Marriage Records in Clark County

Clark County marriage records are maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the Clark County Judicial Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The clerk's office processes all marriage license applications for the county and keeps official records on file. If you need to apply for a new license, search past marriage records, or get a certified copy of an existing document, this page covers the process, the fees, and the local resources available to Clark County residents and out-of-state applicants who plan to marry here.

Clark County Clerk's Office

The Clark County Clerk's Office is located at the Clark County Judicial Center, 501 E Court Avenue #137, Jeffersonville, IN 47130. Clerk Ryan Lynch leads the office, which handles all marriage records for the county. The clerk's office is the place to go for new license applications, certified copies of past records, and general questions about Clark County marriage documents. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Note that the office closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. each day, so plan your visit outside that window.

You can find full contact details and current hours on the Clark County Clerk's main page. The clerk also maintains a dedicated page for marriage license information at in.gov/counties/clarkcountyclerkofcourts/marriage-licenses. Both pages are good first stops if you have questions before your appointment.

The Clark County Clerk's Office has a feature most county clerks in Indiana do not offer. If you want to be married at the courthouse, the clerk can perform the ceremony by appointment. This is a useful option if you need a simple, official ceremony without arranging a separate officiant. Call the office to set up that appointment in advance.

The lead-in to the Clark County Clerk's marriage license page at in.gov shows local instructions and current requirements for applicants.

The Clark County Clerk's marriage license page confirms current procedures, hours, and fee information for applicants in Jeffersonville.

How to Apply for a Clark County Marriage License

To be married in Indiana, a couple must have a marriage license. Both applicants must appear in person at the Clark County Clerk's Office to complete the process. You cannot apply by mail or have someone else come on your behalf. Allow at least 30 minutes for the visit. The good news is that Indiana now lets you start the application online before you come in. Visit in.gov/courts/services/marriage-license to fill out the pre-application form. Completing that step ahead of time can make your in-person visit shorter.

At least one applicant must reside in Clark County to apply here. Out-of-state couples who plan to hold their ceremony in Clark County may also apply at this office. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID. Both parties must be at least 18 years old. If either applicant was previously married, you will need to provide information about how that marriage ended, including the date and the manner of dissolution.

The fee for Clark County residents is $29. That breaks down as $25 for the license itself and $4 for the first certified copy. Out-of-state applicants pay $69 total. Payment is due at the clerk's office. The license is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued. If you do not use it within that time, you will need to start over. Records requests for past marriages can also be made through the Clark County records request page.

Under Indiana Code 31-11, every couple marrying in Indiana must obtain a valid marriage license before the ceremony. Clark County follows state law for all aspects of the license process, including who must apply, what ID is needed, and where to file.

Search Clark County Marriage Records Online

The Indiana Courts system runs an online tool called the Marriage License Public Lookup, known as MLPL. This database covers Clark County marriage licenses issued from 1993 to the present. Go to public.courts.in.gov/MLPL to search. You can look up records by name, county, or date range. Results show who received a license and when it was issued. The tool is free to use and does not require registration.

If you are looking for records before 1993, the MLPL will not have them. Older Clark County marriage records are stored at the clerk's office in Jeffersonville. You may also find older documents through the Indiana State Library's digital archives at digital.statelib.lib.in.us or through the Indiana Archives and Records Administration at in.gov/iara. Historical records from Clark County, which borders Kentucky along the Ohio River, go back well into the 1800s.

Note: The MLPL shows license records, not marriage certificates. It confirms a license was issued but does not include the signed return from the ceremony.

Certified Copies of Clark County Marriage Records

The Clark County Clerk's Office can issue certified copies of marriage licenses in its files. To request a copy, contact the clerk's office directly or use the online records request form at co.clark.in.us. You will need to provide the full names of both parties and the approximate date of the marriage. The clerk can also help with requests made in person during regular office hours. Fees apply for copies, so call ahead to confirm the current rate.

The Indiana Department of Health is another option for certified marriage records. Their vital records office at in.gov/health/vital-records processes requests for state-level records, including Clark County marriages. State records access is governed by Indiana Code 16-37-1-10, which sets rules for vital records access and may limit what information is available to the public depending on the record's age and your relationship to the parties involved.

Public access to government records in Indiana more broadly is covered by Indiana Code 5-14-3. Marriage records held by the county clerk are generally considered public records, though some personal details in vital records may be restricted under state law.

Historical Clark County Marriage Records

Clark County is one of Indiana's oldest counties, organized in 1801. Marriage records from the county go back to the early 1800s. For genealogical research on older Clark County marriages, several sources are worth checking. The Indiana State Library holds digitized records from many counties through its legacy digital collection. The Indiana Courts public records portal at in.gov/courts/public-records can point you to older court-filed marriage documents.

FamilySearch and Ancestry both have indexed collections of early Clark County marriage records. Many of these have been digitized by volunteers and are available free of charge. The Clark County Historical Society in Jeffersonville may also hold local records and indexes not found in state databases. If you are tracing a family line from the southern Indiana or Kentucky border region, Clark County records are often a key stop in the research process.

Cities in Clark County

Jeffersonville is the county seat and the only city in Clark County with a population over 25,000. Residents of Jeffersonville apply for marriage licenses at the Clark County Judicial Center. Other towns in Clark County, including Clarksville and Charlestown, also file at the same clerk's office in Jeffersonville.

• Jeffersonville

Nearby Counties

These counties border Clark County. Each has its own Clerk of the Circuit Court for marriage license applications and records.