Martin County Marriage Divorce Records

Martin County Record Office Split

Marriage and divorce records in Martin County do not sit in one office. Marriage licenses are county clerk records. The Martin County County Clerk issues local marriage licenses and keeps county record access channels for marriages and older indexed materials. Divorce decrees and divorce case files are court records because dissolution of marriage is handled through Family Court or Circuit Court. Certified marriage and divorce certificates from the state vital records system are a third category.

The practical split is simple. Use the County Clerk for a Martin County marriage license, pre-state marriage research, and county clerk indexes. Use the Circuit Court Clerk for divorce decrees, divorce case files, and court orders. Use Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics for certificate requests from the state certificate system.

Martin County Marriage License Steps

Kentucky marriage licenses are issued by county clerks. In Martin County, the official County Clerk source identifies Susie Skyles as County Clerk, with the office at 42 East Main Street in Inez. Kentucky CHFS says both parties must appear together, the marriage license is valid for 30 days from issuance, the fee is non-refundable, and the license must be used in Kentucky. The exact Martin County marriage license fee was not located in the official county sources reviewed for this build.

1. Contact the Martin County County Clerk or visit during posted office hours before applying.
2. Both parties appear together and provide the facts required for the Kentucky marriage license application.
3. Give current legal names, addresses, birth facts, parents' names, current status, prior marriage count, occupation, and race.
4. Pay the non-refundable license fee charged by the County Clerk.
5. Use the license for a Kentucky ceremony within 30 days after issuance.
6. After the ceremony, the officiant returns or records the license through the county clerk process.

County Clerk forms that require original signatures cannot be emailed or faxed under the official Martin County Clerk forms instruction. For marriage and other County Clerk filings, completed forms must be mailed or brought in person when an original signature is required.

Martin County Certificate Requests

The Kentucky marriage and divorce certificate source states that the Office of Vital Statistics has marriage and divorce records from June 1958 to the present. For pre-June 1958 marriage records, CHFS directs users to the county clerk where the license was issued. For pre-June 1958 divorce decrees, the route is the circuit court clerk where the decree was granted.

The manifest image below comes from the Kentucky CHFS marriage and divorce certificate page.

That state source matters because a certificate is not the same as the local license application or the full divorce case file.

VS-230 Certificate Form Fields

Kentucky Vital Statistics uses the VS-230 application for marriage and divorce certificate requests. The same form can be used for either type, but the requester must complete the fields that match the record sought. For a Martin County marriage certificate, list Martin County as the county where the license was issued if the license was issued locally. For a Martin County divorce certificate, list Martin County as the county where the decree was granted if the decree was entered locally.

Martin County Marriage Divorce Fees

Only some fees were located in official sources. Kentucky CHFS lists the certified marriage or divorce certificate fee as a non-refundable search fee. The exact Martin County marriage license fee was not located in the official sources reviewed, so the County Clerk should be contacted before applying. Divorce filing and court-copy fees also were not located in the assigned research for this page.

Martin County Historical Marriage Records

The Martin County Clerk records page gives the strongest local historical detail for marriage searches. It states that marriages and wills are indexed or scanned in eCCLIX back to 1797. That is useful for genealogy, title-linked research, and older family record searches. It is also limited. The same official page says an eCCLIX user needs an account and password assigned by Software Management LLC, special software to view document images, and access fees.

The Kentucky Vital Statistics ordering page is represented by the second marriage and divorce manifest image.

State ordering works well for eligible certificates, while older Martin County marriage index work may still require the County Clerk office or the eCCLIX access process.

Note: eCCLIX is a county clerk records channel, not a KCOJ court case search for divorce decrees.

Find Martin County Divorce Records

Divorce records have two main forms. A divorce certificate from Kentucky OVS confirms the divorce event for records in the state certificate system. A divorce decree or divorce case file is a court record. In Martin County, divorce case files route through the Circuit Court Clerk because Family Court and Circuit Court handle dissolution of marriage, spousal support, equitable distribution, child custody, support, visitation, paternity, adoption, domestic violence, dependency, neglect, abuse, termination of parental rights, and status offense matters.

A divorce file may include petitions, motions, orders, docket activity, decrees, and related family court materials. Some parts may be restricted. Adoption files are restricted under KRS 199.570, juvenile records are confidential under KRS 610.340, and domestic violence or mental health case types may not appear in public criminal record products. Custody, child, and sealed materials can require party status, court order, or clerk review.

Martin County Marriage Divorce Contacts

The right contact depends on the record type. The County Clerk is the local marriage license office. The Circuit Court Clerk is the local trial-court records office for divorce files and decrees. Kentucky OVS handles state certificate ordering through mail, drop box, in-person service in Frankfort, and online or phone orders through VitalChek, which CHFS identifies as its only authorized online and telephone ordering partner.