Find Marriage License in Woodruff County
Woodruff County sits in east-central Arkansas, and its County Clerk in Augusta is the office that handles every Woodruff County marriage license. Couples who plan to wed in the county apply at this office, and anyone who needs an older marriage license record pulls it from the same clerk. This page lays out the clerk's location, the state fee, and the online search tools so you can plan the visit or run a records search without a lot of back and forth. Augusta is the county seat.
Woodruff County Marriage License Overview
Woodruff County Clerk for Marriage License
The Woodruff County Clerk is the office that issues each Woodruff County marriage license. The office is based in Augusta, the county seat. Woodruff County is a small, rural county, so the clerk's staff handles marriage license work along with voter registration, DBA certificates, ministers' credentials, and county court records.
Call the clerk before you go to confirm the current office hours, since small-county offices sometimes close for lunch or court days. The Association of Arkansas Counties page for Woodruff County lists current elected officials and the clerk's phone. That page is the best quick source for up-to-date contact info.
A note on nearby office work: the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension notes in a 2023 blog post that Woodruff County runs a combined Sheriff-Tax Collector office. The county clerk remains the office for marriage license issuance.
The Extension post above is useful if you are new to the county and are not sure which office handles which record. Marriage work stays at the clerk, not at the sheriff-tax window.
Note: Cash is the safest bet for the $60 fee. Call ahead if you want to pay with a card, since small-county offices sometimes charge a small processing add-on.
How To Apply for a Woodruff County Marriage License
Both parties must appear at the clerk's office together. Bring a valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. A state driver's license, a state ID card, a passport, or a military ID all count. If either of you has been married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree or a death certificate for the prior spouse. A name change from a past divorce must show up on the decree.
The marriage license fee is $60. There is no blood test. There is no residency rule. Out-of-state couples are welcome to come to Augusta, pull a Woodruff County marriage license, and hold the ceremony anywhere in Arkansas.
Applicants 18 or older sign the application and the clerk issues the license the same day. No waiting period applies. Applicants 17 years old must bring both parents, a notarized affidavit of consent, and accept the state's 5 business day wait before pickup under Arkansas Code § 9-11-102. No one under 17 may get a license except in narrow court-reviewed cases under § 9-11-103. The state sets the $60 base fee at § 9-11-201.
Items to bring to apply:
- Valid photo ID for each party
- Social Security number for each party
- Divorce decree or spouse's death certificate if you were married before
- $60 for the fee
- Notarized parental affidavit if a party is 17
Woodruff County Marriage License Search
The statewide search portal at CIS Arkansas is the fastest online tool for Arkansas marriage license records. Pick the county from the drop-down and search by either party's name. The tool covers marriage date, issued date, and recorded date. Results pull in real time from the county's index. It is free to use.
The portal above returns match names, dates, and a record ID, so you can then call the Woodruff County Clerk and request a certified copy by reference.
For records older than what the online index holds, ask the clerk about the county marriage books. Older books may need to be pulled by hand. Some Arkansas counties have marriage records back to the 1800s, and a staff lookup fee may apply.
The Arkansas Counties Vital Records (W) reference is a useful third-party guide that lists Augusta as the county seat and points to the clerk as the right office to call.
The page above also gives the general Arkansas Department of Health phone line for the central state-level marriage coupon.
Woodruff County Marriage License Rules
Woodruff County follows the statewide rules at Arkansas Code Title 9, Chapter 11. A Woodruff County marriage license is good anywhere in Arkansas, not only inside the county. A couple may pull the license in Augusta and hold the ceremony in Little Rock, Jonesboro, or wherever the wedding is set.
The signed license must be returned to the Woodruff County Clerk inside of 60 days, used or not. Failure to return the license can bring a $100 fine. Under § 9-11-213, only a short list of officials and clergy may perform the ceremony. Ministers must register their credentials with a county clerk before they can sign. Arkansas does not require witnesses at the ceremony.
A covenant marriage is an option set out at Arkansas Code § 9-11-803. A couple who picks covenant takes premarital counseling and signs a declaration of intent. The rules to end a covenant marriage are tighter than the standard divorce rules at § 9-12.
Certified Copies of Woodruff County Marriage License
The Woodruff County Clerk holds the full signed license with the officiant line and the return date. A certified copy from the clerk carries the raised seal that agencies need for Social Security name changes, passport work, pension claims, and name changes. Call the clerk to confirm the current per-copy fee and the mail process. Most Arkansas counties run about $5 to $6 per certified copy.
For a state-level copy of the marriage coupon, the Arkansas Department of Health Division of Vital Records holds the central index from January 1917 forward. The state copy is $10. Orders can be placed by walk-in at Little Rock, by mail, by phone with VitalChek, or online at VitalChek. VitalChek adds a small processing fee.
The state coupon is not the full license. It confirms that a marriage happened on a date, but not the full file with both signatures. For the full paper, Woodruff County is the right place to call.
Related Records and Resources
For court cases tied to a Woodruff County marriage, like a divorce filing or a name change order, try Arkansas CourtConnect. It is the state's public search tool for civil, probate, and domestic relations cases from many Arkansas courts. The tool does not hold the marriage license record itself, but cases tied to a marriage often turn up here.
Family history researchers often search Woodruff County marriage records through FamilySearch, which indexes older Arkansas marriage books by county. The vitalrec.com Arkansas page is a useful reference for state-level fees and ordering paths.
For state-level access rules, the Arkansas Department of Health follows Arkansas Statute 20-18-305 on release of the state-held coupon. That rule blocks the public from getting the state copy unless the person is the registrant, a close family member, a designated agent, or a party with a legal right. County copies are broader, so anyone can ask the Woodruff County Clerk for a look-up by name.
Nearby Counties
If the marriage license you want isn't in Woodruff County, try a neighbor. The Woodruff County Clerk staff can point you to the right county when the license was pulled nearby.