Utah Marriage Records

Marriage records in Utah are official documents detailing marriages within the state, including marriage licenses and certificates. A marriage license authorizes a marriage, while a marriage certificate, issued post-ceremony, provides legal proof of the union. These records are generally not public for 75 years and are primarily maintained by county clerks, with some available at the State Archives. Only eligible individuals, such as the couple or immediate family, can access records within this period.

Marriage in Utah requires a license from any county, with no residency requirement, and must be used within the state. The license is valid for 32 days after issuance. Certain marriages, such as those between close relatives or involving bigamy, are prohibited. Although Utah does not recognize common law marriage, a court may validate a relationship meeting specific criteria as a marriage.

Marriage records from 1978 to 2010 can be accessed through the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics, while others are available from county clerks. Records can be ordered online, by mail, or in person, with varying fees and procedures depending on the county.

What are Marriage Records?

Utah marriage records are official records containing information about the union of married couples. These records exist in different forms, including marriage certificates and marriage licenses. A marriage license is an official document permitting the union between two persons. A Utah marriage certificate is issued as legal proof of marriage after the marriage ceremony.

Utah marriage records are not public until 75 years after the marriages occur. No civil marriage records exist in the state before 1887. However, since 1888, county clerks in the state have maintained marriage license and certificate records. While the State Archives holds a limited number of county records, most marriage records have remained with county offices. You must be considered entitled or eligible to obtain a marriage record before the 75-year limit. Eligible persons include the persons named on the record or the persons' legal guardian, immediate family member, or legal representative. Note that you may contact the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics to obtain a marriage record for a marriage that took place in the state from 1978 to 2010.

Marriages in Utah

Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that about one in three adults in the United States have never married. The annual marriage rate has declined significantly, dropping from 9.8 marriages per 1,000 people in the 1990s to approximately 6 per 1,000 by 2021. In Utah, where marriage rates have traditionally been higher than the national average, there has also been a decline, with the rate falling from 11.2 marriages per 1,000 people in 1990 to 8 per 1,000 by 2019, according to the Utah Office of Vital Records.

Throughout the early 21st century, Utah mirrored the national trend of fewer marriages. However, in 2021, as marriages rebounded following pandemic-related postponements, Utah saw an increase in its marriage rate, rising from 8.4 per 1,000 people in 2020 to 9.9 in 2022, according to the National Vital Statistics System.

As of 2021, about 55% of Utah residents aged 15 and older were married, while 34.6% had never married. Men over 45 were more likely to be married (over 70%) than younger men aged 20 to 34 (38.6%). Teenage marriages (ages 15 to 19) represented less than 1.9% of the state's marriages. Among women, those aged 35 to 64 had a higher marriage rate (70%) compared to 50.7% of women aged 20 to 34. Racially, 57.2% of white adults aged 15 and older were married, compared to 46.9% of Hispanics, 56.4% of Asians, and 37.7% of Black adults.

Utah's divorce rate stands at 3.3 divorces per 1,000 people. In 2021, 8.6% of Utah residents aged 15 and over were divorced, with 1.2% separated. The divorce rate was higher among females (9.8%) than males (7.5%) in this age group. The highest divorce rates were observed among individuals aged 55 to 64, with 14.5% of males and 17.6% of females divorced in this range. In contrast, younger couples aged 15 to 34 had the lowest divorce rates, at 2.6% for males and 3.8% for females.

A Utah marriage must meet certain conditions for it to be valid. One of these conditions is the age requirement for intending spouses. You must be at least 16 to be married in the state. If you are 18 or older, no parental consent is required to be married. However, if you are 16 or 17, you must obtain a signed consent from your parent or guardian. The consent must be given in person to the clerk of the county. Also, for persons aged 16 or 17, approval must be given in the juvenile court for the marriage. In such a case, the juvenile court will require premarital counseling according to Section 80-2-206 of the Utah Code, except if it is reasonably unavailable. The court may impose other conditions, such as continuing to attend school. Note that minors under 18 who have been married before do not need consent a second time.

Furthermore, Utah prohibits marriages between relatives. For example, you cannot marry your first cousin or someone related more closely than a first cousin, such as a brother, sister, parent, child, niece, nephew, aunt, or uncle. However, you may legally marry your first cousin if you are both aged 65 or older or if both parties are over 55 and the court finds that you cannot reproduce. Also, Utah voids a marriage involving one party in the marriage who is currently married to someone else and marriages where the parties have a divorce case in court, but the divorce decree is not final.

Before getting married in Utah, you must obtain a marriage license from a county clerk in any county in the state. Marriage licenses in Utah, while issued by individual county offices, are valid for use in any county across the state. This means that regardless of where your marriage will take place in Utah, you may obtain your marriage license from any county within the state. In addition, Utah does not impose residency or citizenship requirements for obtaining a marriage license. Applicants from another state or country are eligible to apply. However, under Utah law, marriage licenses issued by a county within the state must be used for ceremonies conducted within Utah's borders. This allows out-of-state applicants to obtain a license for a destination wedding in Utah, provided they travel to the state to solemnize the marriage.

Some counties require applicants to appear in person at the county clerk's office to complete the marriage license application, while others allow applicants to complete the entire process online. For instance, Utah County allows marriage license applicants to complete the entire application process, sign digitally, and pay the applicable fee (about $50) with a debit or credit card online. There is no need to step foot in the Utah County clerk's office.

To complete an application for a marriage license, you must provide a government-issued photo ID clearly stating your full name and date of birth. A divorce decree will be required if you have been granted a divorce from a previous marriage in the last 60 days. In addition, marriage license applicants must provide information such as their permanent address, dates and locations of birth, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, full names of their legal parents, and the birthplaces of their parents.

There is no mandatory waiting period to obtain a Utah marriage license. No blood tests are also required. However, the license is only valid for 32 days after the date of issuance. The license will expire if your marriage is not solemnized within 32 days. Per Section 30-1-6 of the Utah Code, marriages in the state may be solemnized by any of the following categories of persons:

Rabbis, ministers, or priests of any religious denomination in regular communion with any religious society. The marriage officiant must be 18 or older.

Native American spiritual advisers
The Governor
The Lieutenant Governor
Mayors of municipalities or county executives
A judge, justice, or commissioner of a Utah court of record
A judge of a court not of record in Utah
Judges or magistrates of the United States
County clerk of any county in Utah or the clerk's designee
The President of the Senate
The Speaker of the House of Representative
A judge or magistrate who holds an office in Utah when retired

Note that two witnesses aged 18 or older are required to be present at the wedding ceremony. The officiant who performs the marriage must sign the marriage certificate and then submit both the signed certificate and the marriage license to the county clerk's office that issued the license.

Although Utah does not have common law marriage, you may ask the court in the state to recognize your relationship as a marriage even if no marriage ceremony was held for your relationship. If the court approves, you and your partner will be considered to have been married ever since specific Utah-specified requirements have been met. Per the requirements, you must show the court that the marriage comes from an agreement between you and your partner who:

Are capable of giving consent and are of legal age
Have lived together
Are legally able to enter a solemnized marriage
Treat each other as though married
Present yourselves to the public as married

Note that for the state to recognize your relationship, your paperwork must be filed while the relationship exists or within one year after the relationship ends (either partner must have died or the partners have separated). You, your partner, or a next of kin may file the required paperwork. Same-sex marriages are also valid in Utah.

Utah Marriage Certificate

A Utah marriage certificate is an official document issued by a Utah county clerk after a wedding ceremony. It serves as legal proof that a couple is married under the state's laws. After the wedding, the officiant must sign the marriage license and return it to the County Clerk. Once the clerk processes the returned license, they issue a marriage certificate, which confirms that the marriage has been solemnized and is legally recognized by the state.

The Utah marriage certificate contains marriage information such as the names of both spouses, the date and location of the wedding, the witnesses' names, and the name of the officiant who conducted the ceremony. It is used as proof of marriage for various legal, financial, and personal purposes, such as changing a last name, applying for spousal benefits, or documenting marital status.

How To Find and Access Utah Marriage Records

The Office of Vital Records and Statistics in the Utah Department of Health and Human Services maintains marriage records for marriages between 1978 and 2010. Records before or after this period may be obtained from the county clerk's offices.

Finding and Accessing Utah Marriage Records Online

To order a Utah marriage record online, visit the Utah Vital Records Silver 2.0 portal. The portal allows individuals or organizations to make requests online. You will be required to register, provide proof of identity, and pay a fee for the record requested. You may also check the status of your application by logging in to your dashboard and scrolling down to the bottom of the page. Alternatively, call the Office of Vital Records at (801) 538-6105 or vrequest@utah.gov.

Some counties allow marriage records to be searched and ordered online. For example, Utah County allows the public to search and order marriage records online via its marriage license search resource. The county charges $10 per paper-certified copy, including shipping fees. Also, Weber County allows for marriage record search online (for records older than 75 years) and charges $9 per certified copy or $2 per regular copy ordered online. If the record is within 75 years, requesters can request a copy online via the county's marriage record portal. Similarly, Box Elder County allows a public search to verify if the county clerk's office issued a marriage license, while Emery County permits a public search of its marriage records.

Finding and Accessing Utah Marriage Records Offline

Requests for marriage records to the State Vital Records Office may be completed in person or by mail. To complete a request in person, visit a Utah Local Health Department office. You will need a completed application, payment of the correct fee, and valid identification to complete your order. If you are unable to download and print the application from the Utah Vital Records website, you can obtain one from the Local Health Department in your area.

To complete your order by mail, mail the completed application, appropriate fee, and acceptable ID to:

Vital Records

PO Box 141012

Salt Lake City UT 84114-1012

Instead of an application, you may submit a request letter containing information on the type of record requested, the name of the person on the record, the location of the marriage, the date of the marriage, the names of parents, maiden names if applicable, your relationship to the individual named on the record, the reason for the request, and your signature.

If the record you request is available at a county clerk's office, you must contact the clerk's office or visit the county website for specific information on ordering marriage records from the clerk's office. For instance, Grand County allows requesters to order certified and uncertified copies of marriage licenses in person, by mail, and by phone.

References

Counties in Utah

List of Content

What are Marriage Records?
Marriages in Utah
1. Utah Marriage Certificate
How To Find and Access Utah Marriage Records
1. Finding and Accessing Utah Marriage Records Online
2. Finding and Accessing Utah Marriage Records Offline