Public Records PA Marriage

Find the county that issued the marriage license

For a Pennsylvania marriage-license copy from September 30, 1885 onward, start with the issuing county’s Register of Wills or Clerk of the Orphans’ Court. The State Archives confirms that these records remain at county level. An archive image or name-index hit is useful for locating a record, but it does not automatically provide the certified document a recipient needs.

Use the Pennsylvania State Archives county-courthouse directory to locate the office, then open that county’s marriage-record instructions. Keep both applicants’ names as they appeared before marriage, the approximate marriage date, issuing county and any license number. Do not substitute a current home county for the county that actually issued the license.

Older records require a collection-specific search

The Archives has selected county microfilm and digitized holdings, not a complete statewide marriage index. Its 1852–1854 returns cover 49 of the 64 counties then existing, and the 1885–1891 marriage listing is incomplete. Other holdings include Philadelphia County marriage bonds from 1784–1786. Check the collection’s counties and dates before deciding that a missing name means no marriage record exists.

For an early marriage, record the collection title, volume or image reference and event date with the names. Search spelling variants and the relevant county collection, then ask the custodian what reproduction is available. A record outside a collection’s date range calls for another custodian or collection, not repeated searches in the same incomplete index.

Philadelphia offers an index and a separate copy request

Philadelphia’s online marriage search covers 1995 onward. The Register of Wills keeps licenses from 1885; records from 1860–1885 go through the City Archives. For the Register of Wills, certified copies cost $25 and exemplified copies $50; same-day processing adds $45. A mail search costs $15. These are Philadelphia charges, not Pennsylvania-wide fees.

Its published mail sequence is to send the names and marriage date, search payment and a stamped return envelope to Marriage Record Department, City Hall, Room 415, Philadelphia, PA 19107. After a successful search, the office sends a copy-request form; return it with the copy payment and another stamped envelope. It quotes 7–10 business days for the copy. Call 215-686-2234 for help or a deadline.

Check the Philadelphia payment wording before mailing

The Philadelphia service page names “City of Philadelphia” as the money-order payee, while its linked request form names “Clerk of the Orphans’ Court.” Because those official instructions differ, confirm the payee with the Marriage Record Department before buying the money order. Do not resolve the conflict by sending two payments or assuming an old form overrides the current service page.

Allegheny County illustrates why local fees matter

Allegheny County says its marriage records are open for public viewing. It lists a plain, non-certified copy at $4 and an unsuccessful-search fee of $4. Its published fee-change notice sets a certified marriage-record copy at $20 from January 13, 2025. The plain copy is for personal or historical use; identify the required certified or “Triple-Seal” format before ordering.

For a license issued in Allegheny County, contact the Marriage License Office at 412-350-4230 or [email protected]. The office is on the first floor of the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Ask the office to identify the appropriate order route and delivery for the format you need; Philadelphia’s process and timing do not apply here.

Use the result carefully and request corrections locally

Check the applicants, license date and county on the supplied document before using it. If an index spelling differs from the image, keep both references and ask the issuing office which entry needs review. If the underlying license itself appears wrong, request that office’s correction procedure rather than altering a scan or ordering repeated copies of the same entry.

For legal or international use, ask the receiving organization for its exact document and authentication requirements. Public access to a record does not establish that every copy format will be accepted. If the county cannot locate a license, confirm the names, date range and issuing county and ask for the scope of its search response; that response is not a statewide finding about marital status.