Mercer County Marriage License Office
Marriage license work is handled by the Clerk of Orphans' Court, part of the combined Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Orphans' Court office. Mary Jo Basilone DePreta is the officeholder. The office is in Suite 112 of the Mercer County Courthouse, 125 S. Diamond St., Mercer, PA 16137. The phone number is 724-662-3800 ext. 2248, fax is 724-662-1604, and email is mdepreta@mercercountypa.gov. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The county says marriage license applications are taken until 4:00 p.m. and recommends an appointment. Both applicants must appear at the office. Applicants must be 18, must provide a birth certificate or driver's license, and must bring proof of a prior divorce when that applies. Mercer County's marriage summary says the divorce decree must be time-stamped, signed, and more than 30 days old.
Clerk of Orphans' Court
Officeholder: Mary Jo Basilone DePreta
125 S. Diamond St., Suite 112
Mercer, PA 16137
724-662-3800 ext. 2248
mdepreta@mercercountypa.gov
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Apply for Mercer County Marriage
A Pennsylvania marriage license issued in Mercer County can be used only for a Pennsylvania marriage. The license is not issued until after the third day following the application. Once issued, it is valid for 60 days. After that period it is void, and the applicants must reapply and pay again.
- Contact the Clerk of Orphans' Court and set an appointment when possible.
- Both applicants appear together with accepted proof of identity and age.
- Bring a time-stamped, signed divorce decree if either applicant was divorced.
- Pay by cash, money order, debit card, or credit card. Mercer County says personal checks are not accepted.
- Wait until the license becomes valid, then use it within the 60-day validity period.
Note: County examples show a Monday application becoming valid Thursday and a Friday application becoming valid Monday.
Mercer County Marriage Copy Fields
Mercer County provides a certified duplicate marriage license order form for copy requests. The form is useful when the requester knows the date or license number, but the office can search by names and an approximate date when needed.
| Field | Type | Required / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Number of certified duplicate licenses | Text | Required by request context |
| Applicant One's name | Text | Last, first, middle |
| Applicant Two's name | Text | Last, first, middle |
| Address | Text | City, state, and ZIP |
| Phone and email | Text | Requested if available |
| Date of marriage | Date or text | Needed for retrieval |
| License number | Text | Use if known |
The Register and Orphans' Court forms page is the source for Mercer County marriage and Orphans' Court forms.
The forms index matters because Mercer County marriage copies, correction petitions, probate forms, and Orphans' Court forms are grouped under the combined clerk office.
Mercer County Marriage Fees
The county marriage summary lists a $70 marriage-license fee that includes one certified copy. The Register and Orphans' Court fee schedule breaks parts of that cost into application, automation, and certified-record items. Certified duplicate marriage licenses are ordered from the Clerk of Orphans' Court, not from the Prothonotary.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license, including one certified copy | $70 |
| Marriage application component | $50 |
| Automation component | $10 |
| Certified duplicate or certified record | $10 |
| Court order or waiver | $5 |
| Affidavit of interpreter | $5 |
| Military waiver | No charge |
Search Mercer County Marriage Records
Mercer County marriage records start in 1885. The office's records-maintained inventory says a search needs at least one name and an approximate date. Marriage records after 1994 are available on office public terminals. The same inventory notes that cross-index alphabetical work was complete except for 1955 through 1962 when the source was prepared.
For certified copies, mail the order to Mercer County Clerk of Orphans' Court, 125 South Diamond Street, Suite 112, Mercer, PA 16137. Certified marriage copies are $10 each if picked up and $11 each if mailed. The order form says payment is by cash or money order only, no personal checks, and money orders should be payable to Clerk of Orphans' Court.
Mercer County's marriage law summary is the source for local license timing, accepted payment types, and the Pennsylvania-use rule.
Correct Mercer County Marriage Records
A marriage record correction is filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Mercer County, Orphans' Court Division. The correction petition asks for the marriage license number, docket number, both applicant names, residence, county and date of marriage, the incorrect information, the corrected information, proof attached, and a short statement of the problem caused by the error.
The petition uses a verification under 18 Pa.C.S. section 4904. Proof may include a driver's license, passport, Social Security card, or birth certificate. Common correction types include misspelled names, wrong birth dates, parent information, or another data error on the marriage record.
Find Mercer County Divorce Records
Divorce is different from marriage licensing in Mercer County. Divorce records are civil Court of Common Pleas records, so they are maintained by the Mercer County Prothonotary. The office is in Suite 105 of the courthouse, and the main phone is 724-662-3800 ext. 2263. Prothonotary records are public unless sealed by the court.
Computers in the Prothonotary office cover 1994 to present, and those records are scanned and viewable through public terminal search. Infocon subscription access is available for docket entries, but the Prothonotary states that images are not online for viewing. Older indexes have also been scanned and may be available for viewing through the office.
Divorce case files can include complaints, counts, custody-related filings, decrees, praecipes, and name-change items. Sensitive family material can be sealed or redacted. Use the Prothonotary rather than UJS Case Search when the goal is the divorce document image or certified divorce decree.
Mercer County Divorce Fees
Divorce fee items come from the 2026 Prothonotary fee schedule. Fees depend on the filing and copy type, so a request for a certified divorce decree should not be priced like a full new divorce complaint.
| Divorce item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Divorce complaint, no counts | $144 |
| Each additional count | $65 |
| Custody count including Act 119 fee | $75.50 |
| Praecipe to transmit | $14 |
| Foreign decree | $134 |
| Retake maiden or former name | $7.75 |
| Motion for appointment of master | $100 |
| Certified divorce decree | $7.75 |
| Copies | $0.50 per page |
The Pennsylvania marriage law chapter supplies statewide marriage-law context, while divorce decrees remain county civil court records.
The statewide law source helps explain licensing rules, but Mercer County's local offices still control marriage copy requests and divorce record access.