Search Faribault County Marriage and Divorce Records

Getting a Marriage License in Faribault County

Marriage licenses in Faribault County are handled by the Faribault County Recorder, not Court Administration. The Recorder is Kelly Hendrickson, County Recorder and Registrar of Titles. The office is in the Faribault County Courthouse, Middle Level, 415 N Main Street, Blue Earth, MN 56013. The mailing address is P.O. Box 130, Blue Earth, MN 56013. The Recorder phone is 507-526-6252, fax is 507-526-5272, and regular office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The county marriage license process begins online through MOMS, the Minnesota Official Marriage System, but it is not finished online. Applicants complete and submit the application, print the confirmation page, and then both parties appear in person at the Recorder's Office for processing. Faribault County asks applicants to arrive Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. so staff can print the application, have applicants insert Social Security numbers, administer the oath, and collect the fee.

The official Faribault County marriage license page shows the local application process used by the Recorder.

That county page is the source to check before applying because it explains the online application, the in-person oath, the Minnesota-only license rule, the six-month validity period, interpreter arrangements, and the name-change warning for applicants with felony convictions.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

Faribault County uses a two-part process: online application first, then in-person processing at the Recorder's Office. A marriage license issued by Faribault County is valid only for a ceremony performed in Minnesota, but the ceremony does not have to take place in Faribault County. Applicants do not have to be United States citizens. The license is valid for six months; if illness or another circumstance may prevent use before expiration, applicants should contact the Recorder before the license expires.

1. Complete the marriage license application through MOMS and print the confirmation page.
2. Bring both applicants to the Faribault County Recorder's Office during the posted processing window.
3. Provide the required identity and application information, including Social Security numbers at the office.
4. Take the oath administered by the Recorder's Office and sign the application as directed.
5. Pay the required license fee, or present a qualifying premarital education certificate for the reduced fee.
6. Use the license for a Minnesota ceremony within six months and have the officiant return the official fact of marriage to Faribault County within five days.

For civil ceremonies, Faribault County directs couples to contact the Court Administrator's Office. The research states that either the Court Administrator or the judge can perform a marriage ceremony.

Marriage License Application Fields

The county page lists detailed application information for both applicants. Incomplete or inconsistent information can delay processing because the Recorder prints the application, administers the oath, and records the legal fact of marriage after the officiant returns it.

The Minnesota marriage license statute at Minn. Stat. 517.08 is one statewide source behind the application requirements.

Faribault County's local page adds practical processing instructions to the statewide requirements, including the confirmation-page step and the in-person Social Security number entry.

Faribault County Marriage and Divorce Fees

The research file did not capture a county dollar amount for the regular marriage license or certified marriage certificate fee, so those amounts should be confirmed directly with the Faribault County Recorder before mailing a request or arriving to apply. The county page does document the reduced-fee path for couples who present a premarital education certificate, and the court fee table documents divorce and court-copy fees for District Court records.

Premarital education requires at least 12 hours of education that includes a premarital inventory and communication and conflict-management skills. The educator statement must be on letterhead, dated, signed and notarized or marked with a church seal, and presented at application. Faribault County states that refunds are not issued if the certificate is supplied after payment.

How to Look Up Faribault County Marriage Records

Faribault County marriage records are held by the Recorder only in the county where the license was issued. The Recorder has marriage records beginning in 1865. A certified-copy request should state the names of both parties, the date of marriage, and include the proper fee. The research notes that mail requests with names, date, and fee are typically processed the same day, while in-person certified copies are usually processed in 5 to 20 minutes depending on the date of marriage.

The official Faribault County marriage records page documents the 1865 start date and certified-copy request process.

For an unknown Minnesota county of issuance, use the statewide MOMS index first. MOMS can show bride and groom names, marriage year, and the county that maintains the record, and all 87 Minnesota counties participate.

Vital records in Faribault County are handled through the Recorder. The county's vital records page explains that vital record duties moved from the Court Administrator to the County Recorder on June 1, 1990.

That office split is important locally: marriage certificates, birth records, and death records route to the Recorder, while divorce decrees and divorce case filings route to District Court.

How to Find Faribault County Divorce Records

Divorce and dissolution records are family case records in Faribault County District Court. Search the case through Minnesota Court Records Online by party name or case number and select Faribault County when possible. Court-generated orders and notices may be available online depending on filing date and public-access rules, but family documents have more remote-access limits than ordinary civil or criminal documents.

Certified divorce decrees must be requested from Faribault County Court Administration at the Faribault County Courthouse, 415 North Main Street, Blue Earth, MN 56013. The court phone is (507) 526-6273. Court Administration issues certified and exemplified copies; MCRO search results and downloaded records are not certified court records.

Minnesota's divorce residency rule is in Minn. Stat. 518.07.

For Faribault County users, the practical record distinction is simple: the court file proves a dissolution case and decree, while the Recorder's marriage certificate proves the marriage event.

Getting Certified Copies

Marriage certificates and divorce decrees have different certified-copy channels. Request certified marriage copies from the Faribault County Recorder. Request certified divorce decrees or divorce orders from Court Administration. A certified court copy carries a court seal or image of a seal and generally costs $14 per document; an exemplified and certified court copy generally costs $28.

For marriage records, include both parties' names, the date of marriage, a return address, and the Recorder fee. For divorce records, include the case number if known, party names, the document requested, whether a certified or exemplified copy is needed, and delivery information. If the divorce case is not visible online, courthouse terminals and Court Administration remain the official fallback channels.

Minnesota Vital Records Office

The state-level vital records office is useful for some Minnesota vital records, but Faribault County marriage records remain county-issued records. Use the Faribault County Recorder for marriage certificates issued in Faribault County, MOMS for a statewide marriage index search, and Faribault County District Court for divorce case records and certified divorce decrees.