vital-record fees. It did not locate an official Lexington County divorce decree copy fee in the assigned research, so that fee should be confirmed with the Clerk of Court before ordering. State DPH fees apply to state marriage certificates and reports of divorce, not county-issued certified marriage license copies.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lexington County marriage license | $30.00 |
| Certified Lexington County marriage license copy | $5.25 per certified copy |
| Mail certified-copy request envelope | $0.65 stamped envelope specified by PDF request instructions |
| DPH vital-record search including one certified copy if found | $12 |
| DPH expedited search | $17 |
| DPH additional copies | $3 each |
| DPH special filing fee | $15 |
Certified Lexington County Marriage Copies
Certified marriage license copies are available in person or by mail for Lexington County licenses from 1911 to present. Walk-in requests are processed when the requester appears. Mail requests should allow 7 to 10 working days and must include a self-addressed stamped envelope. The $5.25 per-copy fee is payable to County of Lexington, and the county warns not to mail cash.
The certified request asks for the full names of applicants, date of marriage, number of certified records, amount enclosed, requester name, mailing address, contact number, and date the request was sent. A certified copy is the record to use when an agency, school, benefit office, or legal process requires proof rather than an online index result.
The official marriage search disclaimer explains limits around the county search and related records.
Use that disclaimer when a record falls near older or overlapping index coverage periods.
Find Lexington County Divorce Records
Divorce decrees are not Probate Court marriage records. The actual decree is a Family Court record maintained through the Clerk of Court in the county where the final divorce hearing was held. For Lexington County divorce decrees, start with the Lexington County Clerk of Court at the Judicial Center, 205 East Main Street, phone 803-785-8212. The Family Court public portal may help with current case access, but sealed, child-related, juvenile, adoption, and protected information can be limited.
South Carolina Judicial Branch simple divorce packet materials include Family Court Coversheet, Certificate of Exemption, Summons for Divorce, Complaint for Divorce, Financial Declaration, fee-waiver motion, service affidavits, Request for Hearing, Report of Divorce or Annulment, Final Order of Divorce, scripts, and judgment form. Those forms support filing and case process. They do not replace a certified decree request after the case is final.
When the final hearing occurred outside Lexington County, the decree request should go to the Clerk of Court for that county instead. DPH reports and county decrees also serve different purposes. A report may confirm that a divorce event was recorded, while the decree is the court order with the terms signed in the Family Court case.
South Carolina Vital Records
South Carolina DPH provides certified marriage certificates for marriages between July 1950 and December 2023, according to the DPH marriage certificate page. Before July 1950 and after December 2023, DPH directs users to contact the Probate Court where the original license was issued. The research also notes an inconsistency in older FAQ text, so the DPH page and Probate Court should be checked for the date period that applies to the request.
DPH provides certified Reports of Divorce for divorces decreed between July 1962 and December 2023. That state report is not the decree. DPH says the actual divorce decree must be obtained from the Clerk of Court in the county where the final hearing was held. DPH accepts online or phone orders through VitalChek or 1-877-284-1008, and mail applications go to S.C. Department of Public Health, Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171. A photo ID is required, and applications without proper ID are returned unprocessed.
For Lexington County users, the practical split is simple: Probate Court for county marriage license records, Clerk of Court for divorce decrees, and DPH for covered state certificates or reports. The requested record type should be identified before paying a fee because ordering the wrong product can produce a valid document that still does not satisfy the agency asking for proof.
South Carolina DPH Vital Records
P.O. Box 2046
West Columbia, SC 29171
1-877-284-1008 VitalChek phone orders
Note: A DPH divorce report can prove a divorce event, but it is not the signed court decree.