Guide to Wisconsin Marriage Records

Wisconsin marriage records are official documentation of marriages performed in the Badger State. They may contain various types of information depending on the record and the time when it was created. Generally, requesters can find details such as the spouses' names, marriage date and location, current residence, parents' names, and the marriage officiant's name.

A marriage record may refer to a general term used to describe any record related to marriage. While many people also use this term to refer to both a marriage license and a marriage certificate, they are not the same. The marriage license is a permit needed to legally marry, while a marriage certificate is issued after a marriage has been concluded and recorded with the appropriate authority.

Marriage records have various practical uses. They are helpful for genealogical or family history research. Marriage records are required in cases of divorce and matters related to property, estate, inheritance, or any other personal rights.

Types of Marriage Records in Wisconsin

Wisconsin marriage records are commonly issued in the following forms:

Marriage Certificates

A marriage certificate is the official record confirming that a marriage occurred and was registered in Wisconsin. It identifies the spouses and records information about the date and location of the marriage.

This record can be obtained as a certified or uncertified copy. A certified copy is printed on security paper bearing a raised seal and the signature of the state or local registrar. It can be used for legal purposes. However, an uncertified copy contains the same record information but is printed on plain paper. Uncertified copies of Wisconsin marriage certificates cannot be used for legal or identification purposes.

Certified copies are available through the Wisconsin Vital Records Office and Wisconsin county Register of Deeds offices.

Marriage Licenses

Unlike a marriage certificate, which is obtained after the wedding ceremony, a marriage license is the legal authorization couples must obtain before they can legally marry in Wisconsin. Marriage licenses are issued by county clerks. Once issued, a Wisconsin marriage license is valid for 60 days.

Are Marriage Records Public in Wisconsin?

Marriage records are public in Wisconsin. However, a certified copy of a Wisconsin marriage record in which the marriage occurred after September 30, 1907, can only be issued to a requester with a direct and tangible interest in the record. Otherwise, only persons with a court order may access certified marriage records.

Anyone who does not qualify for a certified copy can generally request an uncertified copy for informational purposes. While an uncertified copy contains the same information as a certified copy, it cannot be used for identity or legal purposes.

What Information Is Included in a Marriage Record?

A Wisconsin marriage record typically includes the following:

• Current and birth names of both spouses
• Dates and places of birth
• Parents' birth names
• Residence information
• Date of marriage
• County and municipality where the marriage took place
• Marriage-license number
• The issuing county and date of issuance
• Officiant's name
• Witness information on the completed marriage document

Note that not all information collected during the marriage license application process is publicly disclosed. The application identifies confidential information, including Social Security numbers and contact details.

How to Find Marriage Records in Wisconsin

Step 1: Identify the Marriage Details

Start by gathering the couple's complete names, including their former names if known. Having the estimated wedding date and location can also help in narrowing down the search.

Step 2: Find the Record Custodian

To obtain marriage records from October 1907 to the present, contact the Office of Vital Records in Wisconsin. Marriage records can also be obtained from the Register of Deeds office in a particular Wisconsin county, though availability depends on local records.

For older vital records that were registered before October 1907, contact the Wisconsin Historical Society's Pre-1907 Vital Records Collection.

Step 3: Choose How to Search

Wisconsin marriage records can be obtained via the following options:

• Online: Through the state's authorized third-party vendor, VitalChek, or other official county-partnered services.
• By mail: Mailing a completed application, a photocopy of ID, and payment to the state office or a county Register of Deeds
• In person: At a county Register of Deeds office or the state office in Madison.
• Through third-party genealogy databases: For historical research rather than certified legal copies, search the Wisconsin Historical Society archives or genealogical databases like FamilySearch.

Step 4: Submit a Record Request

To request a marriage record by mail, complete the Wisconsin Marriage Certificate Application, include the required ID document, and pay the appropriate search and copy fee.

The state charges $20 for the first copy and $3 for each subsequent copy of the marriage certificate ordered at the same time. Mail requests can take 2 weeks or more to process.

How to Get a Certified Marriage Certificate in Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, only individuals who have a direct and tangible interest in a marriage record may obtain a state-issued copy of the marriage certificate. The list of eligible applicants comprises the bride and groom, immediate family members, and an authorized representative.

To obtain the state-certified copy, the applicant must have an acceptable government-issued document to prove their identity. Wisconsin accepts one ID document to prove your identity, such as a driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, military ID, or tribal ID. Alternatively, the applicant may provide two acceptable documents, such as a bank or employment statement, a lease agreement, a health insurance card, a utility bill, a traffic ticket, or vehicle registration or title papers.

The cost of obtaining a certified marriage certificate is $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional copy ordered with the certificate.

Requests for the marriage certificate may be made in the following ways:

• By phone or online: This is processed through VitalChek, the state's approved vendor. The DHS states that online requests are usually processed within a week.
• By mail: Mail applications are made to the office of Wisconsin Vital Records. The DHS estimates a processing time of about 2 weeks plus mail time.
• Through a county Register of Deeds: Local ordering and in-person options vary by county.

A certified copy of a Wisconsin marriage certificate can be used for various purposes, such as legal, governmental, recordkeeping, and administrative.

How to Get a Marriage License in Wisconsin

Wisconsin county clerks are responsible for issuing marriage licenses in the state. Residents and non-residents can apply for a marriage license from any county clerk's office in Wisconsin.

Typically, both applicants (couples) are present when applying for the marriage license and must provide the required documentation to the county clerk. Common requirements include documentation proving identity and age, a certified birth certificate, current residence details, the Social Security number, and documentation proving the dissolution of a previous marriage, if applicable.

Applicants can obtain a Wisconsin marriage license if they are 18 years or older and can prove their legal competence. However, persons aged 16 and 17 must obtain written consent from a parent, guardian, or legal custodian to marry.

Marriage license fees are set by the county and vary from county to county. Typically, it ranges between $60 and $150. For instance, Milwaukee County charges $120, Bayfield charges $60, while Dane County charges $150.

According to Wisconsin law, there is a 3-day waiting period before a marriage license is issued. This means applicants should apply for a marriage license at least 3 days before their wedding day. However, in limited cases, the county clerk may waive the waiting period.

Once a marriage license is issued, it is valid for 60 days. The marriage ceremony must take place in Wisconsin, and an authorized officiant, such as an accredited ordained minister, priest, judge, or other person legally qualified under Wis. Stat. § 765.16, is required to preside over the ceremony. Wisconsin requires two competent adult witnesses (18 or older) at the ceremony, in addition to the officiant.

Who Can Request Marriage Records?

Eligibility for a marriage record depends on whether a requester wants a certified or uncertified copy. Under Wisconsin law, a certified post-1907 marriage certificate is available only to individuals with a direct and tangible interest. Such persons include:

• Either spouse named on the certificate.
• A parent, child, sibling, or maternal or paternal grandparent of a person named on the certificate.
• A legal custodian or guardian.
• An authorized representative of an eligible person, including an attorney.
• A person who can demonstrate that the record is necessary to determine or protect a personal or property right.

Grandchildren, stepparents, stepchildren, and stepsiblings do not qualify for a certified marriage certificate because they are related to the spouses named on the record. However, they may qualify under another authorized category. Government agencies may obtain marriage records when disclosure is authorized for official government duties.

Genealogists and individuals unrelated to the spouses named on the record can obtain non-certified copies.

Free and Online Marriage Record Searches

Wisconsin does not provide a free online means to obtain copies of certified marriage certificates. However, limited information on marriage records is available online for free.

Some county Register of Deeds websites allow free searches for spouses' names and dates to verify the existence of marriage records. Searchers can also use historical and genealogy databases, such as FamilySearch and county archives indexes, to find older marriage records.

The Wisconsin Historical Society provides a free online index to its pre-1907 vital records collection. The marriage index can be searched by name and year and may provide the marriage date, county, volume, and page information needed to locate the full record.

If the exact date of a record is unknown, Wisconsin Vital Records can conduct a broader search. For marriage licenses granted from October 1907 to 1972, a search for every 5-year period cost $20. The multiyear index from 1973 to date is treated as a single search period charged at the same $20 cost. Similarly, the earliest filed records through September 1907 also constitute one multiyear search period. Providing both spouses’ names, an approximate date of marriage, and the possible county will make a search more effective.

Common Law Marriage in Wisconsin

Since Wisconsin abolished common-law marriages in 1917, no amount of cohabitation or shared finances is recognized by the state to mean a common-law marriage between two persons. Only a formal license and wedding ceremony create a recognized marriage in Wisconsin.

However, if a couple validly formed a common-law marriage in a state that recognizes common-law marriages, Wisconsin will honor the marriage under the U.S. Constitution's Full Faith and Credit Clause.

How to Correct an Error on a Marriage Record

Wisconsin law allows the marriage officiant or the county clerk who issued the marriage license to make qualifying corrections to a marriage that occurred within the past 365 days. However, for a marriage more than 365 days old, a court order is required to amend the record.

Errors in a marriage record may involve information that was entered incorrectly when the record was prepared. These include misspelled spouses' names and incorrect birthdates, marriage dates, and wedding locations.

If the applicant has a certified copy of the marriage record, it must be mailed to the Wisconsin Vital Records Office, along with a letter detailing the required changes and specifying what the corrected document should show. In case the applicant does not have a copy, they must first order a certified copy. Afterward, a letter stating the nature and reasons for the changes must be forwarded to the Vital Records Office alongside the certificate. Then, the DHS will forward instructions on how to obtain a court order.

If the marriage took place more than 365 days ago, the process of obtaining the amendment usually includes:

• Contact the office of the county clerk in the county where the marriage took place to submit the Petition to Amend the Wisconsin Marriage Record.
• Providing a certified copy of the marriage certificate, showing the error, alongside a document supporting the correction.
• Obtain a Report of Court Order to Amend a Wisconsin marriage certificate.
• The clerk of the court sends the order to the State Vital Records Office for completion.

In amending the record in the state office itself, there are no charges, except for the cost of getting copies of the amended certificate. However, the fees for filing the petition are separate and vary by county. The processing time is usually about 1-2 weeks.

Marriage Records and Name Changes

A certified marriage certificate is the standard documentation needed when someone plans to effect marriage-based name changes with government agencies. Some organizations that require this certificate are:

• The Social Security Administration: The SSA requires this certificate to issue the new Social Security card.
• The Wisconsin DMV: The state Division of Motor Vehicles uses the certificate to issue a new driver’s license or state ID.
• The U.S. State Department: This agency requires a certified copy of a marriage certificate for a passport name change.

Changing the name after the marriage is not the same as correcting a marriage record. The latter is amended only in the event of errors in the original marriage information. A name change neither requires nor means correcting the original marriage record.

Marriage Records for Genealogy and Family History

Genealogical researchers in Wisconsin find the state's historical marriage records useful for tracing family history.

The Wisconsin Historical Society holds over 1 million marriage registry entries in its collection, with most dating from about 1880 onward. While it was mandatory to register marriages in Wisconsin since 1852, not all marriages were recorded in the earlier decades. Note that the Wisconsin Historical Society includes records only until September 30, 1907.

The Pre-1907 Vital Records Collection can be searched online by name or by year of marriage. Results can be filtered by county.

For later genealogy research, the Wisconsin Vital Records Office allows appointment-based in-person research. Researchers can currently inspect marriage records from the earliest filed records through 1967 and marriage indexes through May 2015.

Older Wisconsin marriage records may have missing information, as registration in Wisconsin was not enforced in the early years of recordkeeping.

Frequently Asked Questions