Macomb County Marriage and Divorce Records

Getting a Macomb County Marriage License

Marriage licenses in Macomb County come from the Macomb County Clerk / Register of Deeds. The office runs the vital records that back every county-issued license. A couple applies with the clerk, pays the fee, and receives the license used for the ceremony. The fee is $20 for Michigan residents and $30 for non-residents of Michigan. Payment can be made by cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, or Discover. Checks are made payable to "Macomb County Clerk." A quick review of the license rules before the visit keeps the trip short. The clerk also handles the certified copies a couple may want afterward.

The county's official Macomb County marriage license page lays out the fee, the payment methods, and a section on the waiting period. Applicants should read that waiting-period section closely when they apply, since it controls when the license can be used.

That page is the starting point for any Macomb County couple planning to marry. It ties the fee, the accepted payment types, and the waiting-period rule together in one place, so both applicants know what to bring before they arrive.

The clerk wears two hats here. As clerk of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court, the office keeps civil, criminal, and domestic case files, including divorces. As Register of Deeds, the same office runs Vital Records and holds every Macomb County marriage license on file. That split explains why a marriage record and a divorce record are ordered from different desks within one department. Marriage copies come from Vital Records. Divorce judgments come from the court file room.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

Applying is a short in-person process handled by the clerk. Both applicants take part. A little prep at home speeds the counter visit and avoids a second trip. The steps below follow the county's general marriage license instructions.

1. Start with the Macomb County Clerk / Register of Deeds, the office that issues county marriage licenses.
2. Gather the details for both applicants, including full legal names, dates of birth, and Michigan residency status.
3. Complete the application together, since the license names both parties.
4. Pay the license fee by an accepted method: $20 for Michigan residents or $30 for non-residents, using cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.
5. Review the waiting-period section on the county marriage license page so the license is valid when the ceremony date arrives.

Marriage License Application Fields

The application collects basic facts about each person and how the fee is paid. Residency matters most for the fee, since Michigan residents and non-residents pay different amounts. The table below groups the pieces of information a couple provides when they apply.

Note: Confirm exact application details and any waiting period on the clerk's marriage license page, since the county controls how and when a license is issued.

Looking Up Macomb County Marriage Records

Marriage certificates in Macomb County are public records. No proof of identity is needed to buy a certified copy. That open access sets marriage records apart from many other court files. The clerk's vital records unit keeps the licenses already on file and sells certified copies with a raised seal.

The Macomb County marriage record copy page explains how to order a certified copy of a license already on record. It is not the page for applying to be married.

To find a record, a requester needs the applicant names and the date of the marriage. Copies can be ordered online through a Tyler-hosted official form, by mail, or in person at Vital Records at 120 North Main in Mount Clemens. All copies issued by Vital Records are certified copies bearing a raised seal.

Each order path asks for the same basic facts. A mail request should list the applicant names, the date of the marriage, the number of copies wanted, and payment by check or money order. In-person service at Vital Records runs by appointment. The online form is the fastest route for most people, and there is no extra service fee for using it. Because marriage certificates are public, the office does not require a photo ID to release a certified copy.

Macomb County Marriage and Divorce Fees

Fees split between the license itself, certified marriage copies, and certified divorce judgment copies. Marriage copy fees stack, so the first copy costs more than each extra copy of the same record. Divorce judgment copies are priced by the clerk's court file room. The table lists the amounts a requester should plan for.

There is no added charge for using the Macomb County Clerk online order service for marriage copies. Standard shipping is free. The cost sits in the copy fee and, for divorce judgments, the per-page rate charged by the court file room.

Finding Macomb County Divorce Records

Divorce cases are Circuit Court domestic-relations records. The 16th Judicial Circuit Court holds the files, and the Macomb County Clerk / Register of Deeds keeps them as clerk of that court. A divorce judgment is a named document type on the Circuit Court document order form, so the clerk can produce it directly. A public divorce file may include the complaint, answer, motions, orders, the judgment of divorce, and custody, parenting, or support orders. Confidential identifiers and child-related details may be restricted or redacted.

A divorce judgment is the document most people ask for. It states the court's final decision and the terms of the split. A plain lookup on CourtView shows the case history, but it is not the certified record. For anything used with another agency, order the certified judgment from the clerk. Personal identifiers and details about minor children may be redacted from what the public can see.

Public case history can be checked first through the county's CourtView case lookup, then ordered from the clerk. The clerk's Circuit Court records page lists the order channels, and the printable Circuit Court documents order form carries the divorce judgment checkbox. The steps below walk through a divorce judgment copy request.

1. Search CourtView for the case number if it is unknown.
2. Use the clerk online order form or the printable Circuit Court documents order form.
3. Select "divorce judgment," or "other document" for a different domestic record.
4. Provide the case number if known, the approximate date, the plaintiff and defendant names, requester contact details, the copy type, payment authorization, and a delivery choice.
5. Choose a certified copy if the judgment must be used with another agency; certified copies cost $10 plus $2 per page.

Certified Marriage and Divorce Copies

Certified copies are the ones that hold weight with other agencies. A certified marriage copy carries a raised seal, and a certified divorce judgment comes stamped from the court file room. Online marriage copy orders take one to two business days to process and mail. With free standard shipping, a requester should receive the record 5 to 10 business days after ordering.

Important: Certified copies with a raised seal are the versions accepted for legal and agency use; plain informational printouts from a public lookup are not a substitute.

County order and payment services run through official Macomb County portals. As one example of a county payment portal, the sheriff's office handles jail bond payments through the county's online bond payment page.

That bond page is not a marriage or divorce page. It stands here only to show the kind of secure county portal that handles payments, much as the clerk's marriage copy form and court file room order form handle marriage and divorce record fees. A mailed marriage copy request goes to Macomb County Clerk, Attn: Marriage Records, 120 North Main, Mount Clemens, MI 48043, with a check or money order and the applicant names and date of marriage.

Macomb County Vital Records Office

The Register of Deeds and Vital Records office is the county's home for marriage certified copies. It is separate from the clerk's Court Section that handles divorce judgments at the court building. Marriage copies can be ordered here online, by mail, or in person by appointment. For the full menu of clerk services, the Macomb County Clerk / Register of Deeds office covers filing, copying, and records requests, and divorce case files sit among the broader Macomb County court records the office maintains.

Note: Marriage certificates are public and need no identification to purchase, while divorce files may hold restricted personal and child-related details that the court can redact.