Find Daviess County Marriage Records

Daviess County Marriage License Office

Marriage licenses in Daviess County are handled by the Daviess County Clerk, not the Circuit Court Clerk. The Recording Department takes applications at the county government courthouse, 212 Saint Ann Street, Room 104, Owensboro, KY 42303. The county clerk's general number is 270-685-8434, the legal recordings, passports, and elections extension is 270-685-8434 ext. 3, and the direct clerk line is 270-685-8432. The clerk email listed in the research file is lmccarty@daviessky.org.

The Daviess marriage license page says both parties must appear together in person with valid photo identification. A driver's license, passport, or other government picture ID is listed as acceptable primary ID. The county FAQ says no appointment is needed during Monday through Friday business hours. The license is valid anywhere in Kentucky, lasts 30 days including the issue date, and Kentucky requires no blood test, physical exam, or waiting period before the ceremony.

Age should be handled with care. The county page describes a court-order process for a 17-year-old applicant, but current KRS 402.020 language in the research file says, except as provided in KRS 402.210, marriage with a person under 18 is prohibited. Anyone dealing with an under-18 issue should confirm the current rule with the Daviess County Clerk or legal counsel before relying on older local wording.

Apply for a Daviess Marriage License

The county offers an online information form to speed the intake process, but the form does not issue a license by itself. The license is issued only after both parties appear at the Daviess County Clerk's Recording Department, prove identity, provide the requested personal data, sign as required, and pay the local license fee. That distinction matters because the online form is preparation, not a remote marriage license service.

1. Review the local requirements on the Daviess County marriage license page and complete the marriage license information form if the parties want to prepare the clerk's intake data ahead of time.
2. Both parties go together to Room 104 at the Daviess County Clerk's Recording Department. Bring primary photo ID and be ready to provide prior-marriage and parent information.
3. Ask clerk staff to review the application, confirm eligibility, and issue the license. The information form does not guarantee issuance if a legal block exists.
4. Pay the marriage license fee by cash or card. Card payments may carry vendor fees, so applicants who want to avoid added processing charges should ask the clerk before paying.
5. After the ceremony, make sure the completed license is returned for recording. A certified copy is commonly needed for a name change or official proof of marriage.

The officiant must fit Kentucky law. The county page lists ministers or priests in regular communion with a religious society, judges, county judges/executive, justices of the peace, and certain religious society ceremonies when solemnized at the usual place of worship and one party belongs to that society.

Daviess County Marriage Form Fields

The Daviess County marriage license information form collects data for both parties before the in-person visit. The form is detailed because the county clerk must identify each applicant, confirm basic eligibility, record parent information, and know where to send a certified copy after the marriage. Applicants should use legal names and current contact details so the final recorded license can be indexed correctly.

Daviess Marriage and Divorce Fees

Daviess County marriage and divorce record costs depend on the office and record type. A county marriage license fee is paid to the Daviess County Clerk. State marriage and divorce certificates from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics carry a separate certificate search fee. Divorce filing and court-copy charges are tied to the Circuit or Family Court case record held by the Circuit Court Clerk.

Vital certificate fees are nonrefundable search fees. Mail requests to the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics are paid to the Kentucky State Treasurer, and mail processing may take up to 30 working days after payment posts.

Search Daviess County Marriage Records

For a license issued in Daviess County, start with the Daviess County Clerk. The county clerk is the local custodian for pre-June 1958 marriage records when Daviess issued the license, and the office also handles current local marriage licenses. The county clerk's eCCLIX lookup, at Daviess Records Look-Up, is a registered-user public-record system for county clerk indexed records. It should not be treated as the Circuit or District Court case portal.

For statewide certificates, the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics holds Kentucky marriage and divorce records from June 1958 to the present. Requests may be made with the VS-230 marriage/divorce application, and Kentucky also links to VitalChek for online vital-record orders. Older marriage records still route back to the county clerk where the license was issued.

A certified marriage copy is often needed after the ceremony for a name change. The Daviess County Clerk FAQ says to take the certified copy to Social Security first, then wait at least one day before changing the driver's license. That sequence is local guidance from the clerk's FAQ, not a court-case step.

Find Daviess County Divorce Records

Daviess County divorce records are court records, not county clerk land or license records. The county clerk FAQ directs divorce-record questions to the Circuit Court where the divorce was granted and gives the Daviess Circuit Court civil/family phone as 270-687-7220. In Daviess County, divorce is a Family Court matter within Circuit Court jurisdiction, so the court record can include petitions, financial disclosures, agreements, status quo orders, hearings, findings, and the decree.

Kentucky divorce law in the research file cites KRS 403.140. The statute uses the irretrievable-breakdown basis and requires Kentucky residence or presence for 180 days before filing. The Kentucky Court of Justice forms library includes divorce packets and forms such as petitions, waivers, separation agreements, depositions, findings and decrees, certificates, disclosure statements, and status quo orders.

Public access is not the same for every family record. Ordinary divorce decrees may be available through the Circuit Court Clerk, but adoption, juvenile dependency, termination of parental rights, and some domestic or child-related filings are restricted. KRS 610.340 makes juvenile court records confidential, and KRS 61.878 supports withholding or redacting records made private by statute or privacy rules.

Daviess Certified Copy Routes

The certified-copy path turns on the document. For a certified local marriage license or older marriage entry, contact the Daviess County Clerk's Recording Department. For a certified divorce decree or divorce case document, contact the Daviess Circuit Court Clerk at the Holbrook Judicial Center. For a state marriage or divorce certificate from June 1958 forward, use the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics certificate process.

When requesting a court-certified divorce copy, identify the party names, case number if known, approximate filing or decree date, and the exact document needed. If the file is older, the Circuit Court Clerk may need to determine whether it remains in the clerk's office, is stored at a records facility, or has been destroyed under retention schedules. State Records Center requests require case and file locator numbers from the clerk.

Note: A vital certificate proves a recorded event, while a divorce decree is the court order that ended the marriage.

Kentucky Vital Marriage Records

Kentucky's state vital-record channel is useful when the requester needs a certificate rather than the full county clerk license file or the full Circuit Court divorce file. The VS-230 marriage/divorce certificate application asks for the event type, names, date, county, requester identity, mailing information, and payment. In-person orders go through the Frankfort vital-record office during weekday public counter hours listed by CHFS.

Use the state office for certificates from June 1958 forward. Use Daviess County Clerk records for older Daviess marriage licenses, and use the Daviess Circuit Court Clerk for older divorce decrees or case files from a Daviess divorce.