Marriage Records & Licenses

Available Information

• Marriage Records from 1880 - present
• 1921 - 1941 records may not be accurate/complete; verification of record required before issue

Request A Vital Record

In-Person Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate

• Applications are taken 8:00am to 4:10pm, Monday through Friday except for legal holidays
• Certified Copies are $15.00 each, payable by cash, check, money order or credit/debit card (extra fee applies)                    
• Must have a current, government-issued picture ID in order to obtain a certified copy
• Must have tangible* interest in the record in order to obtain a certified copy

In-Person Uncertified Copy of Marriage Certificate

• Record Search is available Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. except for legal holdays
• Uncertified copies are 50 cents each, payable by cash, check, money order or credit/debit card (extra fee applies)
• Uncertified copies cannot be mailed

Mail Requests for Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate

• Certified Copies are $15.00 each, payable to Woodbury County Recorder by money order only
• All mail requests must have the requestor's signature notarized
• All mail requests must have a copy of the requestor's current, government-issued picture ID with it
• All mail requests must state the tangible* interest in the record in order to obtain a certified copy

*Tangible Interest: the requested record is your own record OR you are the mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, grandmother, grandfather, or child of the person whose record you are requesting.

Non-certified copies of marriage records are available for a fee of $0.50 per record. For more information on genealogical requests, please contact our office at (712) 279-6626.

Woodbury County has limited records from 1921 to 1941. The application may be brought into the Woodbury County Recorder's office for ordering or mailed to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) address in Des Moines, Iowa:

Iowa Department of Public Health
Bureau of Health Statistics
Lucas State Office Building, 1st Floor
321 E. 12th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075

To order a marriage record via phone through the IDPH, please follow the instructions on the back of the Vital Record Application or on their website with the link below.

Request a Record

Marriage License Application

You may apply for a Marriage License at any County Recorder’s office in Iowa as long as the ceremony is performed in Iowa. 

To apply for a Marriage License in the Woodbury County Recorder’s Office:

• Applications are taken 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 pm., Monday - Friday except for legal holidays
• The couple and one witness (must be 18 years or older and know both parties) must appear in person at time of application
• All three must present valid photo identification (driver’s license or government issued ID),
• $35.00 fee includes a certified copy of the Marriage Certificate. Cash, Check, Money Order or Credit/Debit Card (additional 3% fee) accepted for vital records. 
• To schedule a ceremony with the Judge, call 712-279-6031. Leave a message and your call will be returned.

IDPH requires marriage applications to be picked up in person or a personal request be made to the County Recorder for the application form to be mailed out.  

There is a 3-day waiting period before the License is issued and before the actual marriage may occur. The waiting period is 3 full calendar days after the date of acceptance to the Recorders office. Please see the chart below.

Once the marriage has been performed and the Certificate of Marriage has been returned to the Recorder’s office and placed on record, a certified copy will be mailed to the couple. The couple will use this certified copy for any name change after marriage (social security information and driver’s license, etc.).

More Resources

• Nationwide Vital Record Offices
• Apostille Request Form
• Marriage Officiant List