Search Crawford County Marriage License
Crawford County sits on the western edge of Arkansas with Van Buren as the county seat, just across the river from Fort Smith. The Crawford County Clerk in Van Buren issues every Crawford County marriage license and keeps the county's marriage index on file. Couples in the Van Buren area and nearby communities apply here, and anyone pulling an older Crawford County marriage license record starts with the clerk. This page walks through the clerk's address, fee, hours, and the search path for both recent and older records.
Crawford County Marriage License Overview
Crawford County Clerk for Marriage License Records
The Crawford County Clerk is Stacey Shelly. The office is at 300 Main Street, Room 7, Van Buren, AR 72956. Phone (479) 474-1312. Fax (479) 471-3236. Email crawfordclerk@arkansasclerks.com. This is the office that handles marriage licensing, voter registration, absentee and early voting, plus accounts payable and payroll for the courthouse.
The clerk also maintains Quorum Court ordinances, resolutions, and minutes of meetings. The office houses county court records, annexations, articles of incorporation, tax levies, board appointments, and improvement districts. All of that lives in the same office complex on Main Street in Van Buren. See the Crawford County Clerk official page for the current department contacts.
The page linked above also lists staff by role so you know who to ask for when you call.
The page shows the clerk's direct contact info, which is the right line to call first when planning a Crawford County marriage license application.
The Crawford County Circuit Clerk is Sharon L. Blount-Baker at 300 Main Street, Van Buren, AR 72956-5765. Phone (479) 474-1511. The Circuit Clerk handles civil, criminal, and domestic relations case filings, including divorce. Same day e-filing is available through the Circuit Clerk.
How To Apply for a Crawford County Marriage License
Both parties show up at the Van Buren clerk office together. Each brings a valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. A driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID works. The state lists an original birth certificate as an accepted alternate when the photo ID isn't handy. The clerk also collects Social Security numbers for state reporting.
The fee is $60 for a Crawford County marriage license under Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11. Cash is always taken. Call the clerk at (479) 474-1312 to confirm current card acceptance and any surcharge. There is no blood test and no residency requirement in Arkansas.
If you were married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree or a death certificate for a prior spouse. If one party is 17, both parents must appear with a notarized affidavit of consent under § 9-11-102. That triggers a 5 business day waiting period. No one under 17 gets a license in Arkansas except in the narrow case at § 9-11-103.
Note: Crawford County sits right next to Fort Smith, but a Sebastian County marriage license and a Crawford County marriage license are issued by two different clerk offices.
Crawford County Marriage License Rules
The Crawford County marriage license is valid statewide for 60 days from issue. The signed license must be returned to the Van Buren clerk inside that window, used or not. A $100 fine can apply for failing to return the license under state law. The return is what enters the marriage into the county's official record.
Officiants who may perform a wedding are listed at Arkansas Code § 9-11-213. Judges of courts of record, ministers, priests, justices of the peace, and mayors all qualify. Ministers must file credentials with a county clerk before signing a marriage license. The Crawford County Clerk keeps the minister registry for the county.
A covenant marriage is an option at § 9-11-803. The covenant form requires authorized premarital counseling and a notarized declaration of intent filed at the clerk's office along with the standard application.
Crawford County Marriage License Search
Crawford County is not on the CIS Arkansas online marriage search portal, so the clerk's office is the main way to look up a Crawford County marriage license record. Call (479) 474-1312 or email crawfordclerk@arkansasclerks.com with the names of the couple and an approximate year.
For general federal and state voter and clerk contact info, see the FVAP Arkansas guide. That page lists Crawford County Clerk contact details along with Arkansas-wide notes.
That page is a quick check when you just need the phone and email for the Crawford County Clerk without pulling up the county site.
For older records and family history work, the Crawford County genealogy wiki on FamilySearch lists the marriage record dates the county holds. Arkansas marriages before 1917 are not at the state level, so the county clerk is the only place that holds those.
For a state-level coupon of the marriage from 1917 on, order through the Arkansas Division of Vital Records. The state fee is $10 per copy. You can also use VitalChek, the state's official online vendor.
Certified Copies from Crawford County
A certified copy from the Crawford County Clerk carries the raised county seal. Most Arkansas clerks charge $5 to $6 per copy. Call (479) 474-1312 to confirm the current fee before you mail anything. The clerk issues copies in person at the Van Buren courthouse or by mail.
To order by mail, send a written request with the names of both parties, the marriage date if known, a phone number, a check or money order for the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail to Crawford County Clerk, 300 Main Street, Room 7, Van Buren, AR 72956.
The state coupon from the Arkansas Department of Health is a different document. It's the short return slip the clerk mails in after the ceremony, and the state holds these from January 1917 on. Order the state coupon for $10 or use VitalChek's online option.
Related Crawford County Records
For court cases connected to a marriage, such as a divorce or a name change, the Arkansas CourtConnect public case search covers the Crawford County Circuit Court. That's where a same-day e-filed divorce will show up, too, through the Circuit Clerk.
The Association of Arkansas Counties directory is the official source for clerk contacts statewide. The Crawford County section lists every office phone number you may need.
Quick list of helpful Crawford County offices:
- County Clerk: (479) 474-1312
- Circuit Clerk: (479) 474-1511
- Clerk fax: (479) 471-3236
- Clerk email: crawfordclerk@arkansasclerks.com
Heads up: Fees, hours, and payment types can change, so always confirm by phone before you drive to the Van Buren courthouse.
Cities in Crawford County
Van Buren is the county seat and the main city in Crawford County. Residents of Van Buren apply for a Crawford County marriage license at the clerk's office on Main Street. Couples in nearby Alma and Mulberry also use the Van Buren clerk for their application.
Nearby Counties
If the marriage license wasn't issued in Crawford County, the clerks in the counties next door may have the record. Sebastian County in Fort Smith is often where applicants cross over.