Centre County Marriage Licenses
Marriage licenses and marriage records in Centre County are handled by the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. That office issues licenses, keeps the required marriage records, and provides an application for a certified copy of a marriage record. It is separate from the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts, which keeps divorce actions filed in the Court of Common Pleas.
The office is located at the Willowbank Office Building, 414 Holmes Street, Suite 2, Bellefonte, PA 16823. The phone number is 814-355-6724, the fax number is 814-355-8685, and posted office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Calling before a visit is sensible because license applications, copy requests, and probate appointments can have different preparation needs.
The county Register page is the official starting point for Centre County marriage license instructions and certified copy forms.
Use that office, not the civil case portal, when the record needed is a license, certificate, or certified marriage copy.
Apply for Centre County Marriage
A Pennsylvania marriage license requires both applicants to provide identifying information and any prior marriage details that apply. Centre County research lists an application worksheet, payment of the county fee, proof or review of identification and age information, and extra prior-marriage information when an applicant was married before. Pennsylvania also has a waiting period unless the court grants a waiver.
- Confirm current instructions with the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court before going to the Willowbank Office Building.
- Complete the marriage worksheet or application with both applicants' names and required identity information.
- Bring required identification and any prior-marriage documentation that applies to either applicant.
- Pay the license fee and mandatory surcharges listed in the Centre County fee bill.
- Observe Pennsylvania's waiting period unless a petition to waive it is granted, then complete and return the certificate after the ceremony as instructed.
Note: A waiver petition is separate from the marriage license and has its own fee.
Centre County Marriage Form Fields
The marriage application is more than a name search form. It creates the legal record that allows the license to issue, so the office may need details that prove identity, age, and legal ability to marry. The research file identifies the following form and request items from Centre County's marriage application and certified copy process.
| Field or Requirement | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant names | Text | Yes | Used on the worksheet or license application. |
| Identification and age information | ID review | Yes | Pennsylvania marriage license requirements apply. |
| Prior marriage information | Text or proof | Conditional | Needed when either applicant was previously married. |
| License fee | Payment | Yes | The Centre County fee schedule controls the current amount. |
| Certified copy request | Form | Conditional | Used after a person needs an official copy of an existing marriage record. |
Centre County Marriage Fees
The Centre County Register and Orphans' Court fee bill separates the license charge from required surcharges and optional services. The listed marriage license fee is not the whole practical base cost because the child abuse surcharge and domestic violence surcharge are also listed. Certified marriage copies are priced separately, and a foreign marriage certificate can be recorded for a separate fee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license, including state tax | $30 |
| Child abuse surcharge | $10 |
| Domestic violence surcharge | $10 |
| Practical base total before optional items | $50 |
| Petition to waive three-day waiting period | $40 |
| Certified copy of marriage license | $8 |
| Recording a foreign marriage certificate | $25 |
Divorce filing and service fees are handled under the Prothonotary fee schedule, so a person requesting a divorce decree should confirm copy and certification charges with the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts.
Look Up Centre County Marriage Records
Centre County has two marriage-record access paths. The first is direct contact with the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court for certified copies and office help. The second is WEBIA, the county's paid Web Information Access system for Register of Wills categories. WEBIA includes marriage licenses, inheritance tax, estate records, and Orphans' Court records.
WEBIA is not a free county search. The research identifies a paid credit system with a $10 activation fee and credit packages that range from $7.50 for 50 credits to $1,500 for 30,000 credits. That makes direct office contact the better route when a person only needs one certified copy, while WEBIA may fit repeated historical or professional searches.
The county's WEBIA material identifies paid access to Register of Wills marriage categories.
WEBIA can help locate records, but certified marriage copies still come from the official recordkeeping office.
Find Centre County Divorce Records
Divorce records are Court of Common Pleas civil records. Centre County's Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts expressly lists divorce actions among the civil and criminal transactions filed, docketed, and maintained by that office. The office is in Room 102 of the Centre County Courthouse at 102 South Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823.
For a Centre County divorce records search, start with the CountySuite Public Case Search Portal when civil case information is available. Search by a party name, docket number, or other case identifier if known. If the portal does not produce enough detail, request records from the Prothonotary by email at prothonotaryandclerkofcourtsrecords@centrecountypa.gov, by mail, or in person at Room 102.
Divorce files may include pleadings, orders, decrees, and docket entries. Some family details can be limited, sealed, or redacted under court policy, so online docket information may not equal a full file copy. A docket can confirm that a case exists, but a certified decree must be requested from the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts.
The county also links divorce forms from the Prothonotary page. Those forms help with filing, but they do not replace a record request for an older decree or a copy of a final order. When a person does not know the docket number, the best fallback chain is to search CountySuite first, check Pennsylvania UJS Case Search if needed, then contact Room 102 with names, approximate filing year, and the requested document type.
Certified Copies in Centre County
A certified marriage copy and a certified divorce decree come from different offices. Marriage certificates and certified marriage records go through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. Divorce decrees go through the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts because divorce is filed as a civil action in the Court of Common Pleas.
For either record type, include names, approximate date, docket or license number if known, the document requested, the number of copies, and a reliable mailing or pickup method. The Prothonotary asks requestors to be detailed because increased volume may cause delay. Email requests to that office cannot include ZIP files because ZIP-file emails are blocked.
County birth and death records from 1893 through 1905 are available through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court, while 1906-present birth and death records are handled by the Pennsylvania Department of Health Division of Vital Records. That split is useful for family-history research, but it does not move marriage or divorce copy requests away from the Centre County offices listed here.
Certified copies are official copies. Portal printouts may help with research, but they do not replace the issuing office's certification.