Lincoln County Marriage and Divorce Offices
Marriage licenses are County Clerk records. The Lincoln County Clerk marriage license page says both applicants must appear together, sign and swear to the application before the clerk, and use the license within Kentucky. The County Clerk office is at 301 N. 3rd Street, Stanford, KY 40484, phone 606-365-4570. Nancy Jackson is the Lincoln County Clerk, and the office handles marriages from the late 1700s to the present along with land records, wills, liens, surveys, elections, and other local clerk records.
Divorce records are court records. In Kentucky, Family Court is a division of Circuit Court where present, and Lincoln County has Family Court divisions in the 28th Judicial Circuit. Divorce and dissolution files should be requested through the Lincoln County Circuit Court Clerk, not through the County Clerk marriage-license counter. The Circuit Court Clerk is Angelia Doolin, and the clerk office phone is 606-365-2535.
| Record Type | Custodian | Common Access Path |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license and local marriage record | Lincoln County Clerk | Apply or request at 301 N. 3rd Street, call 606-365-4570, or use County Clerk open-records channels. |
| Divorce case and decree | Lincoln County Circuit Court Clerk | Use KYeCourts for public case lookup when available, then request copies or certifications from the clerk. |
| State vital certificate path | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics | Use state vital-record channels when a state-issued certificate is required. |
Lincoln County Marriage License Rules
A Lincoln County marriage license is issued by the County Clerk. The clerk page states that both bride and groom must appear together, the license is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance, the fee is non-refundable, and the license must be used in Kentucky. There is no waiting period and no blood test. The application must be signed and sworn before the County Clerk who issues the license.
Age rules require care. The County Clerk page says a person must be 18 to marry in Kentucky without parental consent. Applicants who are 16 or 17 must have parental consent, and the license must be issued in the county of residence of the underage applicant. The page also says no one under 16 may receive a license unless pregnant and a District Court Judge issues an order directing the clerk to do so. Because minor-marriage rules are sensitive, under-18 cases should be confirmed directly with the County Clerk before a visit.
Apply for a Lincoln Marriage License
Prepare before going to the County Clerk because both applicants must be present and must be ready to give sworn information. No official online Lincoln County marriage license application portal was located in the research. The access channel is the County Clerk office, with open-records channels available for clerk-held records that cannot be handled at the counter.
- Confirm the County Clerk's current hours and any special license instructions by calling 606-365-4570.
- Both applicants go to 301 N. 3rd Street in Stanford with the information needed for the license application.
- Provide names, addresses, birth details, parental names, current marital status, prior marriage count, occupations, race, relationship information, and intended marriage date.
- Sign and swear to the application before the County Clerk or deputy clerk.
- Use the license for a Kentucky ceremony within 30 days from issuance.
The Lincoln County Clerk contact form provides a web inquiry path for office questions.
The contact form is not a substitute for appearing together to get a license, but it can help confirm local office questions before the visit.
Lincoln County Marriage Application Fields
The County Clerk's marriage license information is more detailed than many local clerk pages. It identifies the personal and family details the applicants must provide, and it also flags Kentucky's cousin-marriage restriction. These fields matter for both new license applications and later record searches because names, birth data, and prior names can help locate the right marriage record.
| Field or Required Information | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name and address | Yes | Required for both applicants. |
| Date of birth and current age | Yes | Used for age eligibility. |
| Place of birth | Yes | If Kentucky, give county; if another state, give state. |
| Father's name | Yes | Required by the clerk page. |
| Mother's first and maiden name | Yes | Required by the clerk page. |
| Current status | Yes | Single, divorced, annulled, or widowed. |
| Number of previous marriages | Yes | Required for both applicants. |
| Occupations and race | Yes | Required for both applicants. |
| Relationship | Yes | First and second cousins are not permitted to marry in Kentucky. |
| Date of marriage | Yes | Intended ceremony date. |
| Sign and swear before clerk | Yes | Both applicants must be present. |
Lincoln County Marriage and Divorce Fees
The research confirms that the marriage license fee is non-refundable, but it does not give the exact marriage license amount. It also does not give a local divorce filing or certified decree fee schedule. For that reason, fee-sensitive requests should be confirmed with the office that holds the record before mailing payment or visiting the counter. County Clerk open-records requests require fees to be paid in advance before copies are obtained.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | Fee is non-refundable; confirm current amount with the County Clerk. |
| County Clerk open-records copies | Fees must be paid in advance before copies are obtained. |
| Divorce filing | Confirm current filing fee with the Circuit Court Clerk or court forms. |
| Certified divorce decree copy | Confirm certification and copy charges with the Circuit Court Clerk. |
| State vital certificate | Use the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics fee schedule for state-issued certificates. |
Note: Do not send payment for a marriage or divorce record until the holding office confirms the amount and copy type.
Search Lincoln County Marriage Records
No official Lincoln County online marriage-record search portal was located in the research. The local path is the County Clerk, whose site says the office has marriage records from the late 1700s to the present. Requests can be made in person or by contacting the office. If the marriage-related request cannot be handled at the counter, the County Clerk open-records process can be used for clerk-held records.
The County Clerk open-records page says requests must be filed with the government entity that oversees the record. A written request must include the applicant's name, phone number, address, precise documents requested, residency of the applicant, and any other helpful information if the standardized Attorney General form is not used. Requests may be hand delivered, mailed, emailed, or faxed, and the office responds within five business days of receipt.
Find Lincoln County Divorce Records
Divorce records are filed through Circuit or Family Court, not the County Clerk. A divorce file may include the petition, summons, public financial disclosures, custody and support orders, property settlement, decree, and post-decree motions. Public case information may appear through KYeCourts public case search, and future settings may appear on the Kentucky Court of Justice docket search. Certified copies and older divorce files go through the Circuit Court Clerk.
Some divorce-related material is restricted or redacted. Child-related filings, protected addresses, domestic-violence details, sealed exhibits, and personal identifiers are not always available to the public. If the divorce record is needed for legal, immigration, benefits, remarriage, or title reasons, request a certified decree or order from the Circuit Court Clerk rather than relying on a public case lookup screen.
- Use KYeCourts if a public case lookup is enough to identify the case.
- Use the docket search for future hearing dates, selecting LINCOLN and the correct division.
- Call the Circuit Court Clerk at 606-365-2535 for copy, certification, and older-file instructions.
- Ask whether the file is at the clerk office, a record facility, or restricted by court order or law.
Certified Copies and Vital Records
Certified marriage-license copies and certified divorce decrees come from different record custodians. The County Clerk is the local marriage-license custodian. The Circuit Court Clerk is the divorce case custodian. Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics channels may be appropriate when a state vital-record certificate is required, while historical local marriage records remain a County Clerk path.
For Lincoln County marriage records, useful search details include both names, date of marriage, date of birth, prior marital status, and any older spelling or name variation. For divorce records, useful details include party names, approximate filing year, case number if known, and whether a certified decree or the full case file is needed. Precise requests reduce delays and help the clerk identify whether public access limits apply.