Find Marriage License in Fort Smith

Fort Smith is a county seat of Sebastian County, and the Sebastian County Clerk is the office that issues every Fort Smith marriage license. The city does not run its own marriage office. Couples who plan to wed in Fort Smith apply at the clerk's Northern District office, and anyone who needs to pull an older Fort Smith marriage license record starts there as well. This page lays out the clerk's address, hours, fee, district info, and online search tools so the trip and the record lookup both take less time.

Where to Get a Fort Smith Marriage License

The Sebastian County Clerk is the office that issues a Fort Smith marriage license. The Fort Smith office sits at 35 South 6th Street, Room 102, Fort Smith, AR 72901. The phone is 479-782-5065. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sharon Brooks is the elected Sebastian County Clerk.

Sebastian County is one of the few Arkansas counties with two court districts. The Northern District sits in Fort Smith. The Southern District sits in Greenwood at PO Box 428, Greenwood, AR 72936, with a phone line at 479-996-4195. Both offices can issue a marriage license. Fort Smith residents usually apply at the downtown office on 6th Street, but either district works.

No appointment is required. Both parties must be present together with valid ID and the fee. Walk-ins are the norm.

The county's main site has contact info for both district offices and links for every service the clerk runs.

See the Sebastian County Government home page for the full directory.

The guide above sums up the $60 fee and the payment options that apply to a Fort Smith marriage license picked up at the Sebastian County courthouse.

How to Apply for a Fort Smith Marriage License

Both parties must appear in person at the Sebastian County Clerk in Fort Smith, together, at the same time. Each brings a valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. A state driver's license, state ID card, U.S. passport, or military ID all work. The clerk will also want each party's Social Security number for the state index.

The fee is $60. Sebastian County takes cash or credit card at the window. If either party was married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree. If a past spouse died, bring the death certificate. If a past divorce restored a prior name, the decree must list that change so the new Fort Smith marriage license uses the correct legal name.

Adults 18 or older sign on the spot with no wait. Applicants who are 17 need both parents present to sign a notarized affidavit of consent under Arkansas Code § 9-11-102, and a 5 business day wait applies. No one under 17 may be issued a license except under the 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 can pick up a Fort Smith marriage license and hold the wedding anywhere in the state.

Bring this with you:

• Photo ID for each party
• Social Security number for each party
• Divorce decree or death certificate if either party was married before
• $60 in cash or a card
• Notarized parental affidavit if one party is 17

Fort Smith Marriage License Rules

Fort Smith follows the state rules at Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11. The license is valid for 60 days from the date the clerk issues it. The signed license must be returned to the Sebastian County Clerk inside those 60 days, used or unused. A failure to return can bring a $100 fine under state law.

The license is good for a ceremony anywhere in Arkansas, not just inside Fort Smith or Sebastian County. Couples often pull a Fort Smith marriage license and then hold the wedding at a venue in a neighbor county like Crawford or Franklin.

Under § 9-11-213, a short list of people can officiate. The list covers 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 an Arkansas marriage license. The Sebastian County Clerk files those papers and issues a certificate of record. A quick call to the clerk confirms a minister's status before the ceremony.

Covenant marriage is also offered. Act 1486 of 2001, now at Arkansas Code § 9-11-803, sets the extra steps, including premarital counseling and a signed declaration of intent. Couples pick the covenant option when they fill out the Fort Smith marriage license application.

Certified Copies of a Fort Smith Marriage License

Certified copies of a Fort Smith marriage license are available from the Sebastian County Clerk for a small fee, usually about $5. The certified copy has the clerk's seal and is what Social Security, the State Department, and pension plans accept for a name change or benefits claim.

You can pick up a certified copy in person at the clerk's office or send a mail request. Mail orders need a short letter with both parties' names, the marriage date if known, a phone number, a check or money order for the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return.

For a state-level copy, the Arkansas Division of Vital Records holds a coupon index going back to 1917. The state copy is $10. Order in person at 4815 West Markham Street in Little Rock, by mail, or online through VitalChek, the state's official online vendor. VitalChek adds a small processing fee and delivers the copy by mail after an ID check.

Older Fort Smith marriage license records live at other places too. The Fort Smith Public Library genealogy indexes include Sebastian County marriage records from 1863 through June 14, 2001, plus years 1847 and 1861. That index pulls from the county clerk's books and is free to search.

Fort Smith Marriage License Search Online

The statewide search portal at CIS Arkansas lists Sebastian County and lets you search by either party's name. The portal indexes Fort Smith marriage license records along with records from the Greenwood District, so a single search covers both parts of the county. Date search types include marriage date, issued date, and recorded date. The tool is free.

For court cases tied to a Fort Smith marriage, try Arkansas CourtConnect. It shows civil, probate, and domestic relations filings from Sebastian County trial courts. CourtConnect doesn't hold marriage license records, but it's a good stop for tracing a linked divorce, a name change order, or a probate case tied to a past marriage.

The Sebastian County Circuit Clerk supports seven Circuit Judges and maintains the court's records in both Fort Smith and Greenwood. The Circuit Clerk is the right office for any civil case or divorce filing that touches on a marriage. Susie Hassett is the elected Circuit Clerk.

The FamilySearch Sebastian County page is useful for older family history work that goes past the clerk's online cutoff. It links out to index pages, to the state archives, and to Fort Smith local libraries.

Fort Smith Marriage License Tips

Plan an early morning visit on a weekday. The clerk's office at 35 South 6th Street fills up around the lunch hour, especially on a Friday in the summer. Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the full visit on a normal day.

Fees can shift. Call 479-782-5065 before you drive in to confirm the current Fort Smith marriage license fee and the accepted forms of payment.

Fort Smith Public Library's help desk can also point you toward older Fort Smith marriage records and minister credentials that sit outside the clerk's current digital index. The library keeps obituaries, city directories, and family history files that often fill gaps in a Fort Smith marriage license search.

Use the same $60 Fort Smith marriage license for a wedding held in Van Buren, Alma, or Ozark. The license does not need to be tied to a venue inside Sebastian County.

Sebastian County and Nearby Cities

Fort Smith is the Northern District seat of Sebastian County. Greenwood is the Southern District seat, and the clerk there also issues Arkansas marriage license records. For the county-wide page, with both district addresses, clerk names, and more detail on Sebastian County marriage license records, see Sebastian County Marriage License Records.

If the marriage license you want isn't on file in Sebastian County, try a nearby city page. Each city page links back to the right county clerk.