Marriage licenses and certificates have been issued for centuries. Though they are often required by state to be filed on record, some will not be on file before a specific date. When looking for Ohio marriage records online, make sure that you know where to look for them. Often, you will find the record that you seek through county clerk offices including Ohio Probate Courts. If you are looking for marriage records for personal use or because of genealogical purposes you can bet that you will find records available online to purchase or search for dates for free.
Through the Ohio Department of Health and Office of Vital Statistics marriage records statewide can be ordered through 5 ways. Visiting the local vital statistics office will give you a quicker response time, usually within 30 to 60 minutes. There is a 3 to 6 week wait to order through the mail, ordering online and through a third party website. The cost for Ohio marriage records is usually around $21.50 as that is the standard cost for vital records. There is also a $3 fee per 10 year search with any last name that you wish to look up. Though some records can be found within the health office, you could consider going to the county clerk's office where the marriage license was issued to begin with.
Ohio Probate Court offices will have their information listed on government websites. One place to look up court office information is through the Ohio Department of Health where a list of counties will be alphabetical. Plus the list of counties will give you an idea of what the dates are that they have on file. For example, in Ashtabula County, the marriage records on file will include dates as far back as 1811 through to 1901. Through these court offices you can search vital records and even request a marriage record directly through their online site or by calling the clerk. Requests will be made by submitting a form to the county office staff with name of spouses, year of the marriage and a specific county.
Newer records or ones within the last 10 years will be easier to find through the state and county level in Ohio. Older Ohio marriage records however could be a little tricky to search. Don't let the time it takes to find records stop you from completing your task as it could result in information beneficial to genealogy research. One place to search through marriage records include many genealogy sites to search for names on their database. You will also want to include the state of Ohio. Some will have you register through their system in order to access their special features such as a marriage record lookup.
If you do not find the marriage record that you want in Ohio, you can visit libraries with archival data to look up. When you go in person to these places within the state, many researchers and staff who are trained in record look up will help you on your way. When doing the search online, you will generally have to pay a fee for searches and also a fee to obtain the certified copy of the record itself.
To obtain an Ohio marriage record, follow these instructions:
Step 1.
Download the Application for Certified Copies form provided by the Vital Statistics Office.
Step 2.
Read the form carefully, including all instructions. Fill out the marriage record portion of the form with the names of bride and groom, date of event, place if known, and the years you want searched.
Step 3.
Send the completed application to the address below along with a check or money order for $3. Allow 3 to 6 weeks for processing.
Mail the completed form to:
Ohio Department of Health
Office of Vital Statistics
246 North High Street, 1st Floor
PO Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098
(614) 466-2531
About Ohio Marriage Records
The Ohio Department of Health Office of Vital Statistics has been charged with keeping records about important vital events in the state. That includes marriage records. However, only abstracts of a marriage document are maintained at the Vital Records office for the years 1954 to the present.
Where To Obtain Certified Copies of Marriage Certificates
All original marriage documents are maintained at the county probate court in the county the marriage took place. If you need a certified copy of this original document, you must contact the county probate court directly and follow their procedures.
Fees for an Ohio Marriage Record Abstract
The Ohio Vital Records Office charges a fee of $3 for each search of a marriage record with a limit of 10 years. Orders may take 3 to 6 weeks to process.
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