Oconee County Marriage License
Marriage licenses in Oconee County are handled by Oconee County Probate Court. The office is at 415 S. Pine St., Walhalla, SC 29691. Probate Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, but marriage-license applications end at 4:00 PM. The phone number is 864-638-4275, the fax number is 864-638-4278, and the Probate Court email address is probateinfo@oconeesc.com.
Both parties must be present for an in-person marriage license application. No appointment is needed to apply for the license, but an appointment is required if the couple wants a ceremony at Probate Court. South Carolina law requires a 24-hour waiting period after the application before the license can be received. Oconee cites S.C. Code Section 20-1-220 for that waiting period. Applicants do not have to live in South Carolina, but the ceremony must take place in South Carolina.
The Oconee Probate marriage-license page is the source for the local application rules, office cutoff, ID requirements, and fee categories.
Those local rules matter because Oconee uses different marriage-license fees for county residents, South Carolina residents, and out-of-state applicants.
Apply for Oconee County Marriage Records
Adult applicants must bring valid photo identification, such as a state driver's license or ID, military ID, or passport. They must also provide proof of Social Security number, such as a Social Security card or another official document showing full name and SSN. No blood test is required. Applicants under 18 must meet stricter rules: parent or guardian photo ID and Social Security proof, the minor's certified or original birth certificate, the minor's photo ID, and the minor's proof of SSN.
South Carolina allows a ceremony to be performed by ministers of the Gospel, accepted Jewish Rabbis, and officers authorized to administer oaths in South Carolina, including a Notary Public. Oconee cites S.C. Code Section 20-1-20 for who may perform the ceremony and Sections 20-1-100 and 20-1-250 for age and consent rules.
- Go to Oconee County Probate Court before the daily marriage-license cutoff.
- Bring both applicants, valid photo ID, and proof of Social Security information.
- Complete the application and answer any prior-marriage questions.
- Pay the filing fee by cash, in-state check, money order, or credit/debit card with the stated card upcharge.
- Wait the required 24 hours before receiving the license.
Oconee County Marriage Application Fields
Oconee's mail-in marriage application is more detailed than a simple copy request. Both applicants must complete their own section, both signatures must be notarized, and the couple must mail copies of photo ID and Social Security information. If either party was divorced within the past year, the final divorce decree must be attached. Mail-in payment is by check or money order payable to Oconee County Probate Court, sent to P.O. Box 471, Walhalla, SC 29691.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Role checkbox | Yes | Each applicant marks Spouse, Bride, or Groom. |
| SS # or Alien #/Tax ID # | Yes | Proof of Social Security information must be copied and mailed. |
| Full name and birth data | Yes | First, middle, last name, birthdate, age, race, sex, and birthplace. |
| Address and phone | Yes | Address, county, city, state, zip, and telephone. |
| Marriage history | Yes | Number of marriage and whether a divorce occurred within the past year. |
| Office ceremony question | Yes | Asks whether the couple plans to be married in the Probate Court office. |
Oconee County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Marriage fees are paid when the license application is filed. In-person applicants may pay by cash, in-state check, money order, or credit/debit card. Oconee states that credit and debit card payments include a 4 percent upcharge. The divorce filing fee is a Family Court fee, separate from Probate Court marriage fees, and may be waived only when the court grants leave to proceed in forma pauperis.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Domestic Violence Fund fee | $20.00 |
| Marriage license, Oconee County resident | $50.00 |
| Marriage license, South Carolina resident | $75.00 |
| Marriage license, out-of-state resident | $100.00 |
| Marriage ceremony, Oconee County resident | $30.00 |
| Certified copy of marriage license | $5.75 |
| Marriage license research fee | $5.00 |
| Divorce, annulment, or separate support filing | $150.00 |
Search Oconee County Marriage Records
Oconee Probate Court says records are available online through the South Carolina Probate Website for estate search or marriage-license copy requests. Marriage licenses only date back to 1988 online. For Oconee marriage licenses before 1988, use the Probate Court office or a mail request. Certified copies use a separate request form that asks for requester contact details, both spouse names, the date of marriage at least to the year, the license number if known, and the number of copies requested.
South Carolina DPH is a state-level fallback for marriage certificates, but its own guidance sends some ranges back to the county Probate Court. The DPH page says copies of marriage records prior to July 1950 and after December 2023 may be obtained from the Probate Office in the county where the original license was issued, and DPH fees do not apply to probate judge copies.
The South Carolina DPH marriage-certificate page screenshot is included because state certificate requests are different from Oconee Probate certified copies.
Use DPH for the state-held certificate channel, but use Oconee Probate when the DPH range rules send the record back to the issuing county.
Find Oconee County Divorce Records
Divorce records are Family Court records, not Probate Court marriage records. Oconee County is in Judicial Circuit 10, and the Oconee Clerk of Court links the Family Court CMS Public Portal for public access where available. The portal is dynamic, so the research did not capture a field table, but it is the official online Family Court access point linked by the Clerk. If the file is not available online or a certified copy is needed, contact the Clerk or Family Court office that holds the file.
Divorce files can contain pleadings, financial declarations, service papers, hearing requests, orders, and the final divorce decree. Public access may be limited when a filing contains sensitive financial details, minor-child information, adoption or juvenile material, DSS material, sealed filings, or other restricted content. A public case result may show a case exists while specific documents remain unavailable without court action.
Contextual court access for divorce records is tied to the local Clerk, so broader case-status questions may also overlap with Oconee County Clerk of Court services.
Oconee County Divorce Forms
The South Carolina Judicial Branch self-represented simple divorce packets provide the forms identified in the research. Plaintiff materials include instructions, Family Court Coversheet, Certificate of Exemption, Summons for Divorce, Complaint for Divorce, Financial Declaration, Motion and Affidavit to Proceed In Forma Pauperis, service forms, Defendant's Answer form, Request for Hearing, sample scripts, Report of Divorce or Annulment of Marriage, Final Order of Divorce, and Judgment in a Family Court Case. Defendant materials include instructions, Defendant's Answer, Financial Declaration, and Affidavit of Service by Mailing.
The Judicial Branch simple divorce packet page image is used here because it is the official statewide source for self-represented divorce forms used in Oconee County Family Court.
The forms support filing, but the record itself remains with Family Court and the Clerk channel after the case is opened.
South Carolina Vital and Family Records
Marriage and divorce access in Oconee County often requires using the correct office for the record type. Oconee Probate Court handles marriage license applications and certified copies of Oconee licenses. South Carolina DPH handles state marriage-certificate channels within its stated ranges. Family Court handles divorce filings, and certified divorce decree or case-copy requests must go through the court office that holds the divorce file.
The South Carolina Family Court fee page image is included because divorce, annulment, and separate-support filings are court filings, not vital-record certificate requests.
That fee distinction helps separate Probate Court marriage copy costs from Family Court divorce filing costs.
Oconee County Probate Court
415 S. Pine St.
Walhalla, SC 29691
864-638-4275
Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM