Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
South Carolina County
Marion County, South Carolina
Francis Marion - the Swamp Fox - and Mullins's tobacco market heritage - from Francis Marion's Pee Dee guerrilla campaign (Francis Marion - the "Swamp Fox" - conducted his legendary Revolutionary War partisan campaign from the swamps and forests of the Pee Dee region, using hit-and-run tactics against British forces that his men could sustain indefinitely in terrain they knew better than any redcoat - his campaigns gave the British fits and helped sustain the Revolution in the South when regular armies had been defeated) to Mullins's historic tobacco market (Mullins was one of the most significant bright leaf tobacco auction markets in South Carolina - the tobacco warehouses and auction tradition sustained the Pee Dee economy for generations).
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Marion County Emergency Management Agency – 2523 East Highway 76, Marion, SC 29571 | Office: (843) 431-5009 | Cell: (843) 430-7599
Services: Countywide disaster preparedness, response, and recovery
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-76 and US-501 serve Marion, the county seat, in the Pee Dee region
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Marion County Building Permit & Business Licenses / Planning – 2523 East Highway 76, Marion, SC 29571 | (843) 275-6068
Services: Building permits and code enforcement for unincorporated Marion County
Notes: City of Marion, Town of Mullins, Town of Nichols, and Town of Sellers maintain their own SEPARATE permitting processes – confirm the correct jurisdiction for your property.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Marion County Veterans Affairs Office – Marion, SC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Marion County Library – main branch in Marion plus branches in Mullins and Nichols
Main Branch: Marion County Library – 101 East Court Street, Marion, SC 29571 | (843) 423-8300 | Email: [email protected]
Services: A library with a genuinely notable founding history – organized and chartered in 1898 under the guidance of Judge C.A. Woods as the “Marion Public Library,” first operating out of rooms above the Bank of Marion; in 1912, it became the FIRST TAX-SUPPORTED LIBRARY IN SOUTH CAROLINA when it joined the Marion School District by act of the state legislature; the following year, in 1913, it became the FIRST LIBRARY IN SOUTH CAROLINA to offer mobile service to rural areas – delivering books by mule and wagon; the library survived a devastating 1929 fire that closed it for a year, and joined the broader Marion County library system in 1970
Related: Mullins Public Library – 210 North Main Street, Mullins, SC 29574, (843) 464-9621, serves roughly 3,900 residents, holding about 89,000 volumes; Nichols Library – 208 Floyd Street / 514 W. Mullins St., Nichols, SC 29581, (843) 526-2641.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Marion County and its county seat are genuinely named in honor of Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion (c. 1732-1795), famously known as “The Swamp Fox” for his elusive guerrilla tactics against British forces in the swamps and backcountry of the South Carolina Lowcountry and Midlands – a British officer reportedly complained “The Devil himself could not catch him,” giving rise to the enduring nickname; Marion, born to French Huguenot refugee parents, fought in the French and Indian War, the Anglo-Cherokee War, and throughout the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution, including the sieges of Savannah and Charleston and the battles of Black Mingo, Tearcoat Swamp, and Fort Watson, among others; the area was created as Liberty County in 1785 as part of Georgetown District, formally renamed Marion when it became a separate district in 1800; a bronze statue honoring Marion – the first monument ever erected in his honor – was dedicated in 1976 as a Bicentennial tribute from the citizens of Marion County and still stands in the city square today; the Marion County Museum, housed in a historic building at 101 Willcox Ave, documents the county’s agricultural history and role in the Civil War, and the Marion Historic District preserves a collection of antebellum homes along tree-lined streets
Notes: Marion County’s genuine, extensively documented namesake connection to the legendary “Swamp Fox” – one of the most celebrated guerrilla commanders of the American Revolution – is a significant piece of South Carolina’s founding-era history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Marion County GIS – accessible via marionsc.org
Parcel Search: Marion County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Marion County Emergency Management Agency
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Marion County Animal Shelter – 123 Dog and Cat Court, Mullins, SC 29574 | (843) 423-8370 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: typically around 10 AM–4 PM; confirm current schedule directly
Services: A county-run, no-kill shelter (euthanasia rate reported under 3% as of 2025) taking in roughly 1,600 animals per year from Marion County addresses only; staffed by 2 full-time and 2 part-time employees; adoption fees $100 for adult dogs, $150 for puppies under 6 months, $10 for cats, $35 for kittens under 6 months – all include spay/neuter, vaccinations, deworming, and parasite prevention; offers 2-week foster-to-adopt trials and does not require pre-approval before visiting; works with rescue partners up and down the coast to place animals
Notes: Support Our Shelter (sosmarionsc.com) is the shelter’s associated donation and volunteer support arm.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: SC DHEC – scdhec.gov
Notes: Contact Marion County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Marion County is genuinely named for Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, the legendary “Swamp Fox,” and its library holds the distinction of being the first tax-supported library in South Carolina. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Marion County
Marion County is South Carolina’s Swamp Fox heritage county – Francis Marion’s Revolutionary War guerrilla campaigns in the Pee Dee swamps gave the county its name and gave America one of its most celebrated military legends.
Marion (the county seat, population ~7,000) and Mullins (population ~5,000) serve the county’s governmental and commercial needs in the Pee Dee tobacco farming region.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Marion County Assessor at 2523 E. Highway 76, Suite 201, Marion, SC 29571, phone 843-423-8225. SC owner-occupied assessed at 4% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Marion County Probate Court at 2523 E. Highway 76, Suite 100, Marion, SC 29571, phone 843-423-8220, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
106 West Court St, Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-8235
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Marion County Probate Court, Marion (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Marion County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Marion County Probate Court J. Ralph Gasque Building, 101 West Court Street, Room 202, PO Box 583, Marion, SC 29571 (843) 423-8244
Marion County was founded in 1798, named for Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, in northeastern South Carolina, seated in Marion.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
South Carolina HAS adopted a version of the Uniform Probate Code, giving it more standardized and generally more streamlined procedures than states with older, common-law-based systems. Probate is handled by a dedicated Probate Court in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties – a separate court of limited jurisdiction, led by an elected Probate Judge (four-year term). The case is filed in the county where the decedent lived.
Small Estate Affidavit / Collection by Affidavit (S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-1201) – available when the gross value of the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $45,000 (raised from $25,000 for deaths after May 2025). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no petition for appointment of a personal representative can be pending anywhere. The successor files a Form 420PC “Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property,” which the probate judge approves and countersigns.
Summary Administration (§ 62-3-1203) – a simplified probate procedure available when the value of the estate passing by will (less liens and encumbrances) is under the statutory threshold, or when the surviving spouse is the sole heir or beneficiary.
Informal Probate – the standard path for the majority of estates. No notices or hearings are required unless demanded by an interested party.
Formal Proceedings – reserved for contested matters: objections to a personal representative’s appointment, will contests, a lost or destroyed will, or declaratory judgments on intestacy.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files a petition with the Marion County Probate Court where the decedent resided; if there’s a will, the original is filed with it.
For informal probate, the Probate Judge (or a designated staff member) reviews the application administratively; formal proceedings require notice and a hearing.
The court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative files an inventory and appraisement within 90 days of qualification, and provides periodic accountings as the court requires.
Creditors are notified; claims not timely presented are barred.
The estate closes with a final settlement – a verified report and proposed distribution served on interested parties and approved by the Probate Court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Marion County directly for current fees.
A personal representative’s bond, when required, must equal one and one-half times the value of the estate’s personal property, though bond can often be waived under certain conditions.
South Carolina does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
106 West Court St, Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-8235
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
106 West Court St, Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-8225
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
106 West Court St, Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-8235
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
DHEC Public Health Office
2829 East Highway 76, Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-8300
Department of Social Services
1913 East Highway 76, Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-8280
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Marion County Public Health (DHEC) – Marion, SC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Marion
Population: 30,000
Established: 1785
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Marion County residents.
