Washington Marriage Records
Washington marriage records are public documents held by county auditors across all 39 counties, and by the Washington State Department of Health for events from 1968 forward. If you need a certified copy of a marriage certificate, want to search historical records, or need to confirm a marriage took place in Washington, this page covers your options. The state office in Tumwater handles certificates from 1968 to present. For older records, county auditors and the free Washington State Digital Archives are your best sources. You can search online, request by mail, or visit a county auditor in person.
Washington Marriage Records Overview
Where Washington Marriage Records Are Kept
The county auditor in each of Washington's 39 counties keeps marriage records for licenses issued in that county. When a couple marries, the officiant has 30 days to return the signed certificate to the county auditor. The auditor keeps one copy and forwards another to the state. That state copy ends up at the Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics.
The Washington State Department of Health holds marriage records from January 1, 1968 to the present. Records from the last five months may not yet be in the state system. It can take up to five months from the wedding date for a record to reach Tumwater. If you need a very recent marriage certificate, go to the county auditor in the county where the license was issued. The county certified copy works for most everyday purposes, including name changes on insurance or a driver's license. Most federal agencies require the official copy from the Department of Health.
The Washington State Library also maintains a marriage index for 1968 through 2004. Library staff can do lookups on request through their Ask-A-Librarian service. The library holds over 50 titles indexing early Pacific Northwest marriages, making it a strong tool for genealogy.
The Department of Health can also issue a Single Status Letter confirming you have no marriage on record. The fee is $25 and it covers a 10-year search period. This letter is often needed when traveling abroad to get married.
The DOH Vital Records page has full instructions for ordering marriage certificates, including forms and fee schedules updated regularly.
The office is located at Town Center 2, 111 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, WA 98501. Visits are by appointment only. No walk-ins are accepted.
Note: The Center for Health Statistics phone line is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 360-236-4300. Spanish-language service is available through option 8. Email: ContactCHS@doh.wa.gov.
How to Get Washington Marriage Records
The Washington State Department of Health gives you four ways to order a marriage certificate. Online and phone orders go through VitalChek, the state's only contracted third-party vendor. Call 1-866-687-1464 or visit the VitalChek portal through the DOH website. Online and phone orders typically ship within 3 to 7 business days. Mail orders take 6 to 8 weeks after the office receives and processes your payment. In-person visits require an appointment in advance.
For mail requests, send a completed order form and payment to: Center for Health Statistics, Department of Health, PO Box 9709, Olympia, WA 98507. The fee starts at $25 per certified or noncertified informational copy. The fee is nonrefundable. Additional charges may apply for expedited shipping options beyond standard first-class mail. To check the status of your order, email ContactCHS@doh.wa.gov or call 360-236-4300.
The DOH marriage records ordering page has the full process, accepted payment methods, and a link to the official order form.
The ordering page also lists required information and estimated processing times for each request method.
When you order, provide the first and last name of at least one person on the record, the approximate month and year of the marriage, and the county where the license was obtained. Giving both names speeds things up and reduces the chance of a delay. Anyone can request a copy. You do not need to prove any relationship to the people named on the record.
County auditors also provide certified copies at the local level. Fees vary by county but most charge $3 to $10 per copy. County records only cover marriages where the license was issued in that specific county. If you do not know which county issued the license, start with the Department of Health for any post-1968 marriage.
Washington Marriage License Requirements
Before any marriage can take place in Washington, the couple must get a license from a county auditor. This requirement is found in RCW 26.04.140. You can apply at any county auditor's office in the state, not only the one in the county where the wedding will happen. The license is only valid for ceremonies performed within Washington State. No residency is required for either applicant.
Both applicants must be 18 or older. Under RCW 26.04.010, marriage is a civil contract between two persons who have each reached the age of 18. Any marriage where either party is under 18 is void. Washington law also prohibits marriages between close relatives under RCW 26.04.020, which bans unions between spouses who are closer than second cousins.
The RCW Chapter 26.04 page covers all of Washington's marriage laws in one place, including license requirements, prohibited marriages, and officiant rules.
The statute is regularly updated and reflects current Washington State law on marriage and marriage record requirements.
Under RCW 26.04.180, a license cannot be used until three days after the application date. It expires after 60 days. So the valid window runs from day three through day 63 after the application. County auditor offices may issue the license at the time of application but must note this restriction in writing. License fees vary by county. Many counties raised fees effective July 27, 2025. Typical fees now range from $136 to $172, though some counties differ.
Per RCW 26.04.050, a marriage ceremony may be performed by justices of the Washington Supreme Court, Court of Appeals judges, Superior Court judges, commissioners, judges of courts of limited jurisdiction, federal court judges, tribal court judges from federally recognized tribes, or any regularly licensed or ordained minister, priest, imam, rabbi, or similar official of a religious organization. Ministers from other states can legally perform ceremonies here.
What Washington Marriage Records Contain
Washington marriage records include two types of documents: the license application and the marriage certificate. The application is filed before the ceremony and collects identifying information. The certificate is completed after the wedding and documents the event itself.
Under RCW 26.04.160, the marriage license application must include each applicant's name, address, age, Social Security number, birthplace, and marital history. Social Security numbers are redacted on public copies. The certificate under RCW 26.04.080 must include the names and residences of both parties, the names of at least two witnesses, the date and place of the ceremony, and the date the license was issued. The officiant signs the certificate and is responsible for returning it to the county auditor within 30 days under RCW 26.04.090. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor.
Under RCW 26.04.170, marriage applications are open to public inspection. Once a license is recorded, it cannot be unrecorded. The only exception is for people enrolled in the state's Address Confidentiality Program.
The CDC's guide to Washington vital records is a helpful reference listing the Department of Health as the primary contact for marriage certificates statewide.
The CDC page confirms contact information and ordering methods for marriage records in Washington.
Historical Washington Marriage Records
Washington marriage records go back to the territorial period. Clark County has records dating to 1843. Spokane County's collection runs from 1880 to present and has been fully digitized. King County's records at the Digital Archives span 1855 to 2017 with over 1.6 million records indexed. Marriage records in Washington are among the most complete and digitized vital record sets of any western state.
The Washington State Digital Archives is the best free tool for historical marriage records research. You can search the entire collection by name, browse by county, or use the Soundex matching system for phonetic name variants. Records are indexed by Groom and Bride for marriages before December 6, 2012, and by Person A and Person B after that date, reflecting Washington's Marriage Equality Act.
The Digital Archives page for Washington is a comprehensive gateway to digitized county-level records from across the state.
The search interface allows users to browse collections by county or search statewide by name and date range.
For marriages before 1968, records may be at the county auditor's office or at one of the five regional archives branches: Puget Sound Regional Branch in Bellevue at (425) 564-3940, Northwest Regional Branch in Bellingham at (360) 650-3125, Central Regional Branch in Ellensburg at (509) 963-2136, Southwest Regional Branch in Olympia at (360) 753-1684, and Eastern Regional Branch in Cheney at (509) 235-7508. Each branch holds records transferred from the counties in its region.
The King County marriage records collection at the Digital Archives includes over 1.6 million records, making it one of the largest county-level collections in the state.
The King County collection includes applications, returns, and certificates from both the County Auditor (1855-1969) and the County Recorder (1970-2017).
The Pierce County collection at the Digital Archives covers marriage certificates from 1889 to 1947 and 1984 to present, along with applications from 1999 to 2014, with over 491,000 records total.
The Pierce County records are indexed by name and date and include images for many of the older certificates.
The Spokane County collection runs from 1880 to present and is updated monthly as the Spokane County Auditor transfers new records directly to the Digital Archives.
The Spokane County collection includes marriage applications, licenses, returns, and certificates spanning nearly 150 years.
The Washington State Library genealogy collection holds over 50 titles indexing early marriages in the Pacific Northwest and maintains a statewide marriage index for 1968 through 2004.
The library offers a free lookup service through their Ask-A-Librarian page for researchers who need help finding specific marriage records.
Note: Pre-1938 Washington marriages often have two separate documents: the license and a "return" filled out at the ceremony. The return includes the actual wedding date, witnesses, and parents' names. If you are searching for a pre-1938 marriage, request both items.
Browse Washington Marriage Records by County
Every county in Washington has an auditor who issues marriage licenses and maintains local marriage certificate records. Select a county below to find the auditor's contact information, fees, and local search tools.
View All 39 Washington Counties
Marriage Records in Major Washington Cities
Cities in Washington do not issue marriage licenses. You get your license from the county auditor. The pages below cover which county handles records for each major city and how to access them.