Pacific County Marriage Records

Pacific County marriage records are kept by the County Auditor in South Bend, Washington. The county offers online document search going back to March 1873, which is one of the older searchable databases in Washington State. If you need to find a marriage record, get a certified copy, or look up historical marriage data for Pacific County, this page explains your options. The Washington State Digital Archives also has over 16,000 Pacific County marriage records from 1872 to 1947 and 1996 to present available to search at no cost.

Pacific County Auditor

Alex Gerow serves as the Pacific County Auditor. The office issues all marriage licenses and maintains official records for the county. Pacific County has a robust online search system that lets you look up recorded documents going back to March 4, 1873. This includes marriage records, marriage applications, marriage certificates, and marriage dissolutions. The online system covers a wider date range than many other county systems in Washington.

The auditor's main office is in South Bend. Pacific County also has an office in Long Beach that handles records requests on a limited schedule. If you're coming from the Long Beach Peninsula, the Long Beach office may be more convenient, though its hours are shorter.

Getting a Marriage License in Pacific County

Both parties must appear in person at the Pacific County Auditor's office to apply for a marriage license. Each applicant needs a valid government-issued photo ID. No residency requirement applies. You do not have to live in Pacific County or Washington State to get married here.

Washington's mandatory three-day waiting period applies after the license is issued, as set by RCW 26.04.180. No exceptions exist. The license is valid for 60 days from issuance. After the ceremony, the officiant signs and returns the license to the county. The auditor records the document and forwards a copy to the state Department of Health.

All marriage applications in Washington are public record under RCW 26.04.170, unless the applicant is enrolled in the Address Confidentiality Program. The Pacific County Auditor can answer questions about the application process by phone at (360) 875-9315 or by email at auditor@co.pacific.wa.us.

Certified Copies of Pacific County Marriage Records

Certified copies of marriage records in Pacific County cost $5 for the first page and $1 for each additional page. This is the county fee set by the Pacific County Superior Court Clerk. The filing fee for submitting documents is $30 per presentation. Contact the auditor or clerk directly for specific copy requests.

For marriages from 1968 forward, you can get a certified copy through the Washington State Department of Health at $25 per copy. Mail orders take six to eight weeks. VitalChek online orders process in three to seven business days. Keep in mind it can take up to five months for a recent marriage to appear in the state system.

Note: Divorce records in Pacific County are maintained by the County Clerk at 300 Memorial Drive, PO Box 67, South Bend, WA 98586-0067. These are separate from the auditor's marriage records.

Pacific County Online Document Search

Pacific County offers one of the more comprehensive online search systems in Washington. You can search recorded documents going back to March 4, 1873 through the county government records portal. The system lets you search by grantor name, grantee name, document number, recording date range, both parties' names, and more. Document types available include marriage, marriage application, marriage certificate, and marriage dissolution.

The online document search portal allows guest access without an account. You can search by name and filter by document type. To search multiple document types, hold Shift or Ctrl when selecting. For date ranges, separate values with a colon. Contact Auditor Alex Gerow directly at auditor@co.pacific.wa.us for questions about specific records.

Historical Pacific County Marriage Records

The Washington State Digital Archives has 16,703 Pacific County marriage records. These include marriage certificates from 1872 to 1947 and marriage applications and certificates from 1996 to present. The record creator is the Pacific County Government Auditor. You can search by name for free at no cost at digitalarchives.wa.gov.

The Digital Archives collection for Pacific County covers two time periods: 1872 to 1947 and 1996 to the present. There is a gap between 1947 and 1996 in the archive; for records in that window, contact the county auditor directly.

The Washington State Library also maintains a guide to Pacific County records. The library's resource page at washstatelib.libguides.com documents the Pacific County Auditor Marriage Records collection spanning 1872 to 1947 and 1996 to 2024. This is a useful reference if you need to understand what is held in various archives before deciding where to send your request.

The Washington State Library's research guide covers all available Pacific County marriage record collections. It identifies both the Digital Archives collection and county-held records to help you decide where to look first.

Cities in Pacific County

Pacific County runs along the Washington coast. All marriage licenses for county residents are issued through the Auditor in South Bend, with a satellite office in Long Beach.

Communities in Pacific County include South Bend, Long Beach, Raymond, Ilwaco, Ocean Park, Naselle, and Chinook. None of these communities currently meet the population threshold for individual pages on this site. Marriage record requests should be directed to the Pacific County Auditor in South Bend.

Nearby Counties

Pacific County is in southwestern Washington. If the marriage you are looking for may have taken place in a neighboring county, check these offices.