Find St. Louis City County Marriage and Divorce Records

St. Louis City County Marriage Office

St. Louis City County marriage records are maintained by the Recorder of Deeds Marriage Department, part of the Recorder of Deeds and Vital Records Registrar. The marriage office is at City Hall, Room 128, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103. The Recorder phone number is 314-622-4610. The office lists marriage license hours as Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

This split is important because the Recorder is not the court clerk. A marriage license is a Recorder record, while a divorce decree is a Circuit Clerk record created in a court case. People who search the wrong office can still find a helpful staff referral, but the request will take longer. For St. Louis City County marriage records, start with the Recorder. For a divorce case number, decree, or certified court copy, start with the Circuit Clerk or Case.net.

The official Marriage Records Department page identifies the local office that handles St. Louis City County marriage records.

Use that office for license issuance, marriage copies, the free post-1932 search, and domestic partnership registration options.

Apply for St. Louis City County Marriage Records

Applicants may start with the online pre-application, but both applicants must still appear together in person at the Marriage Department to obtain the license. Each person needs a driver's license, state ID, or passport showing full legal name. Applicants must be at least 18 unless legal guardian consent applies. A person who was divorced must wait at least 30 days after the divorce is final before applying for a new St. Louis City County marriage license.

The city marriage license instructions show the local license steps, payment rules, and ceremony return deadline.

The license must be used for a Missouri ceremony within 29 days after pickup, and the officiant must return the signed license to the Recorder within 15 days after the ceremony.

1. Complete the online pre-application or plan to fill out the form in person at the Marriage Department.
2. Both applicants appear together with acceptable photo identification that shows each full legal name.
3. Disclose any prior divorce timing so the office can confirm the 30-day waiting rule.
4. Pay the nonrefundable license and certificate copy fee by Visa, MasterCard, or cash.
5. Have the Missouri ceremony within the required license period, with two witnesses signing the license.
6. Make sure the clergy member or judge completes, signs, and returns the license within 15 days after the ceremony.

St. Louis City County Marriage Fields

The application fields focus on identity, mailing details, eligibility, and payment. The Recorder tells applicants to make sure the mailing address is filled out. The city also allows domestic partnership registration as an alternative local filing for applicants who prefer that route instead of a marriage license.

The online marriage pre-application requirements show the web portal used before the in-person visit.

The pre-application helps collect data before the clerk review, but it does not replace the required joint appearance.

St. Louis City County Marriage Fees

The published marriage license charge is a combined local fee. The research did not capture a fixed divorce copy price from the Circuit Clerk. Certified and non-certified circuit court copy requests are estimate-based because the Certified Copies Department responds after reviewing the record request. Do not assume the marriage fee applies to divorce decrees.

Search St. Louis City County Marriage Records

St. Louis City County marriage records from 1932 to present can be searched through the Recorder's free marriage record search. Certified and uncertified copies for licenses issued from 1932 to present may be obtained online or through the Marriage Department. For older St. Louis City County marriage records, the research directs users to the Archives Department rather than the modern marriage search.

Use the free search to confirm that the city license exists before ordering a copy. A certified copy is usually the safer choice when the record must be shown to another agency, while an uncertified copy may be enough for personal research. If the marriage happened outside the City of St. Louis, the city Recorder's search may not find it because licenses are tied to the issuing office.

The free marriage record search page is the Recorder path for St. Louis City County marriage records from 1932 forward.

Use the copy request channel after locating the record if a certified or uncertified marriage license copy is needed.

The Recorder copy instructions explain how marriage copies are ordered for licenses issued by St. Louis City.

A certified marriage copy is the better match when the record must be used for legal, name-change, benefit, immigration, or agency proof.

Find St. Louis City County Divorce Records

St. Louis City County divorce records are not Recorder records. The city Recorder's divorce guidance states that divorce records are available from the St. Louis Circuit Clerk's Office, and certified copies of divorce records are available on the 3rd floor of the Civil Courts Building. Public divorce case status can be searched in Case.net when the case is public, but certified decrees and court file copies come from the Circuit Clerk.

The city divorce copy guidance is clear that the Recorder does not issue divorce records.

Divorce files may include petitions, decrees, custody orders, support orders, and docket entries, but sensitive information involving children, addresses, financial account numbers, or sealed orders may be redacted or restricted.

For broader case status, party names, or docket events, start with the public court search process described in St. Louis City County court records.