Access Dallas County Marriage License
Dallas County is a small south Arkansas county with Fordyce as the county seat. The Dallas County Clerk in Fordyce issues every Dallas County marriage license and keeps the county's marriage index from 1855 on. Couples near Fordyce and Sparkman apply at the courthouse on West 3rd Street. This page walks through the clerk's contact info, the fee, the rules, and the search path for both fresh and older Dallas County marriage license records so you know exactly where to go.
Dallas County Marriage License Overview
Dallas County Clerk for Marriage License Records
The Dallas County Clerk is at 206 W 3rd Street, Courthouse, Fordyce, AR 71742. Phone (870) 352-2307. Fax (870) 352-7179. Email Dallasclerk@arkansasclerks.com. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday. This is the office that issues the Dallas County marriage license, collects the $60 fee, and keeps the marriage index on file.
The clerk also acts as the Recorder of Deeds for Dallas County, handling deeds, mortgages, and liens from the same office. A separate line at (870) 352-2849 reaches other clerk staff. The Circuit Clerk handles divorce records and other court filings from the same courthouse. For vital records questions tied to a marriage, the local line is (870) 352-7688.
The Dallas County genealogy wiki on FamilySearch is a helpful overview of the courthouse address and the date ranges of the marriage, land, probate, divorce, and court records.
Note: Don't confuse Dallas County, Arkansas with Dallas County, Texas, which is a different place entirely with its own clerk.
How To Apply for a Dallas County Marriage License
Both parties appear at the Fordyce clerk 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 a photo ID isn't handy. Social Security numbers are collected for the state report under Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11.
The Dallas County marriage license fee is $60. Cash is always accepted. Call (870) 352-2307 to confirm card payment before you come in. There is no blood test and no residency rule in Arkansas. Out-of-state couples and couples from nearby counties can apply in Fordyce and wed anywhere in Arkansas. No waiting period applies for a regular marriage when both parties are 18 or older. The license is valid for 60 days from issue.
If either party was married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree or a death certificate for the 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 wait. No one under 17 gets a license except in the narrow case at § 9-11-103.
What to bring to the Fordyce clerk:
- Valid photo ID for each party
- Social Security number for each party
- $60 for the fee
- Certified divorce decree or death certificate if there was a prior marriage
- Parents plus notarized affidavit if one party is 17
Dallas County Marriage License Rules
The Dallas County marriage license is valid anywhere in Arkansas for 60 days. The signed license must be returned to the Fordyce clerk inside 60 days, used or not. Missing the return window can bring a $100 fine. The return is what officially records the marriage at the county level.
Officiants who may perform a ceremony are listed at Arkansas Code § 9-11-213. Judges of courts of record, ordained ministers, priests, justices of the peace, and mayors all qualify. Ministers must record their credentials with a county clerk before they sign a marriage license. The Dallas County Clerk keeps the minister registry for the county.
A covenant marriage is a separate choice at § 9-11-803. A covenant couple takes authorized premarital counseling and signs a notarized declaration of intent filed at the clerk's counter with the standard application.
Dallas County Marriage License Search
Dallas County is not on the CIS Arkansas online marriage search portal, so the Fordyce clerk is the main way to look up a Dallas County marriage license record. Call (870) 352-2307 or email Dallasclerk@arkansasclerks.com with the names of the couple and an approximate year.
For a broader directory of Dallas County public records that ties the clerk, recorder, health unit, and assessor contacts into one page, see the Dallas County, Arkansas public records page. It also notes that the Circuit Clerk maintains divorce records, which is useful when a marriage ended before a new Dallas County marriage license application is filed.
The directory above is the fastest way to line up contacts when you need more than one record at once for a Dallas County family file.
For older records from 1855 forward, the clerk is the only official source since the state did not start a marriage index until January 1917. The Dallas County, AR birth, death, marriage, and divorce records overview lays out the courthouse address, the recording officer, and the vital records line.
That page is useful when you are piecing together a Dallas County marriage license record along with a birth or death certificate for the same family.
For the FVAP version of the clerk's contact info, see the FVAP Arkansas guide.
It's a clean one-page backup when you just need the Dallas County Clerk phone, fax, and email.
Certified Copies of Dallas County Marriage Licenses
A certified copy from the Dallas County Clerk carries the raised county seal. Most Arkansas clerks charge $5 to $6 per copy. Call the Fordyce clerk at (870) 352-2307 to confirm the current cost and the mailing steps.
Walk-in copies are the fastest route, usually ready the same day at the window. For a mail-in request, send a letter 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. The return copy comes back by US Postal Service.
For a state-held coupon of the marriage from 1917 on, order from the Arkansas Division of Vital Records. The state fee is $10 per copy. You can order online through VitalChek, the state's official online vendor.
Related Dallas County Records
For court records tied to a marriage, like a divorce or a name change, the Arkansas CourtConnect public case search covers the Dallas County Circuit Court. Cases show up by party name, case number, or filing date. Birth and death certificates are $12 first copy and $10 for each additional copy through the state. Marriage licenses are issued by the County Clerk, and Circuit Clerk maintains the divorce records.
The Association of Arkansas Counties directory lists every county clerk in the state. Pair it with the Arkansas Vital Records certificates page for a full view of the marriage, birth, death, and divorce fees.
Heads up: Fees and hours can shift, so always check the Dallas County Clerk by phone before you mail a request or plan a trip to Fordyce.
Nearby Counties
If the marriage license wasn't issued in Dallas County, a nearby clerk may have the record. Each office runs its own marriage index and can check by phone with names and a year.