Susquehanna County Marriage License Office
Marriage licenses in Susquehanna County are handled through the Register and Recorder and Clerk of Orphans' Court structure. The office is at 31 Lake Avenue, PO Box 218, Montrose, PA 18801, with main phone 570-278-4600 and extensions 4065, 4066, and 4067. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but marriage licenses are available only until 4 p.m. The county asks applicants to make an appointment for marriage licenses.
The current county page lists the marriage license fee as $45. Payment is by cash or credit card only, and checks are not accepted. A credit card payment adds a $2 service fee. Older FAQ language shows a different fee, but the current Register and Recorder and Orphans' Court material supports the $45 amount for present use.
The official Register and Recorder page provides the source for the county marriage-license channel.
That office page is the practical starting point for license appointments, certificate questions, and county marriage record routing.
Apply for Susquehanna County Marriage Records
Both parties must appear in person for a Susquehanna County marriage license. Each party needs valid photo ID, and the office requires Social Security numbers. If either person was married before, proof from the last marriage is needed, such as a divorce decree or death certificate. Pennsylvania also uses a short waiting period before the license can be used, so the appointment should not be left until the ceremony date.
- Contact the Register and Recorder or Clerk of Orphans' Court to schedule a marriage-license appointment.
- Use the secure county marriage-license entry route if the office directs the applicants to submit information electronically before the visit.
- Both parties appear with valid photo ID, Social Security numbers, and proof that any prior marriage ended.
- Pay the $45 license fee by cash or credit card. Add the $2 service fee if paying by card.
- Wait 3 days before using the license. The license is valid for 60 days and must be used within Pennsylvania.
Note: A Susquehanna County license is not a national license; it is valid for a Pennsylvania ceremony only.
Susquehanna County Marriage Application Fields
The county's visible sources do not expose every secure form field, but they do identify the items a person must be ready to provide for a license or certificate request. The same names and date details also help the office confirm whether a record belongs to Susquehanna County rather than another Pennsylvania county.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Party names | Yes | Needed for the license and for later certificate searches. |
| Valid photo ID | Yes | Both parties must appear with valid identification. |
| Social Security number | Yes | The FAQ says the office needs Social Security numbers. |
| Prior marriage proof | Conditional | Bring a divorce decree or death certificate for the last marriage. |
| Marriage date or year | For copies | A full date is best; a year may help with a preliminary search. |
| Phone and delivery preference | For copies | Used when ordering by email, mail, or phone. |
Susquehanna County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Marriage costs are listed more clearly than divorce copy costs in the available county material. The county certificate instruction sheet controls raised-seal marriage copies, while divorce copy questions should go through the Prothonotary because divorce is a civil court file. Do not email credit card numbers to the county when requesting a marriage certificate.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $45 |
| Credit card service fee for license | $2 |
| Raised-seal marriage certificate | $10 plus payment or delivery charges |
| Historical marriage search range | Susquehanna County licenses from 1885 to present |
| Divorce copies | Contact the Prothonotary for the civil file and copy cost |
Look Up Susquehanna County Marriage Records
Certified county marriage copies come from the local office, not the statewide birth and death certificate process. The marriage certificate instructions say an official Certificate of Marriage with raised gold seal costs $10, plus any added payment or delivery charge. The county recommends ordering by phone or email first so staff can verify that the record is held there.
A request should include the names on the marriage record, the marriage date or at least the year, a phone number, and the preferred delivery and payment method. Requests can be started by phone, email, mail, or in person. The listed email is regrec@susqco.com, and mail goes to Orphans' Court Clerk, Susquehanna County Courthouse, PO Box 218, 31 Lake Avenue, Montrose, PA 18801.
Search Susquehanna County Divorce Records
Divorce records are civil court records in Pennsylvania. In Susquehanna County, that means the Prothonotary is the local civil record custodian. A basic search may begin with Pennsylvania UJS Case Search, which can show docket summaries for public cases. Local civil document access and purchasing may then require the CountySuite civil portal or direct contact with the Prothonotary.
Divorce files can include pleadings, orders, docket entries, and decree information, but public access may be narrower for family details, sealed filings, or records restricted by court policy. For civil filing and copy questions, use the Susquehanna County Prothonotary. Marriage-license or certificate questions should remain with the Register and Recorder or Clerk of Orphans' Court.
Pennsylvania Vital Records Limits
The Pennsylvania Department of Health vital records page is important because it defines the state channel for birth, death, and fetal-death certificates since 1906. It is not the main channel for Susquehanna County marriage license copies or county divorce decrees. Those stay with county courthouse offices.
The state vital records page is still a useful boundary marker when a family record search spans several record types.
Use the state channel for birth and death certificate issues, then return to county offices for marriage certificates and divorce case records.
A marriage record request should be limited to licenses issued by Susquehanna County. If the ceremony occurred in Pennsylvania but the license was issued by another county, that other county is the proper marriage-record custodian. The Susquehanna County FAQ says local marriage licenses are available from 1885 to present, so older family-history searches should start with the county office only when the license was issued there.
Divorce searches require a different mindset. A divorce decree is not a vital-record certificate from the Department of Health. It is a civil court document from the county case file. UJS may show the docket summary, but a decree copy or certified filing should be requested from the Prothonotary with the case number, party names, approximate filing year, and document type. If the divorce file contains restricted family information, the office may provide only the public portion or may require a court order for access.
For marriage certificates, the county instruction sheet favors confirming the record before payment. That is practical because a requester may know the ceremony location but not the issuing county. Phone or email verification can prevent paying for a record that Susquehanna County does not hold. The request should also avoid sending credit-card numbers by email, since the county instruction says not to do that. Use the office's payment direction after staff confirms the record.
For divorce records, separate the docket from the decree. A docket may prove that a case exists and show public events. A decree is the signed court document that ends the marriage. Some requests need only the docket number or filing date, while others need a certified decree. The Prothonotary can confirm which document is available and whether CountySuite document access is enough for the user's purpose.
Marriage and divorce searches also differ by privacy level. A county marriage certificate is a record of the license issued by the county. A divorce file can include financial, family, or support-related material that may not be released in the same way as a docket summary. When the request is for genealogy, a raised-seal certificate, a legal name change, remarriage proof, or court filing proof, tell the office the intended document use so staff can point to the correct record.
For in-person visits, remember the county's appointment note. Marriage licenses are available only until 4 p.m., even though the office is open until 4:30 p.m. Divorce questions should go to the Prothonotary civil extension instead of the Register and Recorder counter.
If a name changed through marriage or divorce, ask which document proves the change for the receiving agency. Some agencies want the raised-seal marriage certificate, while others want a certified divorce decree or order from the civil court file. The record purpose controls the best request path and the correct county office.