Calhoun County Marriage License

Calhoun County marriage license records are kept by the County Clerk in Hampton, the county seat. The clerk's office has held marriage records here since 1851, so the index covers a deep span of the county's history. Couples who want to wed in Calhoun County apply at the clerk in the Calhoun County Courthouse. This page walks through the clerk's address, phone, the $60 fee, and the online tools you can use to look up a Calhoun County marriage license record without a trip to Hampton.

Calhoun County Clerk for Marriage License Records

The Calhoun County Clerk's office sits in the Calhoun County Courthouse in Hampton. The address most often listed is 310 West Main Street, Hampton, AR 71744, with some records also pointing to 300 South Main Street in the same block of the courthouse. Call the clerk at 870-798-2517.

The County Clerk issues every Calhoun County marriage license and keeps the record on file. The same office serves as Probate Clerk, keeps land records and deeds, and records minister credentials. For a full signed Calhoun County marriage license with the officiant line, this is the office to contact.

Calhoun County is one of the smaller counties in Arkansas, so the courthouse staff knows the local record set well. A phone call often works better than a mailed request for a rush job. The clerk can also tell you if the license you need has been indexed online or if it will need a hand search from a bound ledger.

The FamilySearch Calhoun County wiki lists the county record sets and is useful for early marriage license research.

How To Apply for a Calhoun County Marriage License

Both parties must appear in person at the Hampton office. Bring a valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. A driver's license, state ID card, passport, or military ID is fine. If either of you has been married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree or the death certificate of the prior spouse.

The Calhoun County marriage license fee is $60. Cash is accepted. The office may take a card with a small extra fee for card processing. Applicants 18 or older sign the application and the clerk hands over the license the same day. There is no wait and no blood test for adults.

Applicants who are 17 must bring both parents. The parents sign a notarized affidavit of consent under Arkansas Code § 9-11-102. A 5 business day wait applies in Calhoun County and every other Arkansas county for 17-year-olds. No one under 17 may be issued a license except under the narrow pregnancy exception at § 9-11-103.

Items to bring:

• Valid photo ID for each party
• Social Security number for each party
• Divorce decree or death certificate if you were married before
• Cash or card for the $60 fee
• Notarized parental affidavit if a party is 17

Calhoun County Marriage License Rules

Calhoun County follows the state rules at Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11. The marriage license is valid anywhere in Arkansas, not only inside the county. It is good for 60 days from the date of issue. The signed license must be returned to the Calhoun County Clerk that issued it, used or not, inside of 60 days, or a $100 fine can apply.

Under § 9-11-213, the list of officiants includes current judges, justices of the peace, mayors, ministers, and a few others. Ministers must record their credentials with a county clerk before they can sign a marriage license in Arkansas. A quick call to the Calhoun County Clerk confirms whether a minister is on file.

Arkansas has no residency rule. A couple from out of state may apply in Hampton for a Calhoun County marriage license and hold the wedding anywhere inside the state, as long as the ceremony is within Arkansas and the signed paper goes back to the Calhoun County Clerk within 60 days.

Certified Copies of Calhoun County Marriage Licenses

A certified copy of a Calhoun County marriage license is a short trip to the clerk. The fee runs around $5 to $6. The copy has a raised seal, which is what Social Security, passport services, pension funds, and immigration offices ask for. The clerk can usually hand the copy to you the same day at the window.

Mail requests are also allowed. Send a written note with both parties' names, the date of the marriage if you know it, your phone number, and a check for the copy fee. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope so the clerk can mail the paper back.

For a state-level copy of the marriage coupon, the Arkansas Vital Records office is the stop. The fee is $10 per copy. You can also order online through VitalChek, the state's official online vendor. VitalChek adds its own processing fee on top of the state fee.

For a broader reference on Arkansas marriage records at the state and county level, see the Arkansas marriage records search.

The page above lists the Hampton clerk's contact info and confirms that the Calhoun County marriage license records path runs through the County Clerk first, not the state.

Calhoun County Marriage License Search

For online searches, try the statewide portal at CIS Arkansas. Not every county takes part in the online index, so if Calhoun County is not in the county drop-down, the clerk's office in Hampton is the way to confirm a record.

For court cases that tie back to a Calhoun County marriage license, like a divorce or a name change, the Arkansas CourtConnect case search is a useful backup. It covers many of the state's trial courts and shows party names, filing dates, and docket entries.

Older Calhoun County marriage license records from 1851 forward are on file with the County Clerk. The Association of Arkansas Counties directory keeps the current phone numbers for each county clerk, which helps if the main courthouse number changes.

Calhoun County Marriage License Details

Calhoun County is the smallest county by population in Arkansas. That keeps the line at the clerk's window short, which is good news for a couple walking in to apply. A weekday morning is best. Call 870-798-2517 if you want to confirm the clerk will be at the counter that day.

The clerk also serves as probate clerk. That means marriage license records and probate files live in the same vault. Some old Calhoun County marriage license records from the 1800s share the same ledger volume as probate entries, so a hand search may take extra time. Ask the clerk for a date range and let the office pull the ledger while you wait.

Return the signed license to the same office that issued it. The clerk will stamp the return, log it in the index, and send the coupon to the state health department under § 9-11-201. The 60 day clock runs from the date of issue. A mailed return works, but a prepaid envelope speeds things up.

Nearby Counties

If the license is not on file in Calhoun County, try one of the counties that border it in south Arkansas.