Caldwell County Marriage Office
Marriage licenses in Caldwell County are issued by the Caldwell County Clerk, not the Circuit Court Clerk. The local County Clerk is Jennifer Watson Hale. The office is at 100 East Market Street, Room 23, Princeton, KY 42445, with phone 270-365-6754 and email JenniferL.Hale@ky.gov. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The research notes that the County Clerk recording office closes from 12 to 1 p.m. for lunch, which is useful for in-person record trips.
The County Clerk services page lists the local marriage-license requirements. Both applicants must apply together and complete a worksheet before arrival. Both must be 18 or older. There is no waiting period, blood test, or physical requirement. A Caldwell County marriage license is valid for 30 days including the date issued and may be used anywhere in Kentucky. Acceptable ID may include a driver's license, government-issued photo ID, original birth certificate, or passport.
The official Kentucky vital-records marriage and divorce source image in the manifest comes from the statewide certificate page.
That state source is useful for certificates, while the local County Clerk remains the Caldwell County marriage license office.
Apply for Caldwell County Marriage License
A couple should prepare for the local worksheet and identification check before going to the Caldwell County Clerk. Kentucky does not require a waiting period for the license, but the 30-day validity window includes the day the license is issued. Non-U.S. citizens need an original birth certificate and passport or government ID. The County Clerk page lists a $60 license fee.
- Confirm current office hours and payment method with the Caldwell County Clerk before the visit.
- Both applicants complete the worksheet and appear together at the County Clerk's office.
- Bring acceptable identification, and bring original birth and passport or government ID documents when required.
- Review personal data, prior-marriage status, family information, and relationship eligibility before signing.
- Pay the license fee and use the license within the 30-day Kentucky validity period.
Note: the Caldwell County Clerk services page says checks should be made payable to Franklin County Clerk, which appears to be a template error, so confirm payee and payment method locally.
Caldwell County Marriage Fields
Kentucky marriage application information is more detailed than a name search. CHFS lists identity, family, relationship, and status fields. The local clerk worksheet may require the same core facts before the license can be issued. First and second cousins are not permitted to marry in Kentucky under the CHFS marriage-license guidance.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name and address | Yes | Used for each party. |
| Date of birth and age | Yes | Both parties must be 18 or older under local requirements. |
| Place of birth | Yes | Requested as part of the state marriage information. |
| Father's name | Yes | Family information field. |
| Mother's first and maiden name | Yes | Family information field. |
| Current status and prior marriages | Yes | Single, divorced, annulled, or widowed, plus number of prior marriages. |
| Occupation, race, relationship, marriage date | Yes | State certificate and license information fields. |
Caldwell County Marriage Fees
The assigned official research located the Caldwell County marriage-license fee and the state certificate request method, but it did not locate a Caldwell divorce filing fee or certified decree copy fee. The Office of Vital Statistics fee is described as a search fee, and OVS says it is nonrefundable if no certificate is found. OVS does not provide free verification, genealogy searches, photocopies, faxed copies, non-certified copies, or electronic copies.
That fee split is why a requester should decide first whether the need is a local license, a state certificate, or a court decree. The County Clerk can address the Caldwell marriage-license side. The Circuit Court Clerk can address divorce decree and case-copy questions. OVS can search the statewide certificate record from June 1958 forward after the application and fee are submitted.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Caldwell County marriage license | $60 listed by the County Clerk services page |
| OVS marriage or divorce certificate search | Fee required; nonrefundable if no certificate is found |
| Caldwell divorce decree copy | Specific local fee not located in assigned research |
| Electronic or faxed OVS copy | OVS says these are not issued |
Caldwell County Divorce Certificates
The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics has statewide marriage and divorce records from June 1958 to present. For marriage records before June 1958, CHFS says to call the county clerk in the county where the license was issued. For divorce records before June 1958, CHFS says to call the circuit court clerk in the county where the divorce decree was granted. For Caldwell County, that means the County Clerk for local marriage-license records and the Circuit Court Clerk for local divorce decrees.
OVS cannot provide record information, perform genealogical searches, or verify whether a certificate is on file without a completed application and fee. That rule is important for Caldwell County marriage and divorce records because a person asking only whether a certificate exists still has to submit the required certificate request. OVS also says it does not issue photocopies, faxed copies, non-certified copies, or electronic copies, so the state certificate path is for certified vital records rather than informal file review.
The OVS certificate image in the manifest comes from the statewide vital-record services source.
Use OVS for statewide certified certificates in the covered period, not for the full divorce court case file.
| Record Needed | Where to Start |
|---|---|
| Marriage license record | Caldwell County Clerk |
| Certified marriage certificate from June 1958 forward | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics |
| Divorce decree or court file | Caldwell Circuit Court Clerk |
| Certified divorce certificate from June 1958 forward | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics |
| Pre-June 1958 divorce | Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the decree was granted |
Caldwell County Certificate Fields
OVS certificate requests require enough information to locate the record and mail the certificate. The fee is a search fee, so a request may be charged even if no certificate is found. The requester should use Caldwell as the county only when the marriage license or divorce decree was issued there.
Good search data matters because OVS does not provide a free pre-check. If the exact event date is unknown, use local office records first where possible. A Caldwell marriage license record may help confirm the marriage date, while a local divorce case record may help confirm the decree date before ordering a state certificate.
| Field Label | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full name of first party | Yes | For marriage or divorce certificate search. |
| Full name of second party | Yes | Use names as they appeared at the event. |
| Month, day, year | Yes | Event date requested by OVS. |
| Kentucky county | Yes | Use Caldwell only for local license or decree events. |
| Requester name and mailing address | Yes | Needed for mailing the certificate. |
| Daytime phone number | Yes | OVS requests a reachable number during business hours. |
| Number of copies and payment | Yes | Payment is payable to Kentucky State Treasurer for OVS requests. |
Caldwell County Divorce Records
A divorce decree is not the same as a state divorce certificate. The decree is part of the court case file from the Circuit Court in the county where the divorce was granted. It may include orders on dissolution, property, custody, support, or other case issues, though child-related and sensitive material may be restricted. The certificate is a vital-record document from OVS for statewide records from June 1958 forward.
Use the decree when a court order is needed. Use the certificate when a vital-record proof of divorce is enough for a government, benefits, remarriage, or administrative purpose. If the divorce involved Caldwell County but the user is unsure of the date, the Circuit Court Clerk can be the better first call for the local court case, while OVS requires enough certificate data and payment to run its statewide search.
The VS-300 image in the manifest comes from the Kentucky Certificate of Divorce or Annulment web form source.
VS-300 supports the state divorce-certificate process, while the Caldwell Circuit Court Clerk remains the local source for the decree and case file.
For court records that involve adoption, juvenile issues, dependency, neglect, abuse, or protected child information, expect limits on public access. Kentucky court and open-records rules do not make every domestic file open for public viewing.
The office split also affects online searching. eCCLIX and County Clerk records are useful for county clerk documents such as marriage licenses and recorded county records. KYeCourts and the Circuit Court Clerk are the better routes for divorce case records. A single surname search across one system will not cover every Caldwell County marriage and divorce record type.