Berks County Marriage License Records

Berks County offers one of the most accessible marriage license systems in Pennsylvania. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court, located at the Berks County Services Center in Reading, maintains a publicly searchable index of more than 750,000 marriage applications dating back to 1885. Whether you need to apply for a new marriage license in Berks County or search historical records for genealogy research, this guide covers the full process, the online tools available, and the state laws that govern how licenses are issued.

Berks County Marriage License Office Location and Contact

The Berks County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court is located at the Berks County Services Center, 633 Court Street, 2nd Floor, Reading, PA 19601. Suzanne Myers serves as the elected Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

You can reach the office by phone at 610-478-6600, extension 5618. The fax number is 610-478-6251. For copies of records or general inquiries, you may also email the office at rwills@mail.countyofberks.com. More information about Berks County government is available at berkscounty.gov.

How to Apply for a Berks County Marriage License

Both applicants must appear together in person at the Berks County Services Center to apply for a marriage license. You cannot send a representative or submit the application by mail. Each applicant must bring a valid photo ID and their Social Security number. The office will use this information to complete the application on the spot.

Under Pennsylvania law Section 1306, both parties to a marriage must appear in person before the Clerk. This requirement applies in every county, including Berks. There are no exceptions for illness or distance unless a court grants special relief.

Pennsylvania also imposes a three-day waiting period under Section 1303. After you submit your application, you must wait at least three days before the license becomes valid. Once issued, your Berks County marriage license is valid for 60 days under Section 1310. The license is good anywhere in Pennsylvania, not just in Berks County.

Both applicants must be at least 18 years old per Section 1304(b). Section 1304(e) bars marriage between blood relatives, including first cousins. These rules are not unique to Berks County but are worth knowing before you apply.

Note: If you have questions about a specific application, the office staff can also help you locate records by volume and page number.

Berks County Online Marriage License Index

Few counties in Pennsylvania offer the online access that Berks County does. The Register of Wills office maintains a searchable database of over 750,000 marriage applications spanning from 1885 to the present. You can access this index at rwills.co.berks.pa.us. The index is broken into separate sections by year period because of its size, but all periods are accessible from the same search page.

The database allows you to search by several fields: Last_Name, First_Name, Middle_Name, Suffix_Name, Date_of_Application, Volume, and Page. You do not need to know the exact spelling of a name. The system supports partial name searches. For example, entering "Weis" will return results for Weiser, Weisman, Weiss, and similar names. This makes the index especially useful for genealogy research, where spellings often varied over time.

If you already know the volume and page number of a record, you can enter those fields directly to find it without searching by name. This is helpful when working from an older index or reference book that cited a specific volume.

The index was built over eight years through the work of both office staff and volunteers. That effort produced one of the longest digital marriage record indexes available at the county level in Pennsylvania.

Requesting Copies of Berks County Marriage Records

Once you locate a record in the online index, you can request a copy by emailing the office at rwills@mail.countyofberks.com. Include the names of both parties, the date of the application, and the volume and page number if you have them. The office will process your request and provide instructions for payment.

The Berks County online index shows application data, not certified copies of the license itself. For a certified copy, you must contact the Register of Wills office directly. Certified copies may be needed for legal purposes such as name changes, estate proceedings, or benefit claims.

The Pennsylvania Courts website maintains a directory of all 67 county Orphans Court clerk offices, which is useful if you need to compare procedures across counties.

Note: The online index is an informational tool. It does not replace a certified copy issued by the Berks County Register of Wills.

Berks County History and Marriage Records Background

Berks County was formed in 1752, making it the seventh county created in Pennsylvania. It was carved from portions of Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Chester Counties. Reading has served as the county seat since the county's founding. The county's long history means its marriage records span well over a century, and the Register of Wills has worked to preserve and digitize those records for public access.

The depth of the Berks County marriage license index reflects the county's size and history. With records going back to 1885, researchers can find applications from four generations ago or more. The index captures the names, dates, and reference numbers needed to then request a physical copy of the original document.

Pennsylvania's domestic relations laws, found in Title 23, set the framework that all counties including Berks must follow when issuing marriage licenses.

Pennsylvania Marriage License Law and Berks County

Every marriage in Pennsylvania requires a license. Section 1301 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes states this plainly. No ceremony is legally valid without a license issued by the appropriate county office. In Berks County, that means the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court in Reading.

Under Section 1309, applications are filed immediately as public records. That is why the Berks County online database includes records from completed applications going back to 1885. Anyone can search the index. Access to certified copies, however, requires a formal request and may involve a fee.

Authorized officiants for a Pennsylvania marriage include judges, mayors, and ordained ministers, priests, or rabbis, as set out in Section 1503. The type of ceremony does not change the requirement for a valid Berks County marriage license. Whether you plan a courthouse ceremony or a large church wedding, the license must be in hand before the event takes place.

It is also worth noting that Pennsylvania abolished common-law marriage under Section 1103 for any union entered on or after January 1, 2005. Couples who were in a common-law marriage before that date may still have legal rights, but no new common-law marriages are recognized. A Berks County marriage license is required for all marriages formed after that date.

Note: Berks County also offers an online marriage application portal for couples who wish to begin the process before appearing in person.

Berks County Marriage License for Genealogy Research

The Berks County marriage license index is one of the most valuable genealogy tools available online at the county level in Pennsylvania. With over 750,000 entries, the database covers applications from 1885 through the present day. Genealogists searching for ancestors who married in the Reading area or anywhere in Berks County can search by partial name, which helps when spelling was inconsistent in older records.

After finding a record in the index, you can email the Register of Wills office to request a copy of the original document. Original marriage license applications often include more detail than the index entry alone, such as places of birth, ages, and names of parents or witnesses. These details can open up new branches in a family tree.

For broader Pennsylvania marriage research, the Pennsylvania State Archives maintains vital statistics records that complement county-level indexes. The Pennsylvania Courts Orphans Court directory can also help you locate records from other counties if a couple married outside Berks.