Look up free North Dakota marriage records to gain insight into anyone wedded locally, either recently or long ago.
Marriage records are maintained by state and county offices and can be searched at no cost. These records are formal documents that provide proof of a marriage in a given geographical area; they typically contain the names of each party and the date when the union was legally formed.
This resource provides clear instructions on how to look up these records. It also explains the best way to apply for a marriage certificate in North Dakota.
Can the Public Access Marriage Records & Licenses in North Dakota?
According to the North Dakota Sunshine Law, every individual has the right to access all public records and government meetings unless a specific authority restricts them from doing so.1 In that case, the public has the right to know the reason for the non-disclosure of records.
Interested individuals can access certified marriage records from the Health & Human Services Department (HHS) of North Dakota, which guides inquirers to contact the respective county to obtain certified copies where they were originally issued.
Searchers can access non-certified marriage records spanning from 1925 to date through the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum – the procedure for it will be detailed in the following sections.
As per the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the recent marital rate as of 2021 in North Dakota is 5.2% – i.e., 5.2 marriages per 1000 people.2 This is a 12% decrease compared to the records of 2011. According to the United States Census Bureau, the marriage rate per 1000 women in North Dakota has declined to 14.9% from a decade-earlier rate of 16.3%.3
Moreover, from 26th June 2015, same-sex marriages have been legal in North Dakota, and respective licenses for them are also being issued the same day.5
How To Look Up Free North Dakota Marriage Records & Licenses
Interested individuals can find marriage records through the online search tool available at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum website. Here, searchers are required to enter the following details and click on the “apply” button to return search results:
- Spouse 1 Last Name
- Spouse 1 First Name
- Spouse 2 Last Name
- Spouse 2 First Name
- Soundex (Similar sounding names)
- Date (Start and End)
- License County
Inquirers need to enter at least the last name of any spouse in order to perform a successful search. However, the more detail is entered, the more accurate the result will be. After making a search, a list of records will be shown on the same page where complete details of both spouses, date of license, and the license county will be mentioned.
Interested parties can access detailed information about any record by clicking on the hyperlinked “details” link on the right side of the page. Detailed results about any record provide information such as marriage location, filing date, new surname, new middle name, and more.
Individuals interested in obtaining certified copies of marriage records can get them by contacting the respective county where the license was issued through the Health & Human Services Department (HHS).
Interested individuals looking for marriage records that occurred before July 1925 can know how to get them through archived records, detailed in the upcoming sections.
In case of any questions or queries regarding the marriage records of North Dakota, citizens can read additional information through their resource section or can even contact Health & Human Services Department through the following details:7
North Dakota Health & Human Services
600 East. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 325
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505-0250
Phone: (701)3282360
Email: [email protected]
Searching North Dakota Counties & Cities for Marriage Records & Certificates
The state-level search tool discussed above can help in processing broader requests related to finding marriage records. However, interested individuals who are willing to search for marital records issued in respective counties of the state and want more information on them can also search for them directly, as outlined below.
Cass County: Inquirers interested in finding records in Cass County — the most populated county in North Dakota — can do so through the official county website.
Individuals can obtain certified copies of marriage records for $10 through the payment page mentioned on the Cass County North Dakota Website. Additionally, certified copies can also be picked up in person from the Cass County Finance Office at the courthouse.
Cass County North Dakota Website – For more information about all types of marriage records or any other details in general, interested parties can find useful information through Cass County’s departments’ page or reach out to the county administrator through the following details:8
Cass County, North Dakota – Administrator
Cass County Courthouse
211 9th Street S.
Fargo, North Dakota (58103)
Phone: (701)2415770
Inquirers who are looking for marital records in Fargo, the most populated city of Cass County, North Dakota, can get a hold of certified copies through the county marriage licenses page itself. Moreover, the application process for obtaining certified copies of marriage records stands true and the same for every city, town, or parish in Cass County – where interested parties can pay an amount of $10 per record to get their copy.9
Burleigh County: Requesters who want to get marriage records in Burleigh County, North Dakota, can obtain certified copies by filling out the Request for Certificate Copy Form provided by the county recorder.10 Non-certified records are available through the state-wide search tool discussed previously in this resource. Certified copies are available at $5 for the first copy – with $2 each for any additional copy requested.
The following details are required to get a certified copy:
- Driver’s License or Social Security Card
- Full Name of Spouse (1) Before Marriage
- Full Name of Spouse (2) Before Marriage
- Date of Marriage
- Number of Copies
Burleigh County Recorder’s Office: Individuals have to mail the application form to the following mailing address and can also contact the department in case of any questions or queries:
Burleigh County Recorder
P.O. Box (5518)
221 N. 5th St.
Bismarck, North Dakota (58506-5518)
Phone: (701)2226749
Email: [email protected]
Interested persons searching for marriage records in Bismarck, the most populated city in Burleigh, can get them through the city website. Here, individuals have to either fill out the application form from the Form Center available on the Bismarck website or directly contact the officials through the following details:
City of Bismarck Administration
221 N, 5th St.
Bismarck, North Dakota (58501)
Phone: (701)3551300
Email: [email protected]
The cost for locating records is free for the first hour and then has a charge of $25 for each recurring hour. The cost for paper copies is 25 cents per page. Inquirers who want to get certified records for Bismarck can reach out to the Burleigh Recorder’s Office by calling the number provided previously in this article.
Interested individuals have to get in touch with the Burleigh County Recorder’s Office through the official county website to get a hold of certified marriage records in any city, town, or parish.11 Inquirers can contact the Burleigh County Office at (701)2226718.
Grand Forks County: Grand Forks is the third most populated county in North Dakota, where finding information directly is possible through their Marriage Record Search Tool in the license database.12 To perform a successful search, Individuals have to enter the following:
- Spouse 1 Last Name
- Spouse 1 First Name
- Spouse 2 Last Name
- Spouse 2 First Name
And then click the search button to view a list of relevant records with the said information about each one:
- Date of License
- Bride Name
- Groom Name
- Box Number
- Folder
- License Number
University of Dakota – Grand Forks: Individuals can also get certified copies of marriage records from the Department of Special Collections (DSC) after paying a fee of $5 per certified copy image. For more information regarding any marriage records, citizens can contact the DSC through the following details:
Grand Forks – Department of Special Collections
4th Floor, Chester Fritz Library
3051 University Avenue Stop (9000)
Grand Forks, North Dakota (58202-9000)
Phone: (701)7774625
Email: [email protected]
Interested citizens who are looking for marital records for cities, villages, or parishes can get certified copies through the Grand Forks County website at a fee of $10 per copy – with each additional copy costing $5. Requesters can contact the Grand Forks County Office through the mentioned details:
Grand Forks County Office Building
151 S. 4th St.
Grand Forks, North Dakota (58201)
Phone: (701)7808251
Email: [email protected]
Lastly, individuals who want to find archived marriage records for genealogy purposes or any other reason can also get a hold of them through the process mentioned in the following section.
How To Access the North Dakota Marriage Index for Family Lineage & Genealogy Research
Citizens can access North Dakota Archives for archived marriage records before 1925 for family lineage or genealogy purposes and contact the department through the said details:
State Historical Society of North Dakota
612 E. Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota (58505)
Phone: (701)3282091
Email: [email protected]
For more information, interested individuals can go through the FAQs section of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
State archives give historical marriage records information for every county. However, individuals in Cass County can also access archived records between 1872 and 1944 through the NDSU Libraries Search Tool by entering at least the last name of a spouse.13
For questions and queries regarding any archived record, requesters can contact the North Dakota State University (NDSU) at (701)2318914 or email them at [email protected].
Apart from state archives, older marriage records can also be found through the following ways in North Dakota:
- Old Newspapers
- Churches
- Historical Societies
- Religious Institutions
How To Apply for a North Dakota Marriage License
To get a marriage license in North Dakota, it is important to note that individuals have to submit a request to their respective county agency and later, requesters have to fill out an application form.9
Note that marriage licenses are issued by the state in which an individual gets married – not in the state in which they reside. Also, to get a marriage license, the applicants have to be at least 18 years of age; for individuals aged 16 and 17, written consent of parents or guardians is required, with their presence during the application process.
Individuals have to bring their identification proof and social security cards with them when applying for a marriage license. Identification proof is given through a driver’s license, passport, or a certified copy of the birth certificate.
Previously divorced individuals are required to provide a certified copy of the divorce decree before they can apply for a marriage license. Lastly, a fee of $65 must be paid in advance through cash, check, or credit card to obtain the marriage license. It is important to know that North Dakota does not permit common-law marriages, which means, for a marriage to be legally accepted, a ceremony has to be done with 2 witnesses and an officiant.
For detailed information or any other queries regarding applying for a license, individuals are advised to go through the Marriage Licenses & Weddings page of Cass County, North Dakota. Please note that residents from all over North Dakota can apply for a marriage license by the procedure mentioned above, as this procedure isn’t only for people of Cass County.
Individuals can get certified copies of marriage licenses once the ceremony takes place that are sold at $10 each – with $5 charged for each additional copy of the original type. Citizens can also contact the Cass County Finance Director or Grand Forks County Building Office for any query or question regarding marriage licenses and certified copies:
Cass County Finance Director
Cass County Courthouse
211 9th Street. S
Fargo, North Dakota
Phone: (701)241-5600
Grand Forks County Building Office
151 S 4th Street
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Phone: (701)7808251
Responsible individuals should access marriage records in North Dakota through trusted government sources only, to be sure they get the most reliable results. Information about how to access current and archived North Dakota marriage records, along with the process of applying for a license, has been unpacked in detail in this article.
References
1North Dakota Attorney General’s Office. (2011, August). A Citizen’s Guide To North Dakota’s Open Meetings And Open Records Laws. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.library.nd.gov/statedocs/AttorneyGeneral/OR&MeetingsCitizens0820120416.pdf>
2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2023, February 10). Marriage Rates by State: 2019-2021. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/marriage_by_state/marriage_rates.htm#:~:text=Location%2C%20North%20Dakota%2C%20Ohio%2C%20Oklahoma%2C%20Oregon%2C%20Marriage%20Rate%2C%205.2%2C%205.2%2C%206.1%2C%205.7%2C>
3Washington, C., & Anderson, L. (2023, July 13). National Marriage and Divorce Rates Declined From 2011 to 2021. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/07/marriage-divorce-rates.html#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20the%20U.S.%20marriage,from%2016.3%20a%20decade%20earlier.>
4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2023, September 12). North Dakota. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/northdakota/nd.htm>
5Social Security Administration. (2020, March 10). Program Operations Manual System (POMS): PR 02712.037 North Dakota. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/1502712037>
6North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum. (2024). Marriage Records – Details. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://statemuseum.nd.gov/marriages/details?UNIQUE%20ID=3e44c9dada1d11ee9a7a00224843a3b6>
7North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Resources. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.hhs.nd.gov/resources>
8Cass County Government, Finance Office. (n.d.). Marriage Licenses and Weddings. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.casscountynd.gov/our-county/finance-office/marriage-licenses-and-weddings>
9Cass County Government, Finance Office. (n.d.). Marriage License Application. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://lf.casscountynd.gov/Forms/MarriageApp>
10Burleigh County Recorder. (n.d.). Marriage License Certified Copy Request. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.burleigh.gov/media/0iyf2hrb/certified-marriage-license-request-form.pdf>
11Burleigh County Recorder. (n.d.). Marriage Information. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://www.burleigh.gov/departments/recorder/marriage-information/>
12University of North Dakota – Grand Forks. (2024). Grand Forks County Marriage License Search. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://apps.library.und.edu/databases/marriage-licenses>
13North Dakota State University Archives. (n.d.). Cass County, N.D. Marriage License Index. Databases. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://library.ndsu.edu/db/marriage/>
14North Dakota State University Archives. (n.d.). Cass County, N.D. Marriage License Index – Results. Databases. Retrieved March 4, 2024, from <https://library.ndsu.edu/db/marriage/results>