Westmoreland County Marriage License Office
Marriage licenses in Westmoreland County are issued by the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The office is part of the courthouse complex in Greensburg and handles marriage licenses, estate records, adoptions, guardianships, and Orphans' Court filings. A county marriage license is a local court record. It is not issued by the Prothonotary, and it is not searched through the criminal docket system.
The county marriage license instructions allow applicants to submit application information online before appearing at the office. That online step does not finish the license. Both applicants must appear in the Register of Wills Office with required documents, pay the license cost, and wait through the Pennsylvania waiting period before the license issues. The county states that applicants should apply within 60 days of the wedding date because the license is valid for 60 calendar days after issue.
The official marriage-license page is the source for the local application process.
That page is the practical starting point for a Westmoreland County marriage license because it explains the online intake step, the office appearance, the waiting period, and the license validity window.
Apply for Westmoreland County Marriage Records
A marriage license request has two parts: the information submitted before the visit and the in-person completion at the Register of Wills Office. The county says the fee is paid at the office appearance by cash or credit card. The three-day waiting period starts from the applicants' office appearance, not from the first online entry. A Westmoreland County marriage license may be used anywhere in Pennsylvania, and a Pennsylvania license from another county may be used for a wedding in Westmoreland County.
- Review the county marriage license requirements before starting the online intake.
- Submit application information through the county marriage application site if using the online option.
- Both applicants appear at the Register of Wills Office with the required documentation.
- Pay the $70 marriage application and license fee by cash or credit card at the office.
- Wait three days from the office appearance for the license to issue.
- Use the license within 60 calendar days after issuance anywhere in Pennsylvania.
Note: A ceremony date too far away can cause timing problems because the issued Westmoreland County marriage license expires after 60 calendar days.
Westmoreland County Marriage Application Inventory
The research source did not expose every screen field in the county application system, so the safest inventory is the process inventory confirmed by the county page. Applicants should expect identity details for both applicants and must bring the documents required by the county requirements page. If a prior marriage, name issue, or court order affects eligibility, confirm the exact document need with the Register of Wills before the office visit.
| Field or step | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant 1 identity | Application field | Yes | Full field list was not visible in the county instruction page. |
| Applicant 2 identity | Application field | Yes | Both applicants must appear in the Register office. |
| Wedding date timing | Rule | Yes | County instructions say to apply within 60 days of the wedding date. |
| Required documentation | In-person proof | Yes | The marriage page links to the county requirements page for current document rules. |
| Fee payment | Payment | Yes | $70, paid by cash or credit card at the office appearance. |
| Waiting period | Statutory rule | Yes | The license issues three days after the office appearance. |
| License validity | Statutory rule | Yes | The license is valid for 60 calendar days from issue. |
Westmoreland County Marriage and Divorce Fees
The Register of Wills fee schedule gives the confirmed marriage-license and copy costs for Westmoreland County marriage records. The marriage application and license fee includes one certified copy. More certified copies cost extra. For divorce filings and divorce decree copies, the Prothonotary controls the file and its family court fee schedule should be checked before filing or ordering. Do not use Register marriage fees to estimate Prothonotary divorce costs.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage application and license, including one certified copy | $70.00 |
| Additional certified marriage copy | $15.00 |
| Photocopies from Register or Orphans' Court records | $0.50 per page |
| Certification of local Register or Orphans' Court records | $15.00 |
| Exemplification of local records | $60.00 |
| Divorce filing or decree copy | Confirm with the Prothonotary fee schedule |
The official Register and Orphans' Court fee schedule is the source for marriage copy costs.
The Prothonotary page matters for divorce records because divorce decrees are civil and family court records, not Register of Wills marriage records.
Look Up Westmoreland County Marriage Records
Westmoreland County marriage records date from 1885 to the present, with incomplete marriage records from 1852 to 1855. The Register record-information page says most records from 1988 forward are available online, while older records must be viewed in the office. Searchers should be ready with first and last names. For historical or genealogy work, a date range and likely residence can help staff or the researcher find the right book or index entry.
The Register record information page explains the date ranges for marriage, estate, and Orphans' Court records.
Certified marriage copies for licenses issued in Westmoreland County come from the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court. If the license was issued by another Pennsylvania county, request the certified copy from that issuing county even if the ceremony occurred in Westmoreland County. For an ordinary search, use the county public-record search tools for modern records and the office for older paper or book records.
Historical marriage searches need more care than modern license lookups. The Register research notes incomplete marriage records from 1852 to 1855 and regular marriage records from 1885 forward. A genealogy request should include both names, an estimated year, and any known township, borough, or residence clue. If the record predates the online range, the office record books are the source, not iJEMS, UJS, or PAePay.
Find Westmoreland County Divorce Records
Divorce records in Westmoreland County are civil and family filings in the Court of Common Pleas. The Prothonotary is the civil clerk for those records, and the office links divorce decree instructions, family court forms, and family court fees. Current civil and family filings may be searched through the Prothonotary's iJEMS public records portal. Older divorce records may be in docket books or microfilm.
The iJEMS civil and family portal is a key access channel for Westmoreland County divorce records.
When iJEMS does not show a divorce record, the Prothonotary office, public terminals, older docket books, and microfilm are the next access points.
Certified Westmoreland County Copies
A certified copy is a copy authenticated by the records office for official use. Certified Westmoreland County marriage records come from the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court when the license was issued in Westmoreland County. Certified divorce decrees come from the Prothonotary because divorce is a civil and family court record. A plain online docket view is not a substitute for a certified decree when a school, benefits office, court, title company, passport office, or retirement plan asks for proof.
Divorce files may contain confidential identifiers, minor children's information, financial records, custody material, or sealed papers. Public access can be redacted or limited even when the docket exists. Provide names, a docket number if known, and an approximate filing year when requesting a copy from the Prothonotary. For marriage records, provide both applicant names and the license year if known.
The two certified-copy paths should stay separate. A certified marriage copy proves a Westmoreland County marriage license record from the Register. A certified divorce decree proves a Court of Common Pleas civil and family case outcome from the Prothonotary. A person who needs proof of a name change, benefits eligibility, remarriage eligibility, retirement claim, or court filing may need one or both documents, but each must come from the office that issued or maintains that specific record.
Westmoreland County Marriage Office Contact
The Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court is the local office for marriage licenses and certified marriage records. It also handles probate and Orphans' Court filings, so request language should say "marriage license" or "certified marriage copy" when contacting the office. Divorce decree questions should go to the Prothonotary instead.
Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court
2 N Main Street, Suite 301
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-830-3177
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Prothonotary
2 N Main Street, Suite 501
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-830-3502
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
For marriage-license timing, contact the Register before the office appearance if documentation is uncertain. For divorce records, contact the Prothonotary before visiting if the case is old, sealed, or missing from iJEMS. Both offices are in the courthouse complex, but they maintain different record series and different certified-copy processes.