Indiana Marriage and Divorce Records: The State Holds 1958 to 2012

Indiana gives you two routes to a marriage record, and the state's own web page shows only one of them. The health department's page sends certified copy requests to the county Clerk of Court, while the application form it links says the State Vital Records Office has been the central repository for marriage records since 1958 and issues certified Records of Marriage for 1958 through 2012.

Information last verified on 2026-08-04. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Two Routes, and the Year Decides Which

The Indiana Department of Health's marriage page gives one instruction for certified copies: to obtain a certified copy of a marriage license or divorce decree, contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the marriage or divorce was issued (Indiana Department of Health, "Marriages"). The same page then links State Form 54764 and tells you to complete and submit it to purchase a copy of a Record of Marriage.

Those are two different documents, and the form is where the state route is spelled out. State Form 54764 opens by stating that beginning in 1958, the State Vital Records Office became the central repository for all marriage records, that copies are also maintained by the Clerk of Courts in the county where the marriage was filed, and that for information prior to 1958, and for all divorce information, you contact the Clerk of Courts. It adds, in capitals, that the Indiana State Vital Records Office does not store divorce records.

Both routes are real, and they cover different ground:

• The state route produces a certified Record of Marriage and currently covers 1958 through 2012. The form states that at this time the office is only able to provide certified records for marriages in that range, and that anything outside it can be requested from the Clerk of Courts where the marriage was filed.
• The county route produces a certified copy of the marriage license and covers everything: before 1958, after 2012, and every Indiana divorce.

If you need a certified copy of the license itself, or the marriage falls outside 1958 to 2012, the county clerk is not a fallback. It is the only source. That is why the health department's web page leads with it, and it is why the widely repeated line that Indiana is county-only is wrong for a 1958 to 2012 marriage.

Start With the Marriage License Public Lookup

Before ordering anything, establish the county. Indiana Courts publishes a free Marriage License Public Lookup, and it is the first search tool the health department lists.

The database contains many, though not all, marriage records from 1993 to the present. It is a public index rather than a certified record, and the court's own notice warns that incorrect information such as a misspelled name or a wrong date can be the result of data entry errors. It directs anyone who needs confirmation that a marriage has been recorded to the County Clerk of the Court that issued the license.

For older marriages, the Indiana State Library's Indiana Legacy database covers marriages through 1850 and from 1958 forward, free to search from home. The two agencies publish slightly different end dates for that second block, 1958 to 2018 on the health department page and 1958 to 2017 on the Archives page, so treat the recent end of the index as approximate rather than exact.

The State Route: Form 54764, $8.00, and 1958 to 2012

To purchase a copy of a Record of Marriage, complete and submit State Form 54764, the Application for Search for Certified Record of Marriage.

Fees are established by law. Each Record of Marriage search costs $8.00 per date provided, the fee is non-refundable, and it includes a certified copy of the record if one is found. The form prints the authority as IC 16-37-1-11-5, but the $8 search fee is set by IC 16-37-1-11, which charges eight dollars for each search of the records in the division of vital records, issues one certification of the record without charge if it is found, and charges four dollars for each additional certification issued at that time. IC 16-37-1-11.5 is a separate two dollar birth problems registry fee that applies only to a search for a birth certificate. Because the charge attaches to each date searched, an application listing three candidate dates costs $24.00 whether or not any of them turns out to be right, which is a reason to run the free court lookup first.

Identification is required, and requests sent without proper identification are returned to the requester without processing. A certified copy is provided within ten to fifteen business days after the request is received. If no record is found, the office sends a letter saying so, and the fee is not returned.

The form directs the application, a check or money order payable to the Indiana State Department of Health, and a copy of your identification to Vital Records, Indiana State Department of Health, 2 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Who Can Order the State Record

State Form 54764 lists the individuals eligible to receive marriage information under IC 16-37-1-10:

• Applicant 1 and Applicant 2, the two people who married
• An individual with a direct interest in the record, who must provide documentation confirming they meet the criteria
• An individual demonstrating the information is necessary for the determination of personal or property rights, with documentation
• An individual demonstrating the information is necessary for compliance with state or federal law, with state or federal documentation

Those last three categories are what make Indiana's list broader than the spouse-only rules some states apply, but each has to be documented rather than asserted.

Indiana Divorce Records

Divorce is county only, with no state alternative at any price. State Form 54764 states it in capitals: the Indiana State Vital Records Office does not store divorce records, and all divorce information goes to the Clerk of Courts where the divorce was filed.

Divorce records from 1852 to the present are maintained by the clerks of the court at the county level (Indiana Archives and Records Administration, "Census and Vital Records"). The clerk in the county where the divorce was granted holds the case file, including the decree, and certifies copies.

Before the 1852 constitution, a divorce in Indiana required an act of the state legislature, so a pre-1852 divorce is a legislative record rather than a routine county court file, and research on one belongs with the state archives rather than a clerk's office.

Because the decree is a court record, access questions follow court records practice rather than vital records policy. Ask the clerk what is available, in what format, and whether any part of the file is restricted, before assuming a full copy can be sent by mail.

Fees Outside the State Window

The $8.00 figure buys only the state Record of Marriage search. County Clerk of Court copy fees are set by each county, and neither the health department page nor the Archives guidance publishes a statewide county figure. Check the fee schedule published by the specific county clerk before sending payment.

The practical sequence for most people is:

• Run the free Marriage License Public Lookup to identify the county and confirm the date, for anything from 1993 forward
• For a 1958 to 2012 marriage, submit State Form 54764 with $8.00 per date and identification, if a state-issued Record of Marriage is what the receiving agency wants
• For any other year, or for a certified copy of the license itself, contact that county's Clerk of Court
• For a divorce, contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the divorce was granted, which is where the case file lives

Older Records and Genealogy

The Indiana Archives and Records Administration holds a statewide marriage index for 1957 to 1992 on microfilm in its reading room. Indiana marriage records from 1958 to 2005 have been digitized and are available online at Ancestry.com, and the Archives states those must be used for genealogical purposes only.

For anything before 1958, the free route is FamilySearch, where county marriage records have been partially digitized. That collection includes marriages from 1811 to 2007, but the Archives cautions that the data is not complete and varies by county.

Keep the distinction between an index and a record in view. An index is a finding aid, typically showing the names of both parties, the marriage date, and the issuing county. It tells you which office to write to next; it is not a certified copy, which is why the Archives points certified-copy requests back to the county clerk.

Related Indiana Records and Laws

• Marriage and divorce records by state for how Indiana's split model compares to states that hold certificates centrally for every year
• How to get a copy of your marriage certificate for the general ordering walkthrough
• How to find out if someone is married or divorced for the limits of index searching
• Indiana death records, which the state holds on a different timeline
• Indiana divorce laws for grounds, residency, and process
• Indiana public records laws for requests to Indiana agencies

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about how Indiana marriage and divorce records are held and released as of the verification date above. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. State fees and the years the state office can serve are set by the agency and change, and County Clerk of Court fees, identification requirements, and available formats vary. Confirm current requirements with the Indiana Department of Health or the relevant county Clerk of Court before relying on any detail here.

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Last updated: 2026-08-04. The 1958 repository statement, the 1958 to 2012 service window, the $8.00 fee, and the IC 16-37-1-10 eligibility list are quoted from Indiana State Form 54764 as published on that date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I get a certified copy of an Indiana marriage record?

It depends on the year. For a marriage from 1958 through 2012, the State Vital Records Office issues a certified Record of Marriage on State Form 54764. For any year, and for a certified copy of the marriage license itself, the Clerk of Court in the county where the license was issued is the source.

Did Indiana really become a central marriage repository in 1958?

Yes. State Form 54764 states that beginning in 1958, the State Vital Records Office became the central repository for all marriage records. The practical limit is that the office says it is currently only able to provide certified records for 1958 through 2012, and copies are also maintained by the county Clerk of Courts.

How much does an Indiana marriage record cost?

The state charges $8.00 per date provided. The fee is non-refundable and includes a certified copy if a record is found. IC 16-37-1-11 sets the $8 search fee, gives one certification without charge when a record is found, and charges $4 for each additional certification of the same record. County Clerk of Court fees are set locally and are not published as a statewide figure.

Who is allowed to order an Indiana marriage record from the state?

Under IC 16-37-1-10: either applicant to the marriage, an individual with a direct interest in the record, an individual showing the information is necessary to determine personal or property rights, and an individual showing it is necessary for compliance with state or federal law. The last three must provide documentation.

Where do I get an Indiana divorce decree?

From the Clerk of Court in the county where the divorce was granted. The state vital records office does not store divorce records at all, so there is no state document to order instead. Divorce records from 1852 to the present are maintained by the clerks of the court at the county level.

Is there a free Indiana marriage search?

Two. Indiana Courts' Marriage License Public Lookup covers many, though not all, marriage records from 1993 to the present. The Indiana State Library's Indiana Legacy database covers marriages through 1850 and from 1958 forward and is free to search from home.

What did Indiana do about divorces before 1852?

Before the 1852 constitution, a divorce required an act of the state legislature. Those are legislative records, so research on a pre-1852 Indiana divorce starts with the state archives rather than a county clerk.

What does the state archives hold for marriages?

A statewide marriage index for 1957 to 1992 on microfilm in the reading room, and a digitized 1958 to 2005 index available on Ancestry.com for genealogical purposes only. Pre-1958 county marriage records are partially digitized on FamilySearch in a collection running 1811 to 2007 that is incomplete and varies by county.