Taylor County Marriage Record Access

Taylor County marriage records are kept at the Probate Court in Butler, Georgia. This small county in central Georgia relies on its Probate Court to handle all marriage license applications, ceremony filings, and copy requests. The office on North Broad Street is the one place in Taylor County where you can apply for a marriage license or get a certified copy of a past marriage record. Whether you are planning a wedding or tracking down an old certificate for legal reasons, the Taylor County Probate Court in Butler is your go-to office.

Taylor County Probate Court Information

The Taylor County Probate Court is located at 2 North Broad Street in Butler. This is the only office in the county that deals with marriage licenses and marriage records. Both people who want to get married must visit the Taylor County Probate Court in person. The clerk will look over your IDs, collect the fee, and process the application. If all paperwork checks out, you get the license during that same visit. The whole thing usually takes less than an hour at the Taylor County office.

Butler is a small town, so the courthouse staff may be handling other matters when you arrive. Calling (478) 862-3357 before you drive out is a good idea. This way you know the clerk will be available to help with your Taylor County marriage license or record request.

Finding Taylor County Marriage Records

The simplest way to find a marriage record in Taylor County is to visit the Probate Court in Butler. Give the clerk the full names of both people who were married and the date of the ceremony. Staff will look through the files and provide a certified copy if the record is available. The fee is $10 per copy. Extra copies ordered at the same time are $5 each. In-person requests at the Taylor County courthouse are usually handled quickly.

Mail requests work as well. Send a letter with the names, the date of marriage, and a $10 check or money order to the Taylor County Probate Court at 2 N. Broad Street, Butler, GA 31006. Include your return address so the office can mail the copy back to you. Before sending anything, you can call (478) 862-3357 to check if the Taylor County record exists.

Online searches can sometimes turn up Taylor County records too. The Georgia Probate Records website has a marriage search tool that covers many counties. Not all Taylor County records are in the online index, but it is a good first step that costs nothing to try.

Taylor County Marriage License Fees

The fee for a marriage license in Taylor County falls between $56 and $77 without premarital counseling. Couples who finish a qualifying course before applying get the reduced rate of $16 to $37. Georgia law under O.C.G.A. 19-3-30.1 provides this discount. The course must last at least six hours and be done within 12 months of the application date. Bring the completion certificate when you go to the Taylor County Probate Court.

Cash and money orders are the most reliable payment methods. Small county courts do not always accept credit or debit cards. Call the Taylor County office before your visit to check what they take. All license fees are final and non-refundable.

Taylor County Marriage License Rules

Both applicants must be at least 18 years old under Georgia law. Under O.C.G.A. 19-3-2, a 17-year-old can apply only with a court-ordered emancipation, and 15 days must have passed since the order. Both people must go to the Taylor County Probate Court together with valid photo identification. A driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID are all accepted.

Anyone who was previously married must bring proof the earlier marriage is over. A certified divorce decree or a death certificate for the former spouse is needed. All documents have to be in English. Papers in other languages must come with a certified translation. Under O.C.G.A. 19-3-1, both parties must be of sound mind and not currently married to anyone else to get a Taylor County marriage license.

• Valid photo ID for both applicants
• Social Security number for each person
• Certified proof of prior marriage dissolution if needed
• Counseling certificate for the discounted fee
• Both parties appear at the Taylor County Probate Court

Georgia has no waiting period and has not required a blood test since 2003. The Taylor County license is valid for 60 days after it is issued.

Note: If the license is not used within 60 days, it expires and you must reapply and pay the fee again.

State Records for Taylor County Marriages

The Georgia Department of Public Health keeps marriage records from 1952 to 1996 at the state Vital Records office. If the Taylor County marriage falls in that range, you can request a copy from the state. The fee is $10 for a search (non-refundable) and $5 for each additional copy. The office is at 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349. Phone: (404) 679-4702.

The DPH website shows the fee schedule for requesting vital records including marriage certificates.

Mail requests to the state take 8 to 10 weeks to process. Same-day service is available for in-person visits. For Taylor County marriages before 1952 or after 1996, the Probate Court in Butler is the only source. The Georgia Archives in Morrow may have some older Taylor County records on microfilm.

Taylor County Marriage Ceremonies

After the Taylor County Probate Court issues a license, any authorized person can perform the ceremony. Under O.C.G.A. 19-3-30, judges, ministers, and ordained clergy are all authorized. The Probate Court may also conduct civil ceremonies, but you should check with the Taylor County office first since not every court offers this on a daily basis. The officiant must sign the license and return it to the Taylor County Probate Court within 30 days.

Once the court gets the signed license back, the marriage is recorded in the county files. A certified certificate is then mailed to the couple. This mailing process takes about 30 days. If you need the certificate sooner, visit the Butler courthouse and request a copy after the record has been entered into the system.

More Taylor County Marriage Resources

The Georgia Probate Records website lets you start an online marriage application before your visit. The probate court standard forms page has blank documents used across all 159 Georgia counties. The Georgia.gov marriage page has a clear overview of the license process. FamilySearch keeps a free index of Georgia marriages going back to the 1800s for genealogy research.

For direct questions about Taylor County records, call the Probate Court in Butler at (478) 862-3357. They can confirm what is on file and guide you through the process.

Nearby Counties

Taylor County shares borders with several other counties in central Georgia. If the marriage record you need was filed elsewhere, try one of these Probate Courts.