Pennsylvania Divorce Records

Locating Divorce Records in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania Divorces are regulated by the state, and therefore, the state holds the records. Pennsylvania Divorce records are not held at the Division for Vital Records. Divorce records are usually stored in the courthouse or local office located in the county where the divorce was granted. Typically, the divorce records are stored at the Prothonotary Court House Office.

Some states also store the divorce records in a state repository. If you are not sure in which county the divorce took place, the state repository is the best location to begin your search. Each state must be searched individually for divorce records. Therefore, if you are unsure of the number of divorces an individual has had or the particular states where they took place, your search can become quite an extensive task.

In some cases, it may be wiser to begin with a search for current and past spouses of an individual. This will turn up names and addresses that can be used to narrow down your search. In some cases, this search may even lead to results that indicate no known past or current spouses exist, thereby negating the need to search for divorce records.

A certified copy of a divorce certificate can be obtained for a small fee and some basic personal identification. A basic search for divorce records, or one that includes most of the necessary information, takes approximately two to ten days.

The amount of time required to complete a search depends on several things. The amount of information provided with the specific request, the reason provided for the search, and the number of staff at the office being used all influence how long the search will take. Searches for genealogical reasons will take longer, as will searches with very little information to implement in the search.

Following several steps will ensure that your request is filled quickly and correctly. You need to provide accurate information, providing only the details that are necessary for the search.

If you are requesting the records for a genealogical research, realize that this will most likely take longer than a more pressing request, such as an upcoming marriage or contest of a will. Moreover, requests that do not contain all of the necessary information will take longer to process.

Typically, a search for divorce records is processed within two to ten days. The time factor is influenced by several things including the amount of information presented with the request, the reason for the request, and the availability of staff at the particular office.