Chester County Register of Wills

07/02/2021

Happy Independence Day!

We wish you, your family, and friends a wonderful holiday weekend as we celebrate the birth of our nation. Independence Day commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Take steps to celebrate safely. Obey the rules of the road to travel safely.Don't drink and drive: designate a sober driver or get a ride!
Please share our app with your family, friends, and neighbors so they can get our alerts, news, and resources: https://apps.myocv.com/share/a47819382
Thank you,Michele Vaughn, Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court of Chester County

06/01/2021

Wednesday Evening Extended Hours - Marriage License Appointments

The Marriage License office is open for extended hours until 6:00pm on Wednesday evenings for in-person Marriage License Applications by appointment only. Please schedule from our new mobile app.
Click on "Schedule a Marriage Appointment"
For for more information on marriage license requirements or other related questions refer to the Marriage Information area on our mobile app. If your question cannot be addressed through our mobile app. please contact the Register of Wills office: 610-344-6335.
Thank you,Michele Vaughn, Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court of Chester County

05/31/2021

Happy Memorial Day! We remember and honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces - and all of our frontline heroes serving our communities. Thank you for your service and the sacrifice you have made for our country in the name of freedom!

05/05/2021

This story highlights the importance of the Fraud detection program that Recorder of Deeds, Chris Pielli, and I launched in Feb 2020. We launched this intergovernmental program to help protect incapacitated seniors and disabled residents from falling victim to the fraudulent transfer of their property. To date, our efforts have prevented such an action occurring.

Chester County officials launch new fraud detection program

https://www.dailylocal.com/news/local/chester-county-officials-launch-new-fraud-detection-program/article_39dc37a4-5a27-11ea-b964-4f180befd365.html

Larry Krasner said Tyree Burno stole the homes, and two lots, through deed fraud.

12/22/2020

Today was a special day for Andrew and Kaitlyn. Andrew is home on leave from the Marine Corps and needed an expedited marriage license. Our office was happy to accommodate, so they can have a Christmas wedding.

Best wishes to Andrew and Kaitlyn on a very happy future together!
Chester County Register of Wills

10/16/2020

I want to welcome aboard Molly, our newest Register of Wills team member Molly will be working with me during the extended hours to issue marriage licenses. As soon as we start our new hours I will let everyone know. She will also be working with me to launch our first mobile app and to support our digital and social media platform.

Molly is being sworn in by my friend and colleague, Debbie Bookman, our county Prothonotary. Since our office has a quasi-judicial role, my staff members also play a role in the courtroom and that's why they are sworn into office.

10/14/2020

Meet the newly engaged and soon to be wed, Taylor and Emma. I, along with my other 2019 county colleagues, have Taylor to thank for the outstanding job he did in 2019 to help the team. It is always a privilege to issue a marriage license for another lovely couple, especially someone you know, and share in their happiness as the journey together.

Congrats Taylor and Emma! Best wishes for a bright and happy future together!!

10/02/2020

Over the last few weeks, I've been learning about how to issue marriage licenses at Chester County Register of Wills, in preparation for our upcoming plans to extend office hours. We plan to offer evening hours, at least one night a week, to accommodate people who cannot get to our office during the work day. I issued the self-uniting marriage licenses to the happy couples below, Glenn and Patricia, (on left) and Jared and Tamara (on right).

The self-uniting marriage license is becoming more popular, especially in the days of COVID-19. The unique Pennsylvania license, which is a Quaker tradition, allows people to marry themselves without an officiant, just witnesses. Read more about it here in this Inquirer article: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/pennsylvania-marriage-license-self-uniting-online-officiant-legal-philadelphia-20190828.html

08/12/2020

In another effort to advance customer service, improve efficiency and to address the unique needs of our Chester County constituents, especially under these unusual circumstances, we have added a SELF-SERVICE Appointment scheduling option for probating wills and issuing marriage licenses.

We continue to offer both in-person and virtual services depending on your needs. Feel free to go to our website to schedule your appointment: https://www.chesco.org/168/Register-of-Wills-Orphans-Court

08/08/2020

Today I had the great privilege of learning from one of our outstanding Chester County Register of Wills employees, Christine, how to issue a marriage license. The lovely couple, Kristin and Adam, pictured with us, are both registered nurses from Philadelphia, who are getting married in a few weeks. Due to COVID-19, we issue marriage licenses to our surrounding counties.

I'm learning about how to issue marriage licenses, not only to assist our staff, but also to prepare for the next few months when our office will be offering extended hours for marriage licenses. Stay tuned....

Thank you again Christine...

Wishing Kristin and Adam all the best.

07/07/2020

Today, July 6, 2020 marked an historic day in PA history. It was the END of CHILD MARRIAGE in PA. In every Register of Wills/Clerk of Orphans Court across PA, marriage licenses will not be issued to anyone under 18 years of age.

This may be a surprise to many of you, but the prior law on the books allowed someone between 16-18 years to marry with their parents permission and between 14-16 years with the courts permission.

Governor Tom Wolf signed into law House Bill 360, which sets 18 as the minimum age to obtain a marriage license. It went into effect today.

Governor Wolf states, "Setting the minimum age to obtain a marriage license will help prevent child exploitation,” said Gov. Wolf. “Marriage is a sacred and serious commitment that should be undertaken with love by two adults, not by children being exploited by unscrupulous adults.”

Thank you Governor Wolf for your leadership.

06/27/2020

As Chester County has now moved into the Green Phase, we at the Chester County Register of Wills​ continue to be open BY APPOINTMENT ONLY to probate wills and to issue marriage licenses. We can accommodate your requests either in-person or virtually. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office at 610-344-6335.

I wanted to share some of the compliments my office receives nearly every week from those who have used our office to address some of the most challenging situations. Thank you for your kind words, Theresa Hogan Santalucia