Susquehanna County Marriage License Office Montrose
Susquehanna County is in northeastern Pennsylvania, bordering New York state along its northern edge. The county seat is Montrose, a small borough that is home to the county courthouse where the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court operates. Wendy Zapolski currently serves as the officeholder responsible for issuing marriage licenses. Susquehanna County is notable for its extensive historical marriage records, with dockets and affidavit indexes stretching back to 1885. This guide covers the application process, requirements, fees, historical records, and the resources available to researchers working with Susquehanna County marriage documents.
Susquehanna County Quick Facts
Susquehanna County Register of Wills Location
The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court is located at 31 Lake Avenue, Montrose, PA 18801. The mailing address is P.O. Box 218, Montrose, PA 18801. Wendy Zapolski serves as the officeholder. The office can be reached by phone at (570) 278-4600 and by fax at (570) 278-2963.
| Office | Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court 31 Lake Avenue, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, PA 18801 Phone: (570) 278-4600 | Fax: (570) 278-2963 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Contact office to confirm current hours |
| Fee | Contact office for current fee |
The current marriage license fee for Susquehanna County is not listed on publicly available sources and should be confirmed by calling the office directly at (570) 278-4600 before your visit. Fee schedules in Pennsylvania counties are set locally and can change. Confirming the current amount in advance allows you to bring proper payment and avoids any uncertainty on the day of your application.
Office hours should also be verified directly with the office. County offices in rural northeastern Pennsylvania may observe hours that differ from standard 8 AM to 4:30 PM schedules, and closures for court-approved holidays or local observances may apply. A quick call before your visit is the most reliable way to confirm availability.
The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court directory for Pennsylvania counties lists the current officeholders for Susquehanna County and all other county offices statewide.
How to Get a Susquehanna County Marriage License
Both applicants must appear in person at the Register of Wills office in Montrose. Pennsylvania statute §1306 requires both parties to be physically present at the time of application. This requirement applies uniformly across all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Neither applicant can file on the other's behalf.
Once the application is submitted and accepted, the three-day waiting period mandated by §1303 begins. The license is not released until three full days have passed. The marriage license is then valid for 60 days from the date of issuance, as required by §1310. Couples must schedule their ceremony within that 60-day window. If the ceremony does not occur within that time, the license expires and a new application is required.
Both applicants must be at least 18 years old under §1304(b). No marriage in Pennsylvania is lawful without a license, as established by §1301. These requirements are consistent across the commonwealth and do not vary by county. Susquehanna County applicants are subject to the same legal framework as those in any other Pennsylvania county.
Note: Always call (570) 278-4600 before visiting to confirm the current fee and office hours, as Susquehanna County's fee information is not published online.
Required Documents for Susquehanna County Applicants
Each applicant must present valid government-issued photo identification at the time of application. A current driver's license, state identification card, or passport is acceptable. Both applicants must also provide their Social Security numbers. These numbers are used for administrative record-keeping and do not appear on the face of the issued license.
If either applicant has been previously married, additional documentation is required. A prior marriage that ended in divorce requires a certified copy of the divorce decree. A prior marriage that ended in the death of a spouse requires a certified death certificate. Original documents or certified copies are required. Uncertified photocopies typically are not acceptable and may result in the application being put on hold until proper documentation is provided.
Both applicants must be present to sign the application. The information each applicant provides is recorded as part of the official marriage license record. Accuracy matters, particularly for names, dates, and prior marriage status, as these details appear in the permanent record and may need to match identification documents later in life.
Susquehanna County Historical Marriage Records
Susquehanna County has an extensive archive of historical marriage records that is valuable for genealogical research. The Register of Wills holds Marriage License Dockets and Indexes covering 1885 through 1953. The office also holds Affidavits of Applicants for Marriage Licenses from 1885 through 1950. These two collections together represent nearly seven decades of marriage application history for the county.
The Marriage License Dockets contain the formal license records indexed chronologically and by name. The Affidavits of Applicants are separate documents completed by the applying parties at the time of their application, providing additional personal information that the dockets alone may not include. Having both types of records indexed from 1885 gives Susquehanna County one of the more complete early-period marriage archives among Pennsylvania's smaller northeastern counties.
The Susquehanna County Historical Society also holds genealogical resources related to the county's history. The Historical Society can be found online at susqcohistsoc.org. Researchers working on Susquehanna County family histories may find the Historical Society's collections useful for filling gaps that county office records do not cover, particularly for records that predate the 1885 threshold or that relate to community and church history in the county.
For records held at the state level, the Pennsylvania State Archives maintains vital statistics records from across the commonwealth. The archives are accessible both online and in person at their Harrisburg facility. Researchers who have exhausted what is available through the Susquehanna County Register of Wills and the Historical Society may find additional records there.
Marriage Officiants and Ceremony Requirements
Susquehanna County couples need a qualified officiant for a standard marriage ceremony. Pennsylvania statute §1503 lists the categories of individuals authorized to solemnize a marriage in the commonwealth. These include judges of courts of record, justices of the peace, mayors, ordained ministers, and priests or rabbis of established congregations.
The officiant's responsibilities do not end at the ceremony. After the wedding, the officiant must complete the license by recording the ceremony date and location and signing the document. The completed license must then be returned to the Register of Wills in Montrose to create an official marriage record. Couples should confirm this return process with their officiant before the ceremony. A license that is signed but never returned to the county office does not result in a recorded marriage.
Pennsylvania abolished common-law marriage for relationships that began after January 1, 2005. Couples who have cohabited in Susquehanna County for any length of time do not have a legal marriage without a properly issued license. The only path to a legally recognized marriage in the county is through the Register of Wills office in Montrose.
Susquehanna County Vital Records Access
Certified copies of marriage records from Susquehanna County are available from the Register of Wills office. Contact (570) 278-4600 to ask about the current process and any applicable fees for copy requests. Certified copies are frequently needed for legal purposes such as name changes after marriage, insurance beneficiary updates, and estate administration.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health vital records forms page provides official forms for requesting vital records through state channels. Some records may be accessible through the state rather than the county, particularly older records that have been transferred to state custody. The forms page is a useful starting point for understanding which requests go to which office.
The Pennsylvania Orphans Court Clerks directory lists the current officeholder and contact information for all 67 county offices. This resource can be used to confirm current contact details for the Susquehanna County office or to locate neighboring county offices for comparison.
Counties Near Susquehanna County
Susquehanna County borders Wyoming, Bradford, Wayne, and Lackawanna counties. Couples who live near a county line or who plan to marry in an adjacent county may want to review those counties' specific requirements before applying.