Mason County Marriage Licenses
Marriage licenses are issued by the Mason County Clerk, not by the Circuit Court Clerk. The local clerk office is at 27 West 3rd Street in Maysville and serves couples who plan to marry anywhere in Kentucky. The posted license fee is $60, non-refundable, and payment may be made by cash, check, or credit card. The license is valid for 30 days from issuance and must be used within Kentucky.
Both parties must appear together and be at least 18 years old unless a minor has a qualifying court order. The clerk lists several types of documentary proof of age, including a birth record, state or local birth certificate, baptismal record with date of birth, passport, driver's license, government or school identification card showing date of birth, immigration record, naturalization record, court order, or other government proof of age. A 17-year-old may petition Family Court or District Court in the county of residence for permission to marry, and Mason's clerk page directs questions to Mason District Court at 606-564-4011.
The county clerk role is narrow but important. The office issues the license before the ceremony and records the completed certificate after the ceremony. It does not grant divorces, decide custody, or maintain the divorce case file. That split keeps Mason County marriage records with the County Clerk and Mason County divorce decrees with the court clerk.
The Mason County Clerk source for licenses is shown here: official marriage license requirements.
This source matters because it separates the county clerk's marriage-license role from the court clerk's divorce-case role.
Apply for a Mason County License
The marriage license process is local and in person. Couples should plan around the clerk's posted weekday office hours and bring proof that matches the clerk's list. The license is not a statewide vital certificate at the moment of purchase. It becomes the local marriage record after the ceremony is performed and the certificate portion is returned for recording.
- Go to the Mason County Clerk at 27 West 3rd Street, Maysville, during posted business hours.
- Both applicants appear together with acceptable proof of age.
- Provide the application details required under Kentucky marriage law.
- Pay the $60 non-refundable license fee by an accepted payment method.
- Use the license within 30 days and only for a Kentucky ceremony.
- After the ceremony, make sure the completed certificate portion is returned for recording.
Mason County Application Details
KRS 402.100 describes the content of a Kentucky marriage application and certificate. The statute is broader than a simple name-and-date form. It supports identity, eligibility, the ceremony record, and the final recording statement.
The statutory list also explains why applicants should bring full identifying information, not just photo identification. The application may ask for residence, relationship to the other party, parents' full names, and prior-marriage details. The certificate portion then records the ceremony performer, witnesses, date, place, and qualification of the person who performed the marriage.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Party names | Yes | Both applicants are listed on the application. |
| Birth details | Yes | Dates and places of birth are part of the statutory content. |
| Prior marriages | Yes | The form records each party's condition and prior-marriage history. |
| Residence and occupation | Yes | Current residence and occupation are included. |
| Parents | Yes | Parents' full names are part of the application content. |
| Ceremony details | After ceremony | Performer, place, date, witnesses, qualification, and recording statement complete the certificate. |
Mason County Marriage Fees
Marriage and divorce certificate fees depend on the issuing office. The county clerk fee covers the local marriage license. Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics fees cover a state certificate search and certificate issue. The state certificate fee is not a refund if the record is not found.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Mason County marriage license | $60 |
| Kentucky marriage certificate through CHFS | $6 per certificate |
| Kentucky divorce certificate through CHFS | $6 per certificate |
| Divorce decree copy from court case | Ask Mason Circuit Court Clerk |
The Kentucky certificate purchase source is shown here: CHFS vital-record purchase options.
The state purchase page is useful when a certified certificate is enough and a full court decree is not needed.
Search Mason County Marriage Records
Local marriage records may be searched through the Mason County Clerk's legal-records channel. The clerk's legal-records page says courthouse records are mostly from 1795 to the present, indexes are mostly back to 1795, and online images are mostly January 2004 to current. Online access is through eCCLIX, which is an account and fee-based legal-records system. Free in-office viewing is available for public county-clerk legal records.
The county clerk's online legal-record categories include marriages, wills, deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, liens, releases, corporations, tax liens, military discharges, trademarks, and other recorded documents. A person searching an older Mason County marriage may need the county clerk rather than the state vital-records office because CHFS marriage certificates begin with June 1958 events.
Online image coverage matters. The County Clerk reports that online images are mostly January 2004 to current, while indexes mostly reach back to 1795. That means an old marriage may appear in an index but still require in-office research or a clerk request for the actual recorded image. The eCCLIX system is not the same as KYeCourts, which is for court cases.
Mason County's official local history pages are also relevant for older record research. The county's Historic Maysville page places the courthouse city in its Ohio River setting.
That historic context fits the county clerk's long local index coverage for marriage and other recorded records.
The county's Old Washington page adds context for early Mason County communities.
Older family-history searches may involve both Maysville-area records and older county communities, so the county clerk index date range is important.
Find Mason County Divorce Records
Divorce cases are court matters. For a Mason County divorce decree or case file, start with the Mason County Office of Circuit Court Clerk at the Mason County Justice Center. The Circuit Court phone number is 606-564-4340. Kentucky also has Family Court jurisdiction for dissolution, custody, support, visitation, paternity, adoption, domestic violence, dependency, neglect, abuse, and status-offense matters where Family Court is established. The Mason County court page lists the county in the 19th Judicial Circuit and 19th Judicial District without a separate Mason Family Court judge page.
A divorce certificate from CHFS is not the same as a divorce decree file. A certificate can verify the event for June 1958 and later records. A decree or case file may include pleadings, orders, custody or support material, property terms, and other court filings. Some family or child-related material may be restricted, so official copies and access questions should go to the clerk of the court that granted the decree.
For Mason County, the practical divorce route is to call the Circuit Court side of the Office of Circuit Court Clerk and ask what locator details are needed. Party names, an approximate decree date, and a case number help. If the decree is old or stored off site, the clerk may need to identify the file before a copy can be produced.
Kentucky Vital Certificates
The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics holds marriage and divorce certificates from June 1958 forward. Request fields include the full name of each party, the date of marriage or divorce, the Kentucky county where the license or decree was issued, requester name and address, daytime phone, and number of copies. Orders may be placed online, by phone, by fax through VitalChek, in person or drop box in Frankfort, or by mail.
CHFS states that mail and drop-box requests are usually filled within five business days, but mail requests may take up to 30 working days. Earlier marriage records come from the county clerk where the license was issued. Earlier divorce decrees come from the circuit court clerk where the decree was granted.
The state certificate source is shown here: Kentucky marriage and divorce certificates.
Use the state certificate channel when proof of the event is enough; use the Mason clerk offices when the local license, recorded file, or court decree is needed.