Clinton County Marriage Licenses
Marriage records in Clinton County are handled by the Recorder of Deeds. The official recorder page says the office issues and maintains marriage licenses, and the research identifies Misty Dean as Clinton County Circuit Clerk and Ex-Officio Recorder of Deeds. The recorder phone is 816-539-3719, the recorder email is recorder@clintoncomo.gov, the fax is 816-539-3893, and the mailing address is PO Box 275, Plattsburg, MO 64477.
The official Clinton County marriage license requirements page is the controlling local source for applying.
Those local requirements are specific: both parties must appear, both must present valid photo identification, the fee is exact cash only, and the completed license must be returned for recording.
Applications are issued Monday through Friday during the posted marriage-license windows of 8:30-11:30 and 12:30-3:30. Effective August 28, 2025, applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply for and receive a marriage license. A person who was previously married must know the month and year the prior marriage ended. The county says applicants leave with a license good for 30 days, so the application date should be chosen with the wedding date in mind.
Apply for Marriage License
The marriage license process is office based. Clinton County does not describe it as a simple online filing. Each party completes the required information, appears with identification, pays the local fee in exact cash, takes the issued license, and returns the completed license after the ceremony. The county says the marriage is not legal until the completed license is recorded by the Recorder of Deeds.
- Confirm that both applicants can appear during the Clinton County marriage-license issuance hours.
- Bring valid photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, for each applicant.
- Know the month and year any previous marriage ended, if either party was previously married.
- Pay the $51.00 marriage license fee in exact cash only.
- Use the license within its 30-day validity period, then return the completed license within 15 days after the ceremony.
Marriage Application Fields
The official application PDF asks each party to provide identifying, prior-marriage, residence, and ceremony-planning details. The form-field inventory below comes from the Clinton County marriage license application source listed in the research. Sensitive fields such as Social Security number are part of the official application, but public copies and indexes may be redacted or limited under privacy rules.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yes | First, middle, and last name; each party completes a separate form. |
| Form of ID | Yes | Options include driver's license, passport, military ID, birth certificate, state ID, or prison ID. |
| Birth and identity details | Yes | Date of birth, state born in, race, sex marker, and birth last-name question. |
| Social Security number | Yes | Collected on the application form, not a public lookup field. |
| Prior marriage information | Conditional | Marriage count, how last marriage ended, and month/year the last marriage ended. |
| Current residence and mailing address | Yes | City, state, ZIP, county, post-ceremony mailing address, and phone number. |
| Anticipated wedding date | Yes | Used to time the 30-day license period. |
Clinton County Record Fees
Clinton County's marriage license page gives two specific local marriage amounts. It states that the marriage license fee is $51.00 and must be paid in exact cash only. It also gives a $9.00 certified copy fee for a recorded marriage license. The assigned research does not provide a Clinton County divorce filing fee or certified divorce decree copy fee, so those court amounts should be confirmed with the Circuit Court Clerk instead of borrowed from another county.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $51.00, exact cash only |
| Certified copy of recorded marriage license | $9.00 |
| State DHSS marriage report | $15.00 per CDC Missouri vital records summary |
| State DHSS divorce report | $15.00 per CDC Missouri vital records summary |
| Divorce filing or certified divorce decree copy | Not located in assigned Clinton County research; confirm with the Circuit Court Clerk |
Look Up Marriage Records
Marriage access channels include in-person service at the Recorder of Deeds, return of the completed license by mail or in person, certified copies from the recorder, and recorder search terminals for public use. The research also notes that iCounty may support searching or purchasing certain recorder documents online after login. Recorder records are separate from Case.net, so a marriage license record should not be treated like a court docket search.
The iCounty recorder search portal is the online recorder channel identified in the research.
iCounty access may involve registration, login, subscriptions, or per-page document costs, so a direct recorder request remains the local route for certified marriage copies.
After the ceremony, the completed license must be returned to the Recorder of Deeds within 15 days for recording. Completed licenses may be brought in person or mailed. The recorder records the license and returns the original by mail. For legal proof, request the certified copy from the recorder rather than relying on an informal image or index entry.
Find Clinton County Divorce Records
Divorce records are different from marriage licenses. A divorce, or dissolution of marriage, is a court case in the Circuit Court. Public docket and case entries may appear in Missouri Case.net, but certified divorce copies should be requested from the Circuit Court Clerk where the divorce was granted. Sensitive financial information, child-related material, identifying information, and some family-court documents may be redacted or restricted.
The usual Missouri filing path is to confirm jurisdiction and residency, use Missouri Courts self-represented forms if filing without an attorney, file in the proper circuit court, pay filing fees or seek a fee waiver if eligible, serve the respondent unless service is waived or entered, address property, debt, maintenance, custody, support, and parenting-plan issues as needed, wait the required statutory time, and obtain a certified judgment from the circuit clerk when legal proof is needed.
Missouri Vital Records
The Missouri Bureau of Vital Records maintains a central registry of marriages and divorces since July 1, 1948.
That registry is useful for statewide reports, but it does not replace the Clinton County recorder for certified marriage license copies or the Circuit Court Clerk for certified divorce judgments.
The Missouri vital record request guidance explains that many marriage and divorce records can be obtained locally and that some are available through the Bureau of Vital Records.
Use the state route when a statewide marriage or divorce report is enough; use the county office when a certified local record is required.
The CDC Missouri vital records summary states that reports of marriage and divorce records are on file from July 1948 to present and lists a $15 state report fee.
The CDC summary also reinforces the county-office split: certified marriage copies are available from the county recorder where the license was obtained, and certified divorce copies are available from the circuit clerk where the divorce was granted.
Missouri Bureau of Vital Records
Central registry for Missouri marriage and divorce reports since July 1, 1948
Use DHSS request guidance for state report options