Getting a Marriage License in Josephine County
Marriage licenses are issued by the Josephine County Clerk and Recorder, a county office led by Clerk Rhiannon Henkels. The Clerk's Office is not the Oregon court clerk for divorce or court cases. Couples may complete the required paperwork online before purchase, but both applicants must appear in person at the Clerk's Office to pay the license fee and have the license issued.
Proof of age is required by photo ID. Oregon has a three-day waiting period from the date of purchase. A license purchased Wednesday cannot be used until Saturday. Once the license is valid, it remains valid for 60 days. The Clerk accepts cash, check, or money order, and Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted with a small usage fee.
The Josephine County marriage license page gives the local process, fee, waiting period, and ID requirements.
The county license page is the local source for new license issuance, not divorce decrees.
How to Apply for a Marriage License
The Clerk's process has both online and in-person parts. Completing the online paperwork does not finish the license purchase. Both applicants still need to appear, show ID, and pay.
- Complete the county's online paperwork or fill out the marriage worksheet.
- Both applicants appear in person at the Josephine County Clerk's Office.
- Bring photo ID as proof of age.
- Pay the $60 license fee using an accepted payment method.
- Wait three days unless a lawful waiver applies; the research did not locate a Josephine waiver fee.
- Have the ceremony within 60 days after the license becomes valid.
- Return and record the license as directed so certified copies can be issued.
Marriage License Application Fields
The marriage worksheet row in the image manifest failed because the source PDF triggered a download, so it remains a text-only source. The captured worksheet field inventory still identifies the information the Clerk asks applicants to provide.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Party A is | Yes | Checkbox options include Groom, Bride, and Spouse; sex options Male/Female were visible. |
| Legal name | Yes | First, middle, and last name. |
| Previous names | If applicable | Legal name at birth and prior names. |
| Party B fields | Yes | Parallel fields for the second applicant. |
| Certified copies | Optional | $4 at license purchase or $7.75 later. |
| Office information | N/A | Clerk phone 541-474-5240, 500 NW 6th Street, and clerk@josephinecounty.gov. |
Josephine County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Marriage license fees are county Clerk fees. Divorce filing and divorce case copy fees are court fees and should be checked with Josephine County Circuit Court or the current OJD fee schedule before filing or ordering. Do not send divorce-copy requests to the county Clerk.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $60 |
| Certified marriage copy at license purchase | $4 |
| Certified marriage copy later | $7.75 |
| Card use fee | Small usage fee for Visa, MasterCard, and Discover |
| Divorce filing or decree copies | Check Josephine County Circuit Court and OJD fee schedule |
How to Look Up Josephine County Marriage Records
The county public records request form routes marriage-license users to the Josephine County Clerk's Office. Certified copies of marriage licenses can be purchased through the Clerk's Digital Research Room and mailed after processing. The Digital Research Room is also used for recorded county documents, but it is not a Circuit Court divorce case system.
Oregon Vital Records issues official certified marriage certificates with a state file number on security paper. The state warns that it may take several weeks for the couple's information to be fully registered, so the state certificate is usually not available until about one month after paperwork is submitted to the county.
The Oregon Vital Records marriage certificate page explains state certificate ordering.
State certificates are useful for official proof after county registration has reached the state system.
How to Find Josephine County Divorce Records
Divorce records are court records. Josephine County's public records request form says records relating to divorces should go to Josephine County Circuit Court, not the Josephine County Clerk and Recorder. Divorce files may include petitions, summons, confidential information forms, child-related documents, orders, judgments, and the final decree, subject to privacy limits.
OJD provides divorce, separation, annulment, and family forms. If custody or parenting time is involved, Josephine local family mediation and co-parenting rules may apply. To start a divorce, use OJD statewide forms, file in Josephine County Circuit Court if venue and residency requirements are met, pay the fee or request waiver/deferral, and serve or respond as required.
Family mediation is a local Josephine issue when child custody or parenting time is in dispute. The research found that Josephine applies mandatory mediation under local rules and provides a mediator phone number. Co-parenting education also applies to parties establishing custody, paternity, parenting time, or visitation, and to many divorce, separation, annulment, and post-judgment matters involving minor children.
The OJD divorce forms page provides the statewide family-law forms route.
The forms source is statewide, but filing and copies for a Josephine divorce case go through the local Circuit Court.
Getting Certified Copies
Certified marriage-license copies can be ordered through the Clerk and Digital Research Room. Certified divorce decrees or divorce case copies come from the Circuit Court. Oregon Vital Records can issue certified dissolution, annulment, or registered domestic partnership records from 2007 to present, but state issuance can be delayed if the court record has not yet been received and filed by the state.
The Oregon Vital Records divorce certificate page is the state source for post-2007 dissolution certificates.
A state divorce certificate is not the same as a full Circuit Court divorce file or certified decree copy.
The distinction affects what should be ordered. A certified divorce certificate is often enough to prove that a dissolution was registered. A certified decree or case-file copy may be needed to prove custody terms, property division, name change language, support orders, or the exact judgment signed by the court. Those case-file items come from Circuit Court records, subject to confidentiality limits.
Oregon Vital Records Office
Oregon Vital Records is a state certificate source for registered marriage and divorce events. It is not the first place to buy a new Josephine County marriage license, and it is not the court clerk for divorce filings. Use it when an official state certificate is needed after the local record exists.
The OJD marriage, divorce, separation, and annulment self-help page links statewide family-law guidance.
OJD self-help material supports court process questions, while county and state vital records offices handle certificates.
The county public records request routing reinforces the same split. Marriage-license users are sent to the Clerk's Office. Divorce-record users are sent to Josephine County Circuit Court. Birth and death certificate users are sent to Public Health. This is a useful safeguard because all of those records are personal records, but they are not kept by one single office.
For older family history research, the modern certificate route may not be enough. The Oregon State Archives inventory and county recording history can matter for older marriage, naturalization, or county-court records. Modern divorce case files, however, should still be treated as Circuit Court records unless an archive inventory points to an older historical series.
Josephine County Clerk and Recorder
500 NW 6th St., Room 170
Grants Pass, OR 97526
541-474-5240
Josephine County Circuit Court
510 NW 5th Street
Grants Pass, OR 97526
541-476-2309
Divorce case records and decrees