Find Marriage License in Union County
Union County sits in far south Arkansas along the Louisiana line. The county seat is El Dorado, home to the Union County Clerk's office that issues every Union County marriage license and files the return after the wedding. Couples from El Dorado, Smackover, Norphlet, Strong, Huttig, and the smaller towns in the county all apply here. Anyone looking up an old Union County marriage license for Social Security, a pension, or family history work starts at the same office. Marriage records go back to 1885.
Union County Marriage License Overview
Union County Clerk for Marriage License Records
The Union County Clerk is Mandi Fudge. The office sits at 101 North Washington, Suite 102, El Dorado, AR 71730-5661. The main phone is (870) 864-1910. The fax is (870) 864-1927. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office closes on federal and state holidays, but it does stay open on Columbus Day.
The clerk's staff covers a lot of ground. There's a Chief Deputy, a Probate clerk, and records clerks. Marriage records on file date back to 1885, which is rare for Arkansas counties. The clerk handles probate court duties too: small estates, guardianships, commitments, and adoptions. Minister credentials get recorded here, and the office serves as the secretary to the Quorum Court and handles County Court records.
The county home page links to the clerk's page and each of the county's other offices.
The page above lists the full scope of the clerk's work and confirms the Union County Clerk as the keeper of Union County marriage license records going back to 1885.
How To Apply for a Union County Marriage License
Both parties must appear at the clerk's office in El Dorado together. 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 does not show a name change from a prior divorce, bring a certified copy of that divorce decree showing the restored name.
The Union County marriage license fee is $60, cash only. Applicants 18 or older sign the form, and the clerk hands the license over the same day. There's no wait for adults and no blood test. The license is good for 60 days from the date of issue and works anywhere in Arkansas, not just inside Union County.
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 may 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 Union 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 cash for the fee (cards are not accepted for the marriage license)
- Notarized parental affidavit if a party is 17
Heads up: The Union County Clerk takes cash only for the $60 marriage license fee, so plan for cash in hand before your trip to El Dorado.
Union County Marriage License Rules
Union County follows the statewide rules in Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11. There's no residency test, so out-of-state couples may come in, pull the license, and hold the wedding anywhere in the state. The signed license must be returned to the clerk's office that issued it inside 60 days, used or not. Failure to return the license can bring a $100 fine.
Who can officiate? Under § 9-11-213, the list covers any judge of a court of record, any former Supreme Court justice, any justice of the peace who served two terms since Amendment 55, the mayor of any city or town, any regularly ordained minister or priest, 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 Union County Clerk records ministers on the county register.
Arkansas does not require witnesses at the wedding. The couple signs, the officiant signs, and the paper heads back to the clerk. A false return by an officiant is a misdemeanor under § 9-11-219.
Union County Marriage License Search
Union County takes part in the statewide CIS Arkansas marriage license search. The portal lets you search by either party's name with a date range. The date types cover the marriage date, the date the license was issued, and the date it was recorded. The tool is free to use.
The portal pulls directly from the Union County Clerk's marriage index, so the results match what the clerk's staff would find at the office.
For court cases tied to a Union County marriage, try Arkansas CourtConnect. It covers civil, probate, and domestic relations case data for many Arkansas trial courts. That helps when you need to trace a divorce file or a name change order linked to a past marriage.
For older marriage records before the state index begins in 1917, the Union County Clerk holds books back to 1885. FamilySearch also lists Union County marriage books and points to film copies held by archives for genealogy work.
The Union County official website holds the county's links for residents and points to each department, which helps when a records request touches more than one office.
Certified Copies and Clerk Fees
A certified copy of a Union County marriage license runs $5.00. A plain copy of a marriage license is $1.00. Both carry the office's standard quality. The certified copy is what you need for Social Security name changes, passport updates, pension claims, and immigration paperwork. The clerk can hand a copy over the same day at the window.
Other clerk fees posted at the Union County Clerk include $5.00 to certify and seal documents, $26.00 for an assumed name or DBA filing, and $165.00 for a probate case or a petition for adoption. A county court case runs $30.00. An affidavit of small estate is $30.00 total. Letters of administration or testamentary cost $5.00.
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 handles orders for an added processing fee. The state coupon is short, so the county copy is the better option for the full Union County marriage license paper.
Tip: Ask for two or three certified copies while at the Union County Clerk's window. Extra copies save a return trip when one gets used up.
Cities in Union County
El Dorado is the county seat and the biggest city in Union County. Smackover, Norphlet, Strong, and Junction City sit within county lines too. A couple from any of these cities can apply at the Union County Clerk's office in El Dorado and then hold the ceremony anywhere in Arkansas.
Nearby Counties
If a Union County marriage license isn't on file, check one of the counties next door. The clerk staff can often point callers to the right office when the license was pulled nearby.