St. Francis County Marriage License Records

The St. Francis County Clerk in Forrest City issues every marriage license pulled in the county and keeps the return on file after the wedding. If you plan to wed in St. Francis County, this is the office to visit. If you need to look up an old St. Francis County marriage license for a name change, a pension claim, or a family tree, the clerk's office is the first stop. This page lays out the office details, the fee, the ID rules, and the online tools so you can plan the trip or the search without long waits.

St. Francis County Clerk and Marriage License Office

The St. Francis County government website lists the County Clerk as the office that issues marriage licenses. The courthouse sits in Forrest City, the county seat. Couples from Forrest City, Madison, Hughes, Palestine, Wheatley, Colt, and Widener all apply at the same clerk's office. Walk-in visits work best. Call before you go to check on hours.

The clerk keeps marriage books for the county and records each license after the ceremony. Arkansas ties the license to the county clerk under Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11. The clerk holds the signed license with the officiant line, the date of the wedding, and the return date. That full paper lives only at the county. The state-level index, held by the Arkansas Department of Health, holds a short coupon copy from 1917 forward.

The county site links to the clerk's page and other offices.

From that page you can pull the clerk's phone, find the office room, and read any local notes about the St. Francis County marriage license process.

How To Apply for a St. Francis County Marriage License

Both parties must come to the clerk's office in Forrest City at the same time. No appointment is needed. Bring a valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. A state driver's license, a state ID card, a passport, a military ID, or an original birth certificate all work. If your photo ID doesn't show a name change from a prior divorce, bring a certified copy of that divorce decree showing the restored name.

The fee is $60. Most counties take cash. Some take credit or debit cards with a small added fee. Applicants 18 or older sign the form, and the clerk hands over the license the same day. There's no wait and no blood test.

Applicants who are 17 need both parents in the room. The parents sign a notarized affidavit of consent under Arkansas Code § 9-11-102. The clerk then holds the license for a 5 business day wait. If the parents are divorced, the custodial parent must bring the latest custody order. No one under 17 can get a license in most cases. A narrow pregnancy rule at § 9-11-103 sends the case to a circuit judge.

What to bring to the St. Francis County Clerk:

• Valid photo ID for each party
• Social Security number for each party
• Divorce decree or late spouse's death certificate for any prior marriage
• $60 for the fee
• Notarized parental affidavit if a party is 17

St. Francis County Marriage License Rules

St. Francis County follows the statewide rules in the Arkansas Code. No residency test applies, so out-of-state couples may come in, pull the license, and hold the wedding anywhere in the state. The license is good for 60 days from the date it was issued. The signed license must be returned to the clerk who issued it inside that 60-day window, used or not. Failure to return the paper can bring a $100 fine under the statute.

Who can officiate? Under § 9-11-213, a short list covers judges of a court of record, former Supreme Court justices, justices of the peace who served two terms since Amendment 55, mayors, regularly ordained ministers or priests, and any officer picked by the quorum court. Ministers must file their credentials with a county clerk in Arkansas before they can sign a marriage license. The St. Francis County Clerk can confirm a minister's credential on file.

Arkansas does not require witnesses at the wedding. The couple signs, the officiant signs, and the license heads back to the clerk. A small clerical check takes place at the office when the license returns.

For rules on the state-level record, the statewide vital records page maps out what gets stored where.

The vital records county directory names the clerk's office as the keeper of the full St. Francis County marriage license on file.

Online Search for St. Francis County Marriage License Records

The CIS Arkansas marriage search is the fastest online option for many counties. St. Francis County is among the counties listed in the portal. You can look up records by party name and by date range. The date types cover the date of the marriage, the date the license was issued, and the date it was recorded. The tool is free to use.

From the portal page you pick St. Francis from the county list and type the names of the couple to see any matching St. Francis County marriage license records in the index.

For court cases tied to a marriage, try Arkansas CourtConnect. It holds civil, probate, and domestic relations case data for many trial courts in the state. It does not hold a marriage license record, but it helps if you need to trace a divorce file or a name change order that went with a past marriage.

For older records before the CIS index starts, try FamilySearch. The genealogy wiki there lists the county's marriage book years and points to film copies held by archives. That helps with pre-1917 marriages that the state index does not hold.

Certified Copies of a St. Francis County Marriage License

A certified copy of a St. Francis County marriage license carries the clerk's seal and works for Social Security, passports, pension claims, name change paperwork, and immigration files. The county clerk charges a small fee for a certified copy, often around $5 in most Arkansas counties. Call the clerk to confirm the current fee before you visit. The clerk can hand you a copy the same day at the window.

If you cannot make the trip, ask by mail. Send a written request with both parties' names, the date of the marriage if known, your mailing address, and a phone number. Include a check or money order for the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Most clerks mail the copy inside a week.

For a state-level copy of the marriage coupon from 1917 forward, order from the Arkansas Department of Health Division of Vital Records. The state fee is $10. The state's online vendor VitalChek also handles orders for an added processing fee. The state copy is only a short coupon, not the full license, so the county copy is the better option when you need the full paper.

Fees and Payment at the Clerk

The state sets the St. Francis County marriage license fee at $60. Each county may add a small surcharge for credit or debit card use. Cash keeps the cost flat. The certified copy fee is set by the county and runs about $5 in most Arkansas clerks.

Fee waivers exist for people who cannot pay. The clerk and the courts follow state rules for indigent filers. Ask at the window. The Arkansas Judiciary website has the standard form for court-related waivers. Under Arkansas Code § 9-11-201, the clerk of the county court is the officer that collects the fee and issues the license.

Card surcharges are common across Arkansas. Craighead County charges $1 plus 3% on cards, for one example. Expect something close at the St. Francis County window. Bring cash if you want the lowest total cost at the counter.

Nearby Counties

If the marriage license isn't on file in St. Francis County, try one of the counties next door. The clerk can often point you to the right office when the license was pulled nearby.