Find Free Kentucky Marriage Records & Licenses

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Free Kentucky Marriage Record Search

Access anyone's marital information in Kentucky, free of charge.

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Search free Kentucky marriage records by utilizing the online indexes and databases covered throughout this brief resource.

In the U.S., vital records (e.g., marriage licenses and certificates) are kept by the government. A marriage certificate is evidence of a marital union, while a marriage license is a legal permission to marry obtained before the wedding.

This resource provides instructions to ensure a hassle-free process for conducting a marriage record search in Kentucky.

Are Kentucky Marriage Certificates Available to the Public?

According to the Kentucky Revised Statutes Open Records Act (KRS 61.870 to KRS 61.884) Kentucky is an open record state, making the Kentucky marriage records open to the public.¹ Many public marriage records have already been published online while others are available upon request.

However, certain restrictions may apply. For example, the statutes maintain that sensitive personal information that could invade privacy, is not publicly released. Hence, the social security numbers presented at the time of marriage are not available to the general public.

When there is a lack felt in the state law, Kentucky courts and the Attorney General frequently rely on the FOIA.

To request a search, to check someone’s marital history, or to get a copy of a marriage license, interested persons can use various online and offline resources. Even so, they should know the search methods preferred by the government department or agency that keeps the desired documents.

In Kentucky, there are two primary official record-keepers of marriages that occurred in the state.

1. The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort, KY keeps marriage records only from June 1958 up to the present day.
2. The county clerk’s office in the county where the original marriage license was purchased.

The process to obtain marriage information from each of these authorities is below.

How To Look Up Free Kentucky Marriage Records & Spousal Information

Individuals who want to look up marriage records or order certified copies of marriage certificates (issued since June 1958) may contact the Kentucky OVS office.

They should follow a certificate request procedure and submit a properly filled Kentucky Marriage/Divorce Record Request Form along with the required fee.^{2, 3}

A certified copy of a marriage certificate typically costs $6 per search (if there’s no priority shipping fee or processing fee involved). Additional copies are available for $6 each.

A marriage record search request can be made in any of the following ways:

• Mail — The requester can prepare a check or money order (cash isn’t accepted) made payable to the “Kentucky State Treasurer” along with the application form (mentioned above) filled with as much details as possible, and then send them to the following address:

Office of Vital Statistics
275 East Main Street 1E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621
FO Code 441

Phone: (502)564-4212

• Dropbox — The Office of Vital Statistics has made available a dropbox at its entrance. A blank application form can be found on the drop box itself. A visitor can fill out the form and deposit their request in the box.
• In Person — Residents can visit the physical Office of Vital Statistics (same address as the mail address provided earlier).⁴ They can go to the lobby and fill out an application form available on-site, to request for a marriage certificate copy in person.
• Phone or Online — VitalChek is the government-authorized third-party service partner that accepts requests for Kentucky marriage certificates (and other vital records) over phone and online.

To request a record by phone, anyone can call (800)241-8322 and select option 1. To find a marriage certificate and order it online, users can visit VitalChek website.

The company allows payment through all major U.S. credit cards e.g., American Express, Discover, Mastercard, VISA and debit cards to accept an order.

The duration it takes to get a marriage certificate depends on the method used for obtaining it.

Delivery for regular orders placed by mail or through the OVS drop box can take five to seven business days. However, some of these orders may require additional time, extending up to 30 days.

Those who want speedy delivery can order online or over phone. There is a convenient option to have the copies delivered overnight, for an extra fee.

Orders received in person at the OVS Office may be considered for same-day delivery (usually processed within an hour), depending on the workload and availability of employees.

Please note that the Office of Vital Statistics only issues certified copies of Kentucky marriage records. So, requests for non-certified copies, photocopies or electronic copies of marriage records are not accepted.

Since certified copies are used for official/legal purposes, most states allow only certain authorized individuals to receive them.

While the Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services website does not explicitly outline any eligibility requirements, it states that the requester should supply necessary information, including:⁵

• Full name of both the parties
• Date of marriage (specifying the month, date and year)
• County where the marriage license was purchased
• Name, address and phone number of the requester
• Number of copies requested

For personal use or research, informational (non-certified) copies of marriage records can also be useful. Even though they have the same information as a certified marriage copy, these documents are not official, making them easier to obtain.

For additional information, searchers may refer to the state registrar’s guidelines.⁶

Most people can access informational copies of marriages using various sources without restrictions, such as state archives or local county records.

Checking With Counties & Cities for Marriage Records in KY

To look up marriage licenses in Kentucky (for records prior to June 1958), requesters need to get in touch with the respective County Clerk where the marriage occurred; here is a full list of Kentucky county clerks.⁷

Local county websites may not be as user-friendly as the state’s vital record website. But there are several benefits to making a search request through a county clerk.

The county clerks have been collecting and preserving records much older than those kept by the state. Whenever a new county was established, marriages were recorded by its county clerks.

Some counties (e.g., Fayette) have marriage records dating back to periods even before the county was formed, so their records are more comprehensive and less scattered than those collected by the state’s vital records office.

Only from the year 1958, they started forwarding copies of the records to the State Registrar. It is no surprise that the state registrar’s office does not have any marriage records dating before 1911.

Furthermore, requesting marital records from Kentucky cities and towns’ counties may be a more cost-effective option than ordering online or by phone through VitalChek.

Each county in Kentucky has their own offices and procedures in place to accept marriage certificate requests. Unlike the state registrar, some county clerks have a searchable list of public marriage data available online.

• Fayette County — For example, anyone can look up a marriage license in Fayette County using the free marriage license search tool on the county clerk’s website.⁸

Upon entering the last name of either party, search results will display a marriage license database, including the name of the applicant and the date of the marriage. The viewer can request a certified copy of a marriage license for a fee of $6.17.

However, this database only includes records from 1989 onward.

For marriage records older than 1989, a Marriage License Copy Request should be submitted with fees to the following address:⁹

Fayette County Clerk
162 E Main St, Rm 132
Lexington, KY 40507

Photocopies cost $0.50 per page and certified copies are available at $5.00.

• Kenton County — To locate a marriage record in Kenton County, people can use the marriage search request form.¹⁰ After providing the required details and completing the online payment, certified copies of marriage licenses can be through the same online platform.

For online requests, a credit card is used so the base fee is $5 along with a convenience fee that may vary according to the credit card used. Alternatively, to get a certified copy by mail, the fee is $5.

Requesters should send a written notice to the address below:

Kenton County Clerk’s Office
1840 Simon Kenton Wy
PO Box 1109
Covington, Kentucky 41011

• Warren County — The Legal Records Department is in charge of public records in Warren County, Kentucky.¹¹

An index of marriage records starting from the 1700s can be found on the eCCLIX website.¹² This site allows users to access records made available by most country clerks in Kentucky, but only through a paid subscription. The subscript costs range between $45 to $200.

However, the same documents and indexes can be viewed at the Warren County Clerk’s office without incurring any fees.

At the clerk’s office and through their online eCCLIX platform, most important records filed from January 2004 to the current date are available, in addition to their microfilm records.

County clerks are separate agencies from urban-county governments, as cities typically maintain their own government structures.

Even so, certain city clerk offices continue to keep all public records including marriage licenses. For example, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government does not keep official records; instead, these records are maintained by the Fayette County Clerk.¹³

On the other hand, to find a marriage record in Louisville — which happens to be the biggest city in Kentucky, and is located within Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government — requesters can contact the State Registrar of Vital Statistics in Frankfort.^{14, 15}

To get information about older marriage or divorce records, individuals may turn to state archives.

How To Track Family Marriage Records via Archived Indexes in Kentucky

Archived Kentucky marriage databases and indexes are made available by the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives.¹⁶

KDLA has a record ordering system in place with a fee of $10.00 for in-state requests and $15.00 for out-of-state requests, along with a $1.50 processing fee. The standard processing time for a request is 4 to 6 weeks, when the delivery is made using regular US mail services.

Those considering placing an order through KDLA should first check county records inventory to confirm the availability of the desired record and then follow the KDLA online record ordering instructions.^{17, 18}

To make a marriage record request to KDLA through mail, the searcher should send the application form plus the required fee (with a check or money order payable to “Kentucky State Treasurer”) to:¹⁹

Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives
Archives Research Room
PO Box 537
300 Coffee Tree Rd.
Frankfort, Kentucky 40602

The fees for requesting copies over mail is the same as for those ordered online.

The State Archives house only records filed with the state and local governments. Kentucky Historical Society​ is a reliable non-governmental source for archived Kentucky marriage records.²⁰

For genealogical research, to trace someone’s lineages or family history, researchers can also refer to the National Archives & Records Administration .²¹

Kentucky does not recognize “common law marriage” taking place within the state, but it considers a common law marriage to be valid in another state where it was originally contracted.

Here are some other types of marriage that have no legal standing in Kentucky:

• A marriage between individuals related as first cousins/second cousins
• A marriage involving mentally incompetent individuals
• A marriage not solemnized by an authorized person
• Proxy marriage (where one/both of of the parties are not physically present at the wedding)

Domestic partnership or civil union are also not recognized under the statutes of Kentucky. So, there are no state government provisions (e.g., health benefits), available for such arrangements. However, in cities like Berea, Lexington, Covington and Louisville, employees get some benefits as domestic partners.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in Kentucky. As a result, any rights typically granted to a husband and a wife (including the preservation of the couple’s marriage records), also apply to same-sex couples who have had their nuptials in the state.

A prenuptial agreement, also known as a premarital agreement, or a prenup, is considered legal in Kentucky. However, it is not included in public marriage records.

How To Begin the Kentucky Marriage License Application Process

A Kentucky marriage license can be purchased from any county clerk’s office located in the state. An applicant must be 18 years of age to legally marry without the need of any court order. Applicants under 17 cannot get married in Kentucky while those who are 17 need a court order.

Fee for a marriage license application is $50. Both parties are required to be present during the application, and they should present government-issued valid IDs (e.g., driver’s license, passport, original birth certificate etc.).

Each applicant should also furnish details such as their name, address, birthplace (whether Kentucky-born or born in another state), date of birth, father’s and mother’s names, marital status, relationship between the applicants in addition to suggesting a date for marriage.

After a marriage license is issued, it is valid for up to 30 days and can be used to get married anywhere across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Below is a list of application forms offered by some of the largest counties in Kentucky allowing residents of the state to apply for a marriage license online:

• Fayette County Online Marriage Form
• Kenton County Online Marriage Form
• Boone County Marriage License Application
• Daviess County Marriage License Information Form
• Christian County Online Marriage License Application
• Scott County Application for Marriage License

Note, the fees, accepted payments and mailing addresses can be found on the forms above.

After completing the online form, applicants can visit the county clerk’s office to get the marriage license in person.

When conducting a marriage record search, initially the process might seem to be intimidating because of the high fees charged by experts and consultants who provide costly record search services. However, with our freely available resources, anyone can access Kentucky marriage records online with a peace of mind.

To find information on marriages that were dissolved (ended), refer instead to the Kentucky divorce record lookup tutorial; or, for all kinds of various public records, check out the overview of searching free KY public information.