Marriage Records
On January 9, 1872, Governor George L. Woods said in his Message to the Legislature (Series 182):
There is no statute law in Utah upon the subject of marriage. I do no hesitate to say that in my judgment there ought to be. Marriage may be a sacrament. It is is none the less a civil contract. This is the established doctrine of the Republic. It ought to be so regarded in this Territory. (Box 1, p. 161)
At this point, the only mention of marriage in laws and statutes of the territory was in regard to divorces and the ages of defined minors (Acts, Resolutions and Memorials... (1870), p. 108)
Marriage licenses as a record issued by a government agency begin in Utah with the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887 (read the entire text from 24 Stat. 635). The law primarily meant to end polygamy required a record of marriage as a means of enforcement, though only in Territories of the United States where Congress had such powers. The new process was described in a Deseret News article of April 18, 1888, "Filing Marriage Certificates," which references the new "marriage law." Beginning with Section 2589 of the Compiled Laws of Utah , Volume II, 1888it reads:
§ 2589. s 7. Marriages shall be solemnized by the following persons only:
1. Ministers of the gospel or priests of any denomination, in regular communion with any religious society.
2. Probate judges, justices of the peace and judges of the district and supreme court
§ 2590. s 8. No marriage shall be solemnized without a license therefore, issued by the clerk of the probate court of the county in which the female resides at the time; Provided, That when she is of full age or a widow, and it is issued on her application in person or by writing, signed by her, it may be issued by the clerk of any probate court.
Today, the statute concerning marriage licenses is found in Utah Code §30-1-7, updated to reflect the succession from probate court clerks to county clerks as those tasked with issuing licenses.
The civil resigration of marriage begins with an application form, as described in Utah Code §30-1-8. Contents include: full names including a woman's maiden name, social security numbers, current address(es), date and place of birth, names of respective parents including maiden name of mother, birthplaces of respective parents, and race or nationality of each party. Upon successful application, a license is issued and shall be returned within 30 days with the marriage date, location, and names of two or more witnesses. The county clerk files the license and certificate of marriage either in a book or, more recently, in electronic form. A copy or transcript is also sent to the State Registrar for the compilation of statistics and, for marriages and divorces after 1978, an available certified abstract.
Helpful Resources
The Western State Marriages Index maintained by BYU-Idaho Special Collections indexes marriages from all counties in Utah for various date spans, including most before 1900.
Beaver | Box Elder | Cache | Carbon | Daggett | Davis | Duchesne | Emery | Garfield | Grand | Iron | Juab | Kane | Millard | Morgan | Piute | Rich | Salt Lake | San Juan | Sanpete | Sevier | Summit | Tooele | Uintah | Utah | Wasatch | Washington | Wayne | Weber
Series listed below without a link to an inventory may only be accessed at county offices.
| Beaver County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1920-[ongoing] | Series 83771 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6120 | |
| Box Elder County Clerk | ||
| Marriage licenses and applications, 1887-1898. | Series 23352 | |
| Marriage license applications, 1974-[ongoing] | Series 82843 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6121 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 23142 | |
| Marriage license record book indexes, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 23143 | |
| Cache County Clerk | ||
| Marriage certificate record books, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 23375 | |
| Marriage license applications, 1911-[ongoing] | Series 83780 | |
| Marriage license indexes, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 23374 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6122 | |
| Carbon County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1978-[ongoing] | Series 83865 | |
| Marriage license indexes, 1894-[ongoing] | Series 23393 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1894-[ongoing] | Series 23395 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1894-[ongoing] | Series 6341 | |
| Daggett County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1920-[ongoing] | Series 83792 | |
| Marriage license register, 1985-[ongoing] | Series 17550 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1918-[ongoing] | Series 6039 | |
| Davis County Clerk | ||
| Marriage certificate record books, 1887-1888. | Series 23383 | |
| Marriage license applications, 1916-[ongoing] | Series 6344 | |
| Marriage license book indexes, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 23378 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 23384 | |
| Marriage licenses and applications, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6040 | |
| Duchesne County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1915-[ongoing] | Series 20104 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1915-[ongoing] | Series 84243 | |
| Emery County Clerk | ||
| Marriage licenses, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 6124 | |
| Marriage records, 1886-1966. | Series 23475 | |
| Garfield County Clerk | ||
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 84071 | |
| Grand County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license record books, 1890-[ongoing] | Series 6125 | |
| Iron County Clerk | ||
| Marriage certificate record book, 1887-1893. | Series 23480 | |
| Marriage license applications, 1916-[ongoing] | Series 83750 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1888-1938. | Series 23481 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 83749 | |
| Juab County Clerk | ||
| Marriage certificate record books, 1887-1895. | Series 23483 | |
| Marriage license applications, 1911-[ongoing] | Series 84140 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 84137 | |
| Kane County Clerk | ||
| Marriage certificate record book, 1888-1901. | Series 23492 | |
| Marriage license record book, 1901-1966. | Series 23491 | |
| Millard County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 83668 | |
| Marriage license record book indexes, 1887-1966. | Series 23493 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1887-1966. | Series 23494 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6130 | |
| Morgan County Clerk | ||
| Marriage licenses, 1869-[ongoing] | Series 83805 | |
| Piute County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1921-[ongoing] | Series 84047 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 84046 | |
| Rich County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 9914 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1858-[ongoing] | Series 9913 | |
| Salt Lake County Clerk | ||
| Marriage applications and licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6688 | |
| Marriage license index books, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 10360 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1887-1955. | Series 4000 | |
| Duplicate marriage license record book, 1893-1914. | Series 10469 | |
| also see Salt Lake County Archives | ||
| San Juan County Clerk | ||
| Marriage licenses, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 6126 | |
| Sanpete County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 84104 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1873-[ongoing] | Series 84103 | |
| Sevier County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1901-[ongoing] | Series 84259 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6127 | |
| Summit County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 20004 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6128 | |
| Tooele County Clerk | ||
| Marriage licenses, 1876-[ongoing] | Series 6117 | |
| Monthly marriage license report, 1986-[ongoing] | Series 1889 | |
| Uintah County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1913-[ongoing] | Series 84021 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 23289 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 84019 | |
| Utah County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1897-[ongoing] | View Online | Series 5585 |
| Marriage license record book index, 1892-1912 | Series 23297 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1904-[ongoing] | Series 6129 | |
| Marriage record books, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 23290 | |
| Wasatch County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1879-[ongoing] | Series 9991 | |
| Marriage license index, 1879-[ongoing] | Series 23201 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1879-1966. | Series 23200 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1879-[ongoing] | Series 83876 | |
| Washington County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1921-[ongoing] | Series 84258 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1885-[ongoing] | Series 23174 | |
| Marriage licenses and applications, 1885-[ongoing] | Series 83156 | |
| Wayne County Clerk | ||
| Marriage license applications, 1933-[ongoing] | Series 84078 | |
| Marriage license record books, 1892-[ongoing] | Series 84075 | |
| Weber County Clerk | ||
| Marriage record book, 1887-1896. | Series 23148 | |
| Marriage licenses, 1887-[ongoing] | Series 6118 | |
| Marriage license index books, 1888-1949. | Series 22634 | |
| Marriage license applications, 1888-[ongoing] | Series 84260 | |
Page Last Updated December 22, 2021.