Monroe County Marriage License Search

Monroe County marriage license records are available through the city and town clerks who serve communities across the county. Rochester, the county seat, is the largest city in Monroe County and one of the busiest places to apply for a marriage license. The Rochester City Clerk has a dedicated Marriage License Division that handles applications and civil ceremonies. Couples can also apply at any town clerk office in Brighton, Greece, Irondequoit, Webster, or any of the other towns in the county. If you need an old marriage record, the Rochester Records Management Office has original files going back to 1876.

Monroe County Clerk Office

The Monroe County Clerk is at 39 West Main Street in Rochester. The County Clerk does not issue marriage licenses. Those come from the city and town clerks. But the County Clerk does handle court records, land filings, and other county documents. If you need to look up a civil case or property record in Monroe County, this is the office to call.

The Monroe County Vital Records Office is a separate office located at 740 East Henrietta Road in Rochester. This is the Health Department side that handles birth and death records. For marriage records, you still need to contact the town clerk who issued the license or the Rochester Records Management Office. The Vital Records Office can be reached at (585) 274-6141. Birth and death records from 1880 forward are available there for a $30 fee.

Rochester Marriage License Division

The Rochester City Clerk runs a Marriage License Division that processes applications Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Both people must come in together. The fee is $40 for the license. If you also want a civil ceremony performed by the City Clerk, that costs $75 as of July 2018. Call (585) 428-7421 to schedule a civil ceremony.

Blood tests are no longer needed in New York. Bring a certified birth certificate with a raised seal and a current government-issued photo ID. If the birth certificate is not in English or Spanish, you need a certified translation. Anyone who was previously married must bring a copy of the most recent divorce decree. If you were married more than once before, have the dates of all prior divorces ready. If a former spouse died, bring the certified death certificate.

After you get the license, there is a 24-hour wait under DRL §13-b. The license stays valid for 60 days. Witnesses at the ceremony must be at least 18 years old. This is a Rochester-specific rule that is stricter than the state requirement, which has no minimum age for witnesses.

Search Monroe County Marriage Records

The Monroe County Clerk website offers information about county services and office contacts.

From there you can find links to court records and land filings. For marriage-specific records, the Rochester City Clerk is your best bet if the license was issued in the city.

The City of Rochester website provides details on the Marriage License Division, including how to schedule civil ceremonies and what documents to bring.

Research on existing marriage licenses purchased at Rochester City Hall since 1910 is available through the clerk's office. The Rochester Records Management Office at 414 Andrews Street holds original marriage records from 1876 to 1967, with indexed files covering 1876 to 1907.

Monroe County Town Clerks

Outside Rochester, many towns in Monroe County have clerk offices that issue marriage licenses. Brighton, Brockport, Chili, Clarkson, East Rochester, Fairport, Gates, Hamlin, Henrietta, Hilton, Honeoye Falls, Mendon, Ogden, Parma, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, Riga, Rush, Scottsville, Spencerport, Sweden, Webster, and Wheatland all have town clerks. Each office follows the same state rules and charges the same $40 fee set by DRL §14.

Town clerks in Greece and Irondequoit also issue marriage licenses. These are two of the larger towns in Monroe County. Certified copies of a marriage record can be obtained from the clerk who issued the original license for $10. If you do not know which clerk office issued the license, you can request a copy from the New York State Department of Health for $30 instead.

Marriage License Law in Monroe County

DRL §13 requires every couple to get a marriage license before the ceremony. The license must be delivered to the officiant within 60 days. Section 11 of the Domestic Relations Law lists all the people who can legally perform a marriage in New York, including judges, mayors, clergy members, and state legislators. No particular ceremony format is needed. Both parties just need to say, in front of the officiant and at least one witness, that they take each other as spouses.

Marriages of people under 18 are not allowed in New York. This is a change from older law. The minimum age is now 18 with no exceptions in Monroe County or anywhere else in the state. DRL §15-a covers the rules around age and marriage for minors.

Historical Marriage Records

The Rochester Records Management Office at 414 Andrews Street is the go-to place for old marriage records in Monroe County. They hold original records from 1876 to 1967. The files from 1876 to 1907 are indexed, which makes searching easier. Call ahead for an appointment before visiting. The New York State Department of Health genealogy program is another option for older records. The base fee is $22 for a one-to-three year search.

The New York State Archives has microfiche indexes to vital records. The Rochester Public Library at 115 South Avenue also has copies of these microfiche indexes, which is convenient for Monroe County residents who do not want to travel to Albany.

Cities in Monroe County

These cities and towns in Monroe County have their own pages with local marriage license details.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Monroe County. You can apply for a marriage license at any clerk office in New York State, so the license works no matter which county you are in.