Lookup Houston County Marriage and Divorce Records

Alabama Marriage Certificates, Not Licenses

Houston County does not issue a traditional marriage license in the older courthouse-counter sense. Alabama uses a marriage certificate recording process. The couple completes the Alabama Marriage Certificate, signs it, has it notarized by an Alabama notary, and records it with an Alabama probate court. In Houston County, marriage certificate recording is handled by the Probate Office at the Houston County Administrative Building, 462 N. Oates St., Dothan, AL 36303.

The local Probate marriage certificate page states that certificates can only be notarized by an Alabama notary. Probate Office hours for this service are 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the county instructs people to be in the office by 5:00 p.m. The Probate Office is closed Fridays. The marriage becomes valid when the properly completed, signed, and notarized Alabama Marriage Certificate is recorded by an Alabama probate court within the required time.

The official Houston County marriage certificate instructions are posted on the Probate marriage certificates page.

That county page is the local source for the $80 recording cost, office timing, Alabama-notary instruction, and certified copy process.

Step-by-Step Marriage Certificate Recording

The practical process is closer to recording a legal certificate than applying for permission to marry. The form should be prepared before the visit or mailing, because Houston County's role is to record the certificate and issue certified copies after recording. If either spouse signs on a different date, the Alabama Department of Public Health says the marriage date is the later signature date, as long as the form is delivered to probate court within 30 days of that later signature.

1. Get the current Alabama Marriage Certificate form and complete the spouse-identification fields before recording.
2. Have both spouses sign the form and have the signatures notarized by an Alabama notary, as required by Houston County instructions.
3. Deliver the signed and notarized certificate to Probate within 30 days of the latter spouse signature date.
4. Pay the Houston County recording fee of $80. In person, Houston County accepts cash or debit/credit cards, with a 2.5% additional charge for debit or credit cards.
5. For mail recording, send the signed and notarized certificate with an $80 cashier's check or money order to P.O. Drawer 6406, Dothan, AL 36302.
6. Request certified copies at the time of recording if needed for name changes, insurance, immigration, benefits, or other proof-of-marriage uses.

Marriage Certificate Form Fields

The marriage certificate form asks for personal identifying information for each spouse. Some fields are sensitive and should not be treated as ordinary public-display information. The public record user normally searches by names and recording information, while the form itself is completed by the couple and notarized before recording.

Houston County Marriage and Divorce Fees

Marriage charges come from the Probate Office. Divorce copy charges come from the Circuit Clerk's Domestic Relations division and may depend on the file, number of pages, and certification need. The research located an exact marriage recording and copy schedule, but not a fixed divorce decree copy amount.

Search Houston County Marriage Records Online

Houston County's Ingenuity portal offers a direct "Look up Marriage Records" option. The county's online real property records page also says users can search marriage records through the "Look up Land Records" path. Searching and viewing are free, and the county says there is no daily, weekly, or monthly limit on viewing records. Downloads or copies through the portal are $1 per page.

Use name variations carefully. Houston County search guidance says to choose the search type based on the information available, enter names last name first for name searches, avoid punctuation, and avoid overfilling fields when a broader search is needed. Certified marriage copies still come from Probate, even when the record is located online.

The official Ingenuity Houston Probate portal includes marriage, probate case, and land record search options.

The portal is useful for locating a recorded certificate before contacting Probate for a certified paper copy.

Find Houston County Divorce Records

Divorce records are not Probate Office marriage records. Houston County Domestic Relations is a division of Circuit Court, and divorces are primarily filed there. Divorce case files may include pleadings, service returns, settlement papers, child support or custody filings, orders, and the final decree. State vital records may issue a divorce certificate, but the case file and decree are Circuit Clerk records.

The Clerk's Domestic Relations information strongly recommends consulting an attorney, especially when children are involved. The Clerk cannot give legal advice and does not have fill-in-the-blank forms for many pleadings. The office does not accept email or faxed paperwork; originals are required. Notices and trial settings are mailed to attorneys or, for self-represented parties, mailed directly to the party. Address changes must be made to the Clerk in writing.

For an uncontested divorce, Alabama law includes a 30-day waiting period before the judge may sign the decree if the paperwork is otherwise in order. If additional paperwork is required, the judge issues an order. For contested divorce, the case is randomly assigned to a judge. After the plaintiff files, the Clerk sends the case for service on the defendant. If the defendant lives out of state, the plaintiff must provide certified mail and postage. The defendant has 30 days to respond.

The Alabama divorce grounds statute is available through the Code of Alabama portal.

That state-law source helps explain why a local divorce record may contain more than a simple certificate or index entry.

Certified Copies and State Vital Records

For certified marriage copies from Houston County, the Probate FAQ says copies are $3 each. A mail request should include the request, a copy of one spouse's ID, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Certified copies may also be obtained while recording the marriage certificate. Call Probate Court or Recording at (334) 677-4701 if the copy need is unusual or tied to a portal record.

For divorce decree copies, contact Domestic Relations at (334) 677-4805 for an estimate. Copy requests can be made in the Clerk's office with money order or cash. Money orders should be payable to Houston County Circuit Clerk. The courthouse has an ATM in the lobby, but credit cards are not accepted for decree copy requests.

The Alabama Department of Public Health provides a state vital-records route for marriage certificates. ADPH lists a $15 search fee and offers online or phone ordering through VitalChek at 1-888-279-9888, with additional service and shipping fees. The state vital-record channel is different from the Houston County Probate recording counter and different from the Circuit Clerk's divorce case file.

The 30-day waiting period for an uncontested divorce is reflected in Alabama's divorce waiting period statute.

State statutes matter for timing, but Houston County office procedures control where the local copy request is submitted.

Marriage and Divorce Office Contacts