Find Union County Clerk Records

Union County Clerk Records Split

Union County does not have a Texas-style district clerk for trial-court files. The State Court Structure Map identifies a split responsibility. Union County Circuit Court staff and the Trial Court Administrator maintain court case files, registers, dockets, certified court copies, and court records requests. The elected Union County Clerk and Recorder handles county recording, marriage licenses, elections, passports, and service to the Property Value Appeals Board.

The elected County Clerk and Recorder is Lisa Feik. The county page lists her as a nonpartisan elected official with a term through 2027. Her office is at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, La Grande, OR 97850, phone 541-963-1006, fax 541-963-1013. Public hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a lunch closure from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Marriage and passport work is by appointment only.

Union County Clerk Duties

The County Clerk and Recorder page describes the Recorder as the County Archivist and the office of origination for property transfers. Public records such as County Commissioners minutes, resolutions, orders, and property transactions are filed or recorded there. Property documents include deeds, mortgages, and assignments. The office mission is to file or record documents allowed by statute in a timely way and to provide continuity for county offices that use information from those recordings or filings.

• Records property transfers and county public-record documents allowed by statute.
• Issues Union County marriage licenses by appointment.
• Conducts elections for the county.
• Acts as a passport agent by proofing and transmitting passport applications.
• Serves as clerk to the Property Value Appeals Board.

Court case records are different. Criminal, civil, family, divorce, probate, protective-order, and many traffic records are Circuit Court records when filed in Union County Circuit Court. Those files are accessed through OJD, OECI, courthouse kiosks, or court records requests.

Request Union County Certified Copies

Certified copy requests depend on the source record. A certified deed, recorded county document, or marriage certificate is a County Clerk and Recorder matter. A certified divorce judgment, probate order, criminal judgment, or civil court order is a Union County Circuit Court matter. Certified copies are useful when a record must prove a filed document or legal status for a government office, title company, court, school, or benefits process.

1. Identify whether the record is a court case document or a county-recorded document.
2. For Circuit Court records, gather the case number, party names, case type, and document name.
3. For Clerk and Recorder records, gather the recorded document type, names, property details if relevant, and approximate recording date.
4. Tell the office whether the copy must be plain, certified, or exemplified for court use.
5. Ask for the current fee and payment method before mailing or appearing in person.
6. Use the courthouse drop box only for court filings or court-directed submissions, not county recorder work unless the receiving office has told you to do so.

Union County Public Records Form

Union County's public-records procedure says requests must be in writing and as specific as possible. Use of the County Public Records Request Form is preferred. Requests go to Union County Administrative Officer Shelley Burgess at 1106 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850, by fax at 541-963-1079, or by email at sburgess@union-county.org. Inspection may occur during normal business hours when inspection is preferred over copies.

The county's public records procedure appears at Union County public records request.

That page is the fallback route for county administrative records, but it is not the main way to request filed Circuit Court case records.

Union County Clerk Fee Schedule

Union County's adopted public-record fee order gives the researched copy and production fees below. The public-records web page and adopted order differ slightly on free staff research time: the web page mentions the first half-hour, while the fee order says up to 15 minutes is no charge and over 15 minutes is billed. For dollar amounts, use the adopted fee order unless the office gives a newer estimate.

Union County Recording Channels

Recording is one of the Clerk and Recorder's core functions. Documents may be walked into the Clerk's Office or sent by mail, UPS, or FedEx. Union County also allows e-recording, but the county describes it as a business-to-business process. A member of the public who wants to e-record must take the document to a title company or attorney with e-recording capabilities. That company handles electronic submission and regular recording fees.

The county cautions that documents must be recorded in the county where the property is located. It also says documents with incorrect fees, whether overpaid or underpaid, will be returned for correction. This matters for deeds, mortgages, assignments, and other property documents because a rejected recording can delay the effective public record. Normal formatting, fee, and recording requirements apply to e-recorded documents.

Union County Circuit Court Files

Court files are handled by Circuit Court staff, not by Lisa Feik's recording office. OECI is the official ORS 7.020 register for Oregon circuit courts and the Tax Court. OJD's records and calendar tools can show basic case information and court dates. The Union County court records request page says non-confidential, non-sealed records are public, and that court staff help with copy requests on a first-come, first-served basis.

Newer court documents may be reviewed through kiosk computers in the courthouse lobby. Older files that have not been digitized may require a retrieval request. Certified court copies are complete filed documents sworn true by a court clerk. Exemplified copies, also called three-way certificates, require clerk and presiding judge authentication and take extra processing time. For court-file research, the Union County Circuit Court page explains the trial court role in more detail.

Note: Marriage licenses and recorded deeds belong with the County Clerk and Recorder; divorce judgments and probate orders belong with Circuit Court records.