Access Free Harris County Marriage Records (Texas)

Look up free Harris County marriage records conveniently and promptly.

Marriage records may be needed as part of a genealogy search or to handle some legal or business situation. You can also search marriage records just to learn more about someone in your life.

Whatever your reason, citizens are granted access to inspect these records through the Texas Public Information Act. However, certain types of marriage records may only be accessible to a specific group of people. Furthermore, the Public Information Act does not dictate how government agencies must make marriage records and related documents available.

Check out this resource to understand the specific details of accessing marriage records; you will then be prepared to conduct a search of marriage records in Harris County.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Find Free Harris County Marriage Records (Texas)

If you want to access marriage records in Harris County, you can perform an online search with the County Clerk’s Document Search Portal.¹

You can use this online tool to search by file number, film code or either applicant’s name. If you perform a name-based search, you can narrow your search results by setting a date range for when the license was issued or the parties were married.

After processing your search, the results will provide you with the file number, applicant’s names, license status, date the marriage was issued, and where the parties were married. You can also view the application and license number. If you click on the license number, you can view a PDF of the original marriage certificate, which can be saved and printed for free.

Note: A person can view the search results anonymously. However, to view the marriage certificate, you must create a free user account.

Once you create a free user account, you can also request a copy of a certified or non-certified marriage record by adding it to your shopping cart and following the steps they provide for purchasing it. The cost is $1.00 for a non-certified record and $6.00 to have it certified. Certified records are limited to the person listed on the record, certain family members, a legal representative or someone with a legal and provable tangible interest.

For questions on how you access marriage records through other means, you can contact the Harris County Clerk by phone at 713-274-8686 or at the address below:

Harris County Clerk
Harris County Civil Courthouse
201 Caroline St., Ste. 330
Houston, Texas 77002

They are available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. You can also access archived marriage records for genealogy purposes. How to access these records will be discussed in the next section.

How To View Archived & Historical Marriage Records in Harris County Texas

Depending on the purpose of your search, you may need to access archived and historical marriage information. This is often the case for genealogy searches or complicated legal matters. If a citizen wants to access these types of Harris County marital records, they can do so through their historical records center.

The Harris County Clerk’s Historical Records Center has marriage records dating back to 1836.³ The Historical Records Center is open for research Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. To ask questions or schedule an appointment to view their records, you can call them at 713-274-6390.

They are located at the address below:

Harris County Clerk’s Historical Records Center
11525 Todd St., Ste. 300
Houston, Texas 77055

The Harris County Archives FAQ can answer a lot of your questions. A citizen can also contact the Harris County Archives by calling them at 713-274-9680 or by email at [email protected]. Of course you can also check with the County Clerk’s Document search portal to see if they have anything available online. If you have questions on how to search their portal, you can view their FAQ page.

If you need to continue your search for marriage records, also consider searching with the historical societies and public libraries for indexes and other documents that may contain this information. You may also find records with churches and religious institutions responsible for performing wedding ceremonies.

A broader resource for archived marriage records is the Texas State Library & Archives Commission.⁵ To find out more about the types of marriage records and indexes available to search, you can email them at [email protected]. You can also call them at 512-463-5474 or go to the address below:

Texas State Library & Archives
1201 Brazos St.
Austin, Texas 78701

Another option for marriage records that covers the entire state is the Texas State Archives & Libraries Family History Centers.

If you are looking to search for related types of marriage records, it’s important to know that domestic partnerships are not recognized by state law, but common-law marriages are. Records are available of common law marriages when a couple has finalized the process of requesting their informal relationship be recognized as legal.

How To Track Down Marriage Records That Took Place Somewhere Else in Texas

Although you now know how to access new and archived marriage records within Harris County, you may have to expand your search to the entire state of Texas. While there are county agencies throughout the state that can provide you with marriage records, accessing them at the state level provides you with a broader scope, which can make your search process more efficient.

In Texas, a citizen can request a marriage record verification through the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health.⁶ This state office can provide marriage verifications from 1966 to the present at a fee of $20.00 per copy. They do not provide certified marriage certificates, which are restricted to the county clerk’s office where the marriage occurred.

There are restrictions on requesting a marriage verification. To make a request, you have to be considered a qualified person, which includes the person listed on the record and certain family members. Qualified family members include a spouse, parent, guardian, child, sibling or grandparent.

Marriage verifications can also be provided to a legal representative or a person with a court order or other proof that they have a tangible legal interest in obtaining the record.

The quickest way to make a request is by submitting the Vital Statistics Section’s online marriage verification form. However, it will take about 20 to 25 days for this request to be processed.

Another option is to fill out the Vital Statistics Section’s Application for Marriage Record Form. This fillable PDF form can be printed and taken to any local vital statistics office that is convenient for you. You can also mail the application to the address below:

Texas Vital Statistics
Department of State Health Services
P.O. Box 12040
Austin, Texas 78711

The online or PDF form will require you to provide the names of both parties on the marriage record, along with the date and location of their marriage. In addition, you will have to provide your own personal contact information and your relationship to the individuals on the record being requested. Lastly, you will have to put the reason for your request and the number of copies you are requesting.

If you just want to search for marriage information, you can view the Vital Statistics Section’s yearly marriage indexes.⁸ Here you can search year-by-year for Texas marriages starting in 1966. Information in these indexes includes the parties to the marriage, ages, date and location of the marriage.

If you have any further inquiries, take a look at the Vital Statistics Marriage FAQ page. The Vital Statistics Section is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can email them at [email protected] or call them at 888-963-7111 with any additional inquiries.

How Do You Get a Marriage License in Harris County?

The first step in the marriage process is to apply for a license. If you are looking to apply for a marriage license in Harris County, you can do so with the Clerk’s Office Personal Records Department. A couple can apply for a marriage license at any Harris County Clerk location.

To request a marriage license, both parties must go to a Harris County Clerk location with valid identification to confirm their age and name. Valid identification includes a driver’s license, passport, resident alien card or any valid U.S. government-issued identification. You must also provide your social security number and confirm that you have not been divorced in the last thirty days.

Note: The divorce requirement does not apply if you are marrying the same person you divorced or if the court waives the requirement.

However, if only one party is able to make it, then they will have to bring a completed, signed and notarized Affidavit of Absent Applicant on Application for Marriage License.⁹ The cost of a marriage license in Harris County is $74.00. If neither party can prove they are a resident of Texas, the fee is increased to $174.00.

Once a marriage license is issued, you have to wait 72 hours to get married. This rule can be waived if someone is on active duty in the military or the couple completed the Twogether in Texas premarital education course.¹⁰ The waiting period can also be waived by a Harris County family law judge.

Make sure that you have your wedding ceremony within 90 days of when the marriage license was issued. After 90 days, the license expires and will no longer be valid.

After you complete the wedding ceremony, the license should be returned either by mail or in-person to any Harris County Clerk location for recording. For additional questions, you can view their FAQ page or contact the County Clerk’s Personal Records Department by phone at 713-274-8686. Their office is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Texas has long recognized common-law marriage, and individuals that want one can apply for a Declaration of Informal Marriage License for a $39.00 fee.

If you and your future spouse are thinking about getting married, you now have the necessary resources to apply for a marriage license. You can also access both new and archived Harris County marriage records with the tools provided in this article.