Tioga County Marriage License Office
Tioga County marriage licenses are handled by the Register & Recorder / Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court. The office is led by Keriane Chaborek and is located at 118 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901. The marriage license phone number is 570-724-9260, and the posted office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. This is the practical local counter for Tioga County marriage records, license applications, marriage-license questions, and many certified marriage copy questions.
The county uses an online start and an in-person finish. Applicants begin through the marriage license application website linked from the Register & Recorder page, submit the form, receive a confirmation number, and then call the office to schedule the in-person appointment. Both applicants must appear. The county advises couples to come to the office at least 10 days before the wedding, which gives the office time to process the license and accounts for Pennsylvania's three-day waiting period.
Tioga County's marriage-license instructions are the source for the local application steps, timing rule, fee, identification rule, and prior-marriage document requirements.
The county page is useful because it explains the local workflow before the appointment, not just the state rule for issuing a Pennsylvania marriage license.
Apply for Tioga County Marriage Records
Applicants should treat the online form as the start of the Tioga County marriage license process, not as the final license. The office says to complete all fields and use "unknown" if a piece of information is unavailable. After the form is submitted, the confirmation number is used when calling the office for the appointment. The final application is completed in person with both applicants present.
- Open the marriage license application website from the Register & Recorder page and complete the form before visiting the office.
- Submit the application and keep the confirmation number for the appointment call.
- Call 570-724-9260 to schedule the in-person appointment with the Clerk of Orphans' Court office.
- Bring proof of age with photo identification, such as a driver's license, state ID, or passport.
- If either applicant was married before, bring the required proof of how the most recent marriage ended.
- Pay the $35.00 cash fee and allow for the three-day waiting period before the license can be issued.
- Use the license within 60 days after issuance and within Pennsylvania before an authorized officiant.
Note: Tioga County says no personal checks for the marriage license fee, so confirm payment form before the appointment.
Tioga County Marriage Application Fields
The research did not extract every screen label from the Landex application, but Tioga County publishes enough instructions to identify the core facts applicants should be ready to provide. Prior-marriage details matter because the office requires proof of the most recent dissolution. The county also states that both applicants must be 18, and Pennsylvania has no child-marriage exception.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant names | Yes | Use the legal names for both people applying for the Tioga County marriage license. |
| Age and date of birth | Yes | Both applicants must be 18 and must prove age with photo ID. |
| Unavailable information | Yes, if applicable | The county says to enter "unknown" if information is not available. |
| Prior marriage status | Yes | Applicants must provide information about the dissolution of the most recent marriage. |
| Divorce or annulment proof | If applicable | Bring the original final decree with raised seal or a certified copy with raised seal. |
| Widow or widower proof | If applicable | Bring the death certificate for the deceased spouse. |
Tioga County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Marriage fees are handled by the Clerk of Orphans' Court side of the Register & Recorder office. Divorce fees are handled by the Prothonotary, which is the civil clerk for the Tioga County Court of Common Pleas. The Tioga County Prothonotary fee schedule lists several divorce-related items, including filing, decree, name-change, and self-help kit fees.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $35.00 cash |
| Divorce / custody filing | $203.00 |
| Basic new divorce filing | $156.00 |
| Divorce decree | $5.00 |
| Maiden or divorce name change | $40.00 |
| Self-help divorce kit | $10.00 |
| Plain copies | $0.50 per page |
| Mailed copies | $1.00 per page |
| Certified copy | $5.00 |
Search Tioga County Marriage Records
Tioga County marriage records are tied to the Clerk of Orphans' Court function. The county Register & Recorder page links to Landex for public online access to Recorder, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Orphans' Court records, and the marriage-license page links to the online application workflow. For a recent license, a certified copy, or a question about whether a record is available online, the most direct local access channel is the Register & Recorder office by phone or in person.
A useful marriage record search starts with the names of both applicants, the approximate license date, and any confirmation or license number already known. Older Tioga County marriage records may require office help if they are not easy to locate through online access. The office can also explain whether the requested item is a license record, a certificate, or another Orphans' Court filing. For estate, guardianship, and adoption-related records handled by the same office, see Tioga County Orphans' Court records.
Find Tioga County Divorce Records
Tioga County divorce files are civil case records in the Court of Common Pleas. They route through the Prothonotary side of the county's Prothonotary / Clerk of Courts office, not through the marriage-license counter. Public docket information may be available through Pennsylvania UJS Case Search, while full file review, certified copies, and sealed-copy questions usually require the Prothonotary office at 118 Main Street.
The official divorce self-help packet says that after the filing fee is paid or waived, the Prothonotary takes the original documents for the court file and timestamps copies for the filer. It also states that each sealed copy of a Divorce Decree currently costs $5.00 and that fees may increase. The court self-help center warns filers not to change packet documents because the court may reject altered forms.
Divorce files can include complaints, service papers, orders, decrees, custody-related filings, and financial or family details. Some details may be sealed, redacted, or subject to court access rules. A docket search is not the same as a full certified divorce decree.
Certified Tioga County Divorce Copies
Certified copies are used when a record must prove a legal event. A certified marriage copy generally traces back to the Clerk of Orphans' Court, while a certified divorce decree is requested from the Prothonotary in the county where the divorce was entered. Tioga County's marriage instructions are strict for applicants who were divorced before: the office requires the original final decree with a raised seal or a certified copy with a raised seal from the Clerk of Courts office of the county where the divorce took place.
For Tioga County divorce records, start by identifying the docket number, names of the parties, approximate filing year, and whether a plain copy or sealed certified copy is needed. If the record is not easy to identify through UJS, call the Prothonotary at 570-724-9281. For marriage copies, call the Register & Recorder / Clerk of Orphans' Court at 570-724-9260. These phone channels are important because the research did not locate a single statewide Pennsylvania vital-record route that replaces the local marriage and divorce offices for these county records.
Note: Pennsylvania Department of Health handles birth and death records, but Tioga County research points marriage licenses to the county Orphans' Court office.