Mifflin County Marriage Office
Marriage license records in Mifflin County are maintained by the Clerk of Orphans' Court. The county describes this office as the custodian for proceedings related to adoptions, guardianships, and marriage license records when the marriage application was filed in Mifflin County. That local filing point matters. A marriage that took place elsewhere, or a license application filed in another Pennsylvania county, may not be in the Mifflin County marriage records held by this office.
The office is part of the Register, Recorder and Clerk of Orphans' Court operation at the Mifflin County Courthouse, 20 North Wayne Street, Lewistown, PA 17044. The listed Clerk of Orphans' Court, Register of Wills, and Recorder is Ellen Amspacker. Phone contact for the office is 717-242-1449, and the fax number is 717-248-2503. The county directions place the office on the second floor, first office on the right after turning right from the elevator.
The county's Clerk of Orphans' Court page is the source for the local marriage-record role and the office's related guardianship and adoption responsibilities.
The same office page is useful because it separates public marriage license records from sealed adoption files and other family-sensitive Orphans' Court matters.
Mifflin County Marriage License Steps
A marriage license application is handled through the Clerk of Orphans' Court, not through the Prothonotary. The research did not locate a county online marriage search portal or a complete online application field set for a new license. Use the courthouse office for the current application method, accepted identification requirements, and timing. The fee schedule confirms that Mifflin County charges a marriage license fee and a separate out-of-state affidavit fee when that affidavit applies.
- Contact the Clerk of Orphans' Court at 717-242-1449 or visit the courthouse office to confirm current license-application requirements.
- Make sure the application will be filed in Mifflin County if the later record needs to be held here.
- Bring the information and identification the office requires for both applicants. Do not rely on a divorce packet or civil form for a marriage license.
- Pay the marriage license fee shown on the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee schedule. The listed marriage license fee is $50.
- Ask whether any out-of-state affidavit is needed. The fee schedule lists that affidavit at $14.
Marriage officiant questions are addressed in the county court FAQ. The FAQ lists members of the clergy, Magisterial District Judges, mayors, and Judges of the Court of Common Pleas as marriage officiants. MDJ Kent A. Smith's office page also lists marriages among local MDJ functions, but the license record itself remains tied to the Clerk of Orphans' Court when the application is filed in Mifflin County.
Mifflin County Marriage Copy Request
Certified Mifflin County marriage certificates are requested by mail from the Orphans' Court office. The county's certified marriage record request form is specific to licenses filed in Mifflin County and asks for enough detail to match the right application. A certified copy is the safer choice when a marriage record must be used for legal, agency, benefits, passport, or name-change purposes.
| Form Field | Required | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Full name of Applicant 1 | Yes | Name used at the time of the license application. |
| Full name of Applicant 2 | Yes | Second applicant's name at the time of application. |
| Marriage date | Yes | Used to match the local license record. |
| Number of certified records | Yes | Sets the total copy fee. |
| Foreign adoption certification | Optional | Used when the certificate is needed for foreign adoption paperwork. |
| U.S. Armed Forces fee waiver | Optional | Requires the service member's name and service number when claimed. |
| Mailing name, address, phone, and date | Yes | Used to return the certificate and contact the requester. |
Mail the completed request to Mifflin County Orphans Court, Mifflin County Courthouse, 20 North Wayne Street, Lewistown PA 17044. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Payment must be by check or money order payable to Clerk of Orphans' Court of Mifflin County, PA. The form states not to mail cash.
Mifflin County Marriage Fees
The Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee schedule is the fee source for marriage license and certified marriage certificate costs. It is also the safer source to check before a courthouse visit because the same schedule covers Orphans' Court and register filings that changed on the listed effective date. Divorce filing fees are not quoted here because the research marks the Prothonotary fee-sheet text as a gap for exact civil amounts.
| Marriage Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | $50 | JCS and automation fee notes apply to marriage license applications per the fee schedule. |
| Certified marriage certificate | $4 each | Request by form and mail with check or money order. |
| Out-of-state affidavit | $14 | Charged when the affidavit is needed. |
| Cash by mail | Not accepted | The certified-copy form says not to mail cash. |
Note: Certified certificate requests should include a self-addressed stamped envelope so the office can return the document by mail.
Search Mifflin County Marriage Records
Mifflin County marriage records date from 1885 to the present when the license application was filed in the county. No county marriage-record search portal was located in the official sources. The practical search path is to contact the Clerk of Orphans' Court with the applicants' names and marriage date, then request a certified certificate if a legal copy is needed.
Older marriage records may require more careful name matching. Use the names as they would have appeared on the license application rather than a later married name. If the record is tied to another county, the Mifflin County office may not be the custodian even if the couple later lived in Lewistown, Burnham, Reedsville, McVeytown, or another Mifflin County community.
Birth and death records have a separate boundary. The Orphans' Court page says birth and death records recorded between 1893 and 1905 may be available through the county office. Birth and death certificates from 1906 forward are Pennsylvania Bureau of Vital Records records, although the county office can provide an application form for an original raised-seal certificate.
Mifflin County Divorce Records
Divorce complaints are handled by the Mifflin County Prothonotary because divorce is a civil filing in the Court of Common Pleas. The Prothonotary is not the marriage-license custodian. That split is important when a person needs both a marriage certificate and a divorce decree. Marriage certificates go through Orphans' Court. Divorce case copies and divorce complaint records go through the Prothonotary at the same courthouse address, with the office phone listed as 717-248-8146.
The county forms page includes a "Divorce - No Fault and Mutual Consent" Pro Se Divorce Packet. The county FAQ says people with divorce or new custody filings should contact counsel or file pleadings themselves while complying with the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure. Public divorce docket entries may also appear through Pennsylvania UJS Case Search, but docket sheets do not replace certified copies from the filing office.
Family files can contain restricted information. Divorce, custody, and support-related materials may include private family details, minor information, financial data, or sealed orders. The public docket may show that a case exists while withholding documents or details that are not open under court policy.
Mifflin County Family Record Limits
Adoption records are sealed by the court and are not open to the public. The Clerk of Orphans' Court page names adoption proceedings as part of the office's work, but the same research makes clear that adoption files are not ordinary public marriage records. Guardianship files can also contain sensitive information and may be restricted under court policy or Orphans' Court rules.
For divorce records, the useful public path is usually the docket and the final decree or order if a copy is available. For marriage records, the key public record is the license or certified certificate. For a wider civil case search, the county's civil filing office is the Prothonotary, and the statewide docket path is UJS Case Search. A focused civil overview is available on the Mifflin County Prothonotary page.