Retrieve Free Arkansas Marriage Records (Certificates & Licenses)

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Free Arkansas Marriage Record Search

Access anyone's marital information in Arkansas, free of charge.

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State ALAKAZARCACOCTDEDCFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY

Look up free Arkansas marriage records on anyone. In most cases, online databases are provided by the custodial agencies that maintain marriage records so that the records may be accessed at no cost.

Using this step-by-step guidance offered in this resource can help citizens obtain a marriage record or determine if someone is married in the State of Arkansas.

Are Marriage Records Public Records in Arkansas?

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) grants the general public access to public records of governmental agencies, unless the law makes an exception for them.¹ Consequently, anybody can obtain marriage records within Arkansas, as long as they adhere to FOIA rules.

The State of Arkansas Department of Health — Vital Records Division, in accordance with Arkansas Vital Record Act code A.C.A. § 20-18-305, allows persons to order marriage records online.^{2, 3} Requests for marriage also be made via telephone, or in-person.

For vital records that are less than 100 years old, Arkansas state law does limit access to individuals named on the record, their spouse or registered domestic partner, parents or guardians, and any other descendants. Designated attorneys, federal/state/local government agents, or genealogists are also granted access.

For researchers and other parties searching for marriage statistics for the State of Arkansas, the United States Census Bureau maintains and provides updated comprehensive marriage statistics for the entire state of Arkansas.⁴ According to US Census statistics, as of 2022, 49.3% of the population over the age of 15 is married. Also, 47.1% of all households in Arkansas are married-couple families.

How To Look Up Free Arkansas Marriage Records & Spousal Information

The Arkansas Department of Health Department enables members of the public to order marriage license certificates online, by mail, telephone, or in person.⁵

However, using an online search tool to search free marriage records will need to be done at the county or city level (which is detailed in the next section of this article) due to the fact that the State of Arkansas website does not provide an online tool to perform a free marriage license search.

A $10 search fee is charged for each copy for obtaining a marriage record. For online requests via Vital Records, an additional charge of $5 standard processing fee, and an identification verification fee of $1.85 is also charged. All fees are non-refundable, even if the marriage record is not found.

Also, any additional cost for expedited shipping options will be charged. An acceptable form of Identification as outlined via the link labeled “acceptable ID” needs to be presented to obtain Arkansas records related to matrimony. Arkansas does not make a distinction between copy, or a copy of a certified marriage record.

To order a marriage certificate online, go to the Arkansas Department of Health Department vital records online service and follow the links to order the certificate.

Once the form is filled out and sent in and all the fees are paid, the requests usually take 7 to 14 business days to process from the time of order approval. Additional time is required for shipping.

For any nuptial related record requests made by mail, a request form must be filled out. The forms are available at any Arkansas local health unit, or can be downloaded from a PDF weblink listed on the Order Marriage Records webpage as “ available here” in the order by mail section of the webpage, or the “Marriage Coupon Application” link in the ”Downloads” section.

The request must also include a money order or check made out to Arkansas Department of Health (no temporary checks or cash), and a copy or copies of acceptable Identification (ID listed on a PDF webpage listed as “acceptable ID”).

Requests typically take 10-14 days for processing, in addition to mail delivery time. The address to submit a request is as follows:

Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records
Slot 444
815 West Markham St.
Little Rock, Arkansas, 72205

Phone: 866.209.9482
Fax: 866.233.5182

For telephone orders, the same information on the request form and acceptable Identification will be needed to make the order. Orders are accepted via phone at the toll-free number listed above. The service provides multiple shipping options.

Payment of fees, certificate all fee may be made by credit or debit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover).

In-person requests will require a trip to the Arkansas Department of Health’s vital records office. The office is located at the same address listed above. The office is open from 8:00 A.M. until 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday, except for state holidays.

For customers arriving prior to 4:00 p.m. most orders can be filled on the same day. All the same requirements listed for mail-in requests apply. Payment options for walk-in requests include debit or credit cards, cash, or a check/money order made out to Arkansas Department of Health (temporary checks are not permitted).

Searching Arkansas Counties & Cities for Marital Records or Certificates

While marriage records can be ordered and obtained at the state level, if someone needs to look up marriage license in Arkansas most of the counties do provide an online search tool to do so.

Below are details for searching public marriage records on the three most populous counties in Arkansas.

Pulaski County – has the largest population in Arkansas and the County Clerk provides a free online marriage license search tool along with further marital record information. The search tool only requires the name of either the husband or the wife to initiate a search.

The search will yield a list of marriages that match the entered criteria. Selecting a search record from the list brings up the details of the marriage.

Marriage licenses are issued and recorded by the Pulaski County Records Department. Inquiries for marriage records can be made by contacting the Records Department at:

Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk
401 West Markham Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

Phone: 501.340.8500
Email: countyrecords@pulaskiclerk.com

There are no fees listed on the webpage for inquiries.

Benton County – is the second most populated county in Arkansas and the county Clerk webpage also provides a link that leads to a free online marriage records search tool on its public website. The search tool is used statewide in Arkansas. The search parameters require only one name of the married couple to be entered.

Although a date range is not required to conduct a search, entering one will narrow the results. Marriage records may be searched back to 1867.

Upon initiating the search, a list of marriage records matching the entered parameters will appear. Each record will have a link that can be followed to a details for the marriage.

The Benton County Clerk Archives department maintains marriage records.⁸ Search inquiries can be made via email, by contacting the Archives department at archives@bentoncountyar.gov. There are no fees applied for inquiries on the webpage.

In-person inquiries for marriage records can be made by contacting the county clerk’s office at:

Benton County Clerk
215 E. Central Ave.
Bentonville, AR 72712

Phone: 479.271.1013
Email: marriage@bentoncountyar.gov

There are no applicable fees listed for inquiries.

Washington County – is the county in Arkansas that has the third-highest population. Marriage licenses are issued and maintained by the County Clerk’s Office. A link to a free marriage license lookup tool is available on the marriage information webpage of the clerk’s web site.

The search tool is the same one that is used by Benton County, only it is specific to Washington County. All the instructions listed above for Benton County can be applied for a marriage record search in Washington County.

Walk-in inquiries for marriage records can be made by contacting the county clerk’s office at:

Washington County Clerk
280 North College Ave
Ste 300
Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701

Phone: 479.444.1711
Email: blewallen@washingtoncountyar.gov

There are no fees listed on the webpage for inquiries.

For marriages in Washington County prior to 1941, the county archives department provides a public webpage on which a free marriage document search tool can be used to search archived marriage records from 1845 to 1941. Marriage records can be searched by the book and page number in the archive, or by the name of the bride or groom.

A search returns a list of marriages that match the entered criteria. Upon selecting a record, a marriage license and marriage certificate is retrieved.

The marriage records are scanned images of the hand written archived records that can be used for research and genealogy purposes.

Locate Archived Marriage Records for Free & Track Ancestry Genealogy in Arkansas

The Arkansas State Archives Department maintains historical records, including all marriage and divorce related records.¹⁰ Not all archive records are digitized. Many of the records are on microfilm.

A free search tool is provided by the archives department.

A search using the names of the individuals listed on the marriage license will yield a record if the document has been digitized. These records can be downloaded at no cost. If the archive record is on microfilm, a search for the specific county and date will retrieve the microfilm reel reference on which the record can be looked up and printed.

This can be done by visiting the Arkansas Archives office at the following location:

Arkansas State Archives
One Capitol Mall, Room 2B-215
Little Rock, AR 72201

Phone: 501.682.6900
Email: state.archives@arkansas.gov

Research services are offered to users that are not able to visit the archives office. The service provides up to 2-hours of research at no cost. There are charges making copies, scans, photos, and video, file, audio, or microfilm duplication.

Charges range up to $80 to duplicate an entire roll of microfilm. The link listed as “ASA PRICING INFORMATION” leads to a PDF list of charges. For orders that require more than 2-hours of research, an order request form (PDF link listed on the webpage) is filled out and submitted.

The archives office will quote a charge and return the form for approval. Once approved and the payment is made by check, money order, or cash, the research will commence.

How To Request a Marriage License in Arkansas

The County Clerk Offices in all Arkansas counties issue marriage licenses.¹² Both parties must be present in order to receive the license.

And both parties need to present a government issued photo ID and be 18 years of age or over. A driver’s license, passport or military identification will suffice.

A marriage license may be obtained in any county in Arkansas, and be used to get married anywhere in the state. It is not a requirement to obtain a license from the county in which you live, or in the county in which you plan to get married. The State of Arkansas does not allow common law marriage to originate in the state.

However, Arkansas does recognize common law marriages that originated in a different state. A prenup agreement is not a requirement, but if one is to be executed, it should be completed prior to the marriage.

The marriage license must be returned to the county in which it was issued within 60 days of issue so it can be recorded. The fee for a marriage license in Arkansas is $60.00, which can be paid with cash or credit card only (no checks allowed).

The information contained in this article can be used as a resource to assist with searching and obtaining Arkansas marriage records; to expand your search to additional various record types (warrants, property taxes, crimes, deaths, births, divorces, and more), please refer to the Arkansas free public information lookup tutorial.