Sumter County Marriage License Office
Sumter County marriage licenses are issued by Sumter County Probate Court. The Probate Court is led by Judge Dale Atkinson and is located at the Sumter County Judicial Center, 215 North Harvin Street, Sumter, SC 29150. The office phone is 803-436-2166, the fax is 803-436-2407, and posted hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Probate Court also handles estates, guardianships, conservatorships, involuntary commitments, trusts, and related probate matters, so marriage license visitors should use the Probate Court channel rather than the Clerk of Court.
The local worksheet asks for both applicants' identifying details and payment type. South Carolina marriage law is in Title 20, Chapter 1 of the South Carolina Code. The research materials do not state a local appointment rule, identification list, or waiting-period instruction for Sumter County, so applicants should confirm current intake rules with Probate Court before going to the office. The known local facts are the issuing court, worksheet fields, payment choices, office contact data, and the license fee amounts shown below.
Sumter County Probate Court
Judge: Dale Atkinson
215 North Harvin Street
Sumter, SC 29150
803-436-2166
Fax: 803-436-2407
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Apply for Sumter County Marriage Records
A Sumter County marriage license application starts with the Probate Court worksheet. The worksheet separates Applicant 1 and Applicant 2, uses bride, groom, and spouse role choices, and asks each person for name, address, last four Social Security digits, birth data, race, sex, place of birth, birth-certificate surname, marriage count, and phone number. Payment type is marked as cash, check, or credit/debit card. Keep the worksheet details consistent with the legal names and dates used for later certified copies.
- Contact Sumter County Probate Court or review its marriage-license materials before arrival, since local intake rules can change.
- Prepare both applicants' full names, current address, county and state or country, ZIP code, birth data, and the last four digits of each Social Security number.
- Complete the role, prior-marriage count, place-of-birth, and birth-certificate surname fields for each applicant.
- Choose the payment method. The fee is lower for check or cash than for card payment.
- Return to Probate Court for certified copies after the marriage is recorded, or use the certified-copy request form by mail.
For state context, the South Carolina DPH marriage-certificate page confirms that county probate courts remain the source for marriages outside the DPH date range. That matters in Sumter County because the state and local offices do not hold identical spans of marriage records.
The South Carolina DPH marriage certificate source shows the state vital-records access route used for many Sumter County marriage records.
Use the DPH route for eligible state-held marriage certificates, but use Sumter County Probate Court for licenses before July 1950 and after December 2023.
Sumter County Marriage Worksheet Fields
The Sumter marriage worksheet is useful because it shows exactly what the Probate Court expects at intake. The worksheet does not mark each item as required or optional in the research file, so the safest reading is to prepare each field before contacting the office. The same field set appears for Applicant 1 and Applicant 2, which helps avoid mismatched data on the license.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant role | Checkbox | Unspecified | Bride, groom, or spouse. |
| Applicant name | Text | Unspecified | First, middle, and last name. |
| Current address | Text | Unspecified | Number and street name. |
| City, county, state or country, ZIP | Text | Unspecified | Separate location fields. |
| Last four of Social Security number | Text | Unspecified | Last four digits only. |
| Birthdate, race, sex, birthplace | Text/date | Unspecified | Birthplace asks for state or country. |
| Last name on birth certificate | Text | Unspecified | Used to match birth-record identity. |
| Number of this marriage | Text | Unspecified | Examples include first or second marriage. |
| Phone number and payment type | Text and checkbox | Unspecified | Payment choices are cash, check, credit, or debit card. |
Sumter County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Known Sumter County marriage and divorce record fees are split among Probate Court, the Clerk of Court, and South Carolina DPH. Probate Court sets the marriage license and certified marriage copy amounts listed in the local forms. The Clerk of Court charges for certified divorce decrees and related divorce proceedings. DPH charges a non-refundable search fee for state vital-record certificates or reports and adds a fee for extra copies.
| Item | Amount or Payment Rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license paid by check or cash | $50.00 |
| Marriage license paid by credit or debit card | $51.50 |
| Probate Court certified marriage copy | $6.00 for one certified copy and postage |
| Additional certified marriage copies from Probate Court | $5.00 each |
| Clerk certified divorce decree, separation agreement, or proceeding | $10 |
| DPH mail search fee | $12, includes one certification if found |
| DPH additional copy | $3 |
| VitalChek expedited search | $17 plus $12.85 service charge and shipping if used |
Note: DPH states that in-person and drop-off service was temporarily unavailable as of June 19, 2025, with mail requests used while unavailable.
Certified Sumter County Marriage Copies
Certified marriage copy requests go to Sumter County Probate Court at 215 North Harvin Street, Sumter, SC 29150. Payment must be by check or money order payable to Sumter County Probate Court. The local form says marriage licenses are processed the same day they are received by mail and mailed the next business day. Questions go to 803-436-2166.
The certified-copy form asks for the groom's full legal name, the bride's full legal name when the application was made, the bride's maiden name, and the date of marriage. An approximate date may be used if the exact date is not known. The mailing section asks for the recipient name, mailing address, phone number, and email address so Probate Court can send the copy or ask follow-up questions.
South Carolina Marriage and Divorce Reports
South Carolina DPH holds certified marriage records for marriages from July 1950 through December 2023. Records before July 1950 and after December 2023 must be obtained from the probate court that issued the license. For Sumter County, that means Probate Court when the license falls outside the DPH date range or when a county-issued certified copy is needed. DPH mail requests go to S.C. Department of Public Health, Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171. The state Vital Records Office is at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201, and the phone number is 803-898-3630.
DPH divorce reports are different from court decrees. The DPH divorce-reports source covers certified reports for divorces decreed between July 1962 and December 2023, but DPH does not provide the actual divorce decree. The decree must come from the Clerk of Court in the county where the final divorce hearing was held. For Sumter County, that local decree path runs through Family Court activity and the Sumter County Clerk of Court certified-copy process.
The South Carolina DPH divorce report source documents the statewide report path for eligible Sumter County divorce records.
A DPH report can verify a divorce event, but the Clerk's certified decree is the court record normally needed for legal proof of the order.
Sumter County Divorce Decrees
Divorce cases are handled through Sumter County Family Court at 215 North Harvin Street, Sumter, SC 29150. The Family Court phone number is 803-436-2366 and the fax number is 803-774-2814. Family Court administers divorces, separations, domestic violence petitions, child abuse matters, juvenile crimes, paternity, child support, visitation, scheduling, enforcement, and a large public-access case-file function. Some family details may be restricted when children, juvenile matters, private financial facts, or sealed filings are involved.
The Sumter County Clerk of Court maintains final divorce decrees, separation agreements, and proceedings. Certified copies are $10, and requests must be made in writing or in person. Telephone requests are not accepted for certified divorce copies. If only hearing status or a case listing is needed, Family Court scheduled hearings may be checked through the state-linked hearing portal, while broader case records may appear in the trial-court Public Index when public access allows.
A certified decree is not the same as a divorce report. A decree is the court order. A report is a vital-record summary sent to Vital Statistics after the final decree is filed.
South Carolina Divorce Record Rules
South Carolina divorce law is in Title 20, Chapter 3 of the South Carolina Code. Section 20-3-10 lists divorce grounds that include adultery, one-year desertion, physical cruelty, habitual drunkenness or drug use, and one-year continuous separation without cohabitation. Section 20-3-30 covers residency, Section 20-3-60 covers venue, and Section 20-3-230 requires divorce and annulment reports to Vital Statistics after the final decree filing.
Those statutes explain why record users may see both a court file and a state vital-record report for the same divorce. The court file is tied to pleadings, hearings, orders, and final relief. The state report is tied to the vital-record system. For certified legal use, start with the exact document requested by the agency, school, benefit office, or court. If the request asks for the decree, contact the Clerk. If it asks for a divorce report within the DPH date range, use DPH.
The South Carolina marriage statute source frames the state law backdrop for Sumter County marriage records and license duties.
Local license processing still runs through Sumter County Probate Court, even though the statewide statute supplies the legal framework.