Search Arkansas Marriage License Records

An Arkansas marriage license is the paper a couple must get from a county clerk before they can wed in the state. Each of the 75 counties keeps its own marriage license records at the County Clerk's office where the license was pulled. This site helps you find the right clerk, view search tools, and track down a marriage license record in Arkansas without long waits. You can search by county, by city, or by the couple's names. Use the links below to pick your county or city and get to the office that holds the record.

Where Arkansas Marriage License Records Are Kept

Arkansas marriage license records live at two levels. The county clerk issues the license and records the return after the wedding. The Arkansas Department of Health Division of Vital Records keeps a central index of marriages going back to January 1917. The Division does not have the actual marriage license paper, only the short coupon portion that the clerk sent in. For the full license with both signatures and the officiant line, go to the county clerk where the license was first pulled.

The Division's office sits at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205, across from War Memorial Stadium. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Walk-in orders placed by 3:00 p.m. with full search info can often get same-day service. The phone line is (501) 661-2174. You can also order by mail, by phone through VitalChek at (866) 209-9482, or online.

For help finding the right county office, the Association of Arkansas Counties directory lists the clerk for every county in the state. Under Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11, the county clerk is the officer that issues licenses and keeps the records on file.

Source: Arkansas Vital Records overview confirms that marriage records prior to 1917 are not held at the state level.

The page above sums up what the state holds and what the counties hold, which makes it easy to pick the right office before you start your Arkansas marriage license search.

How To Search Arkansas Marriage License Records

There are a few ways to search Arkansas marriage license records. Pick the one that fits what you need. Want to confirm a marriage happened? Use the state index. Need a certified copy of the license paper? Go to the county clerk. Looking up a name for family history work? Try a county online tool.

The CIS Arkansas marriage license search portal is the fastest online option for the many counties that take part. It covers Benton, Carroll (Eastern and Western), Clark, Columbia, Conway, Craighead (Jonesboro and Lake City), Drew, Faulkner, Franklin (main and Charleston), Howard, Logan (North and South), Madison, Ouachita, Randolph, Saline, Sevier, and Washington. You can search by name and by date range. Date search types cover marriage date, issued date, or recorded date. The tool is free to use. Not all 75 counties take part, so if your county is not on the list, you will need to contact the clerk's office directly.

See the CIS Arkansas search page for the full county list and fields.

The portal shown above lets you pick a county and type in the names of the couple, then shows matching Arkansas marriage license records for that county's index.

For courts and case filings linked to a marriage, the Arkansas CourtConnect public case search is useful. It does not hold marriage license records, but it shows civil, probate, and domestic relations cases from many counties. That can help if you need to trace divorce filings or name change orders tied to a past marriage.

CourtConnect pulls cases from many of Arkansas's trial courts and is a good second stop when the marriage license record alone is not enough for what you are working on.

Arkansas Marriage License Requirements

To get a marriage license in Arkansas, the couple must appear together in person at any county clerk's office. Both parties show a valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. That can be a state ID, a driver's license, a passport or visa, a military ID, or an original birth certificate. An Indian Card is also listed by the state as accepted. If either of you has been married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree or a death certificate for the prior spouse. If a prior name change came through a divorce, the decree must show the name was restored.

Under Arkansas Code § 9-11-201, the license must be pulled from the clerk of the county court. The fee is $60. Some counties charge a small extra fee for credit or debit card use. Both parties must be 18 or older to sign without extra steps. If one party is 17, both parents must be present, sign a notarized affidavit of consent, and the clerk imposes a 5 business day wait. Under § 9-11-102, no one under 17 may be issued a license in most cases. There is a narrow pregnancy exception at § 9-11-103, which sends the case to a circuit judge.

Arkansas does not require a blood test. There is no residency rule, so out-of-state couples may come in, get the license, and hold the ceremony anywhere in the state. The license is good for 60 days from the date it was issued. After the ceremony, the signed license must be returned to the same county clerk's office that issued it, used or not, inside of 60 days. Failure to return the license can bring a $100 fine.

See the Craighead County marriage license how-to guide for a clean walk through the steps most county clerks follow.

The clerk's page above lays out the ID rules, the fee, and the return window, which apply in the same way across most Arkansas counties.

Checklist of what to bring to the clerk:

• Valid photo ID for each party
• Social Security number (for state reporting)
• Divorce decree or death certificate if there was a prior marriage
• Cash or card for the $60 fee
• Notarized parental affidavit if one party is 17

Fees for an Arkansas Marriage License

The state sets the base Arkansas marriage license fee at $60. Each county clerk collects the fee when the license is issued. Counties may add a small surcharge for credit and debit card use. In Craighead County, for example, the card fee is $1.00 plus 3%. Cash avoids the card fee in most counties.

Certified copies carry their own fee. County clerks charge around $5 to $6 for a certified copy of the marriage license, and the state charges $10 for a marriage record copy under the state vital records fee schedule. The state keeps $10 as a non-refundable search fee even if no record is found. Birth certificates are $12 for the first copy. Divorce record copies are $10 at the state index.

You can also order through VitalChek, the state's official online vendor for vital records. VitalChek charges an extra processing fee on top of the state's $10. The service validates your identity through LexisNexis, takes 7 to 14 days for the record plus shipping, and sends the certified copy from the state agency directly to your door.

VitalChek is the option to use when a walk-in trip to Little Rock is not practical and you still need a state-level Arkansas marriage license coupon mailed to you.

Fee waivers exist for people who cannot pay. The clerk and the courts both follow state rules on fee waivers for indigent filers. Ask the clerk at the window or visit the Arkansas Judiciary website for the standard form.

Who Can Officiate Marriages in Arkansas

Under Arkansas Code § 9-11-213, a short list of people can perform a wedding in the state. It includes the Governor, any current judge of a court of record, any former Supreme Court justice, any justice of the peace (including former JPs who served at least two terms since Amendment 55), any regularly ordained minister or priest, the mayor of any city or town, any official picked by the quorum court, and any elected district court judge.

Ministers must record their credentials with a county clerk before they can sign a license. The rule at § 9-11-214 says the clerk's office records the papers and issues a certificate showing the minister is on file. Many county clerks keep a minister search tool online. A quick call to the clerk is enough to confirm a minister's status before the ceremony.

For a clear read on who can perform the ceremony, the American Marriage Ministries summary walks through each listed officiant.

The page above also notes that Arkansas does not require witnesses at the ceremony, which is useful to know when the couple plans a small event.

A false return by an officiant is a misdemeanor under § 9-11-219. Fines run from $100 up to $500 at § 9-11-216 for a person who solemnizes a marriage against the rules. The county clerk will walk the couple through the right steps at the window.

Covenant Marriage in Arkansas

Arkansas offers two types of marriage. A regular marriage is the default. The second type is a covenant marriage, created by Act 1486 of 2001 and now sitting in the code at Arkansas Code § 9-11-803. The couple picks this option on the application for the marriage license.

A covenant marriage carries extra steps. Both parties must take authorized premarital counseling with a minister, priest, rabbi, Quaker clerk, other clergy, a licensed counselor, or a licensed marriage and family therapist. The couple then signs a declaration of intent that holds a recitation, an affidavit that counseling was received, an attestation signed by the counselor, and a notary witness. The declaration is filed with the same official who issues the license.

The statute page linked above spells out the signing steps and the added grounds that must be shown to end a covenant marriage.

Grounds for divorce are limited in a covenant marriage. The rule says a party may seek to end the marriage only after a complete and total breach of the covenant commitment. This sits apart from the usual divorce rules in the rest of Chapter 9 of the Arkansas Code.

Getting Certified Copies of Records

There are two paths to get a certified copy. Each fits a different need.

The first path is the county clerk. The clerk holds the signed license with the officiant line and the return date. A certified copy from the clerk runs about $5 to $6 in most counties, with a copy ready the same day at the window. You can also ask the clerk to mail a copy after you send a written request and a check. Call the office first to confirm the fee and the process. See the Pulaski County Circuit Clerk marriage license page for an example of how a busy county handles the request.

Pulaski County in Little Rock is the largest marriage license office in the state, so its page is a good reference even if you are filing in a smaller county.

The second path is the state. The Arkansas Division of Vital Records holds a marriage coupon from 1917 forward. The fee is $10 per copy. The coupon is not the full license but is enough to confirm a marriage for many uses like Social Security, pension claims, and name change paperwork. The state accepts walk-ins at Little Rock, mail orders, phone orders via VitalChek, and online orders.

The page above also lists the other vital records the state keeps, so you can order birth and death certificates on the same trip.

Who Can Access Marriage License Records

Arkansas Marriage License Records kept at the county clerk are treated as public records. Anyone may ask the clerk to look up a license by name or by date, and the clerk can make a copy for a small fee. No reason is needed and no tie to the couple is needed to pull the basic record at the county.

State-level access is tighter. Arkansas Vital Records follows a different rule, Arkansas Statute 20-18-305, which blocks the public release of the state-held marriage coupon. The law lets the coupon go to the registrant, close family members, a designated agent, academic research groups, and people who can show a right to the record. That means the state-level copy needs proof of identity and relationship, while the county clerk copy does not.

The rules that shape Arkansas marriage license records sit in Title 9, Chapter 11 of the Arkansas Code, which is worth a quick skim if you plan to file or order records often.

Some parts of a file may be sealed. A judge can redact or hide sensitive details for cause. Social Security numbers and account numbers are routinely redacted from any public-facing copy. A party to the marriage can ask the court to restrict access, but this is rare and must clear a court order.

Online Search Portals for Arkansas

Online tools make a first pass easy. The CIS Arkansas database is the leading portal for taking part counties. The Arkansas CourtConnect system covers court cases, which often cross paths with marriage records in divorce or probate files. For an agency-held copy, use VitalChek, the state's official online vendor.

Other helpful third-party resources include FamilySearch and the county genealogy pages run by RootsWeb and FamilySearch, which index older marriage records. Those sites are not the official record but can give you names, dates, and pointers that help the clerk pull the right file.

Call ahead. Hours change, and small counties may run on short schedules. The state help line for CourtConnect is (501) 410-1900. Vital Records' main number is (501) 661-2174.

Browse Arkansas Marriage License Records by County

Each of Arkansas's 75 counties has its own county clerk who issues marriage licenses. Pick a county below for contact info, fees, and links for marriage license records in that county.

The directory below points you to the official list of clerks.

The Association of Arkansas Counties keeps the list current, so it's a solid first stop when you don't know which clerk to call.

View All 75 Arkansas Counties

Major Arkansas Cities

Many couples apply at the county clerk that serves their city. Pick a city below to find the right clerk, the courthouse where the license is filed, and local info for marriage license records near you.

View Major Arkansas Cities