Union County Marriage License Records
Marriage licenses in Union County, Oregon are issued by the Union County Clerk and Recorder. The office is the county-level licensing office, not the divorce court. Applicants go through the Clerk and Recorder at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, La Grande, OR 97850. The office phone is 541-963-1006. Public hours listed by the county 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., and closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
The county states that marriage and passport services are by appointment only. Both parties must be present. Each applicant must be at least 18, and the official marriage license application must be completed and signed by both parties in the Clerk's Office. Union County does not list a blood test or physical exam requirement. The license can be used anywhere in Oregon after the waiting period has passed, but it does not create a permanent marriage record until the completed license is returned after the ceremony.
The official Clerk elected-official page is the source for Lisa Feik's office profile and contact details. Its Union County Clerk and Recorder information appears at the county elected-official page.
That office profile matters because marriage license records are a Clerk and Recorder function, while divorce records are kept by the Circuit Court.
Apply for Union County Marriage Records
The application process is short, but the timing rules are strict. A Union County marriage license costs $54. Payment may be made by cash, card, money order, or check. The license has a three-day waiting period after issuance before it can be used, and the ceremony window lasts 60 days after the license becomes effective. The county says the license is not extendable. If the 60-day period expires, a new license is required.
- Contact the Union County Clerk and Recorder to schedule the required marriage license appointment.
- Have both parties appear at the Clerk's Office. The county requires both parties to be present.
- Complete and sign the official marriage license application in the Clerk's Office.
- Pay the $54 license fee by one of the payment methods the county accepts.
- Wait three days after issuance before using the license for a ceremony in Oregon.
- Make sure the ceremony occurs within 60 days after the license becomes effective.
- Have the officiant complete and return the license to the Clerk within five days after the ceremony.
The officiant return rule is easy to miss. The license is not just a keepsake for the couple. It is the document that lets the Clerk complete the county marriage record after the ceremony.
Union County Marriage Application Fields
Union County's public research materials identify the required application steps more clearly than a full blank form. The county requires an official application, signed in the office by both parties, plus age eligibility and payment. The field inventory below is limited to the items documented in the official county requirements, so it does not add unverified questions that may appear on a state form or office worksheet.
| Field or requirement | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party 1 identity and presence | In-person applicant | Yes | Both parties must be present at the Clerk's Office. |
| Party 2 identity and presence | In-person applicant | Yes | Both parties complete the office process together. |
| Official marriage license application | Office form | Yes | Completed and signed in the Clerk's Office. |
| Applicant age | Eligibility item | Yes | Applicants must be at least 18. |
| License fee | Payment | Yes | $54 by cash, card, money order, or check. |
Union County Marriage Record Fees
The researched fee schedule gives a specific marriage license fee and payment methods. It also gives county public-record copy fees, which may matter when a requester asks for county-held administrative records or certified county copies. The research did not locate a Union County page with a separate divorce filing or certified divorce judgment amount, so divorce-copy requests should be confirmed with Circuit Court records staff or the Oregon Judicial Department fee schedule.
| Item | Researched amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Union County marriage license | $54.00 |
| Marriage license payment methods | Cash, card, money order, or check |
| County photocopies or electronic copies | $0.25 per page, $1.00 minimum |
| County certified copies under public-record fee order | $5.00 per certification plus $0.25 per page |
| Divorce judgment certified copy | Request from Circuit Court records staff; specific local amount was not found in the research file. |
Note: The marriage license fee is documented locally; court-copy fees for divorce judgments should be checked when the request is placed.
Lookup Union County Marriage Records
A certified Union County marriage copy can be used for DMV, Social Security, and name-change proof. The county's marriage page says the Clerk issues the certified copy after the marriage license has been completed and returned. That means a newly married person may need to wait until the officiant has returned the license and the Clerk has recorded it before requesting the certified copy.
For older or archived marriage material, the county record path can differ from modern appointment-based licensing. The Union County Clerk and Recorder is also the county archivist and recorder for public-record documents allowed by statute. Historical inventory materials from the Oregon Secretary of State show that some older county and court records may exist in volumes, boxes, microfilm, or archive locations rather than a modern web search result. A name, approximate date, and record type help staff route the request.
Find Union County Divorce Records
Divorce records in Union County are Circuit Court records. They are not issued by the Clerk and Recorder's marriage license counter. The Union County Circuit Court forms page links OJD family-law forms for Divorce, Legal Separation, Unmarried Parents, Modifications, Enforcement, Temporary Orders, and miscellaneous family matters. Court staff can provide forms and records routes, but staff cannot choose forms or give legal advice.
A practical divorce record search starts by confirming that Union County Circuit Court handled the case. OJD records and calendar search can help with basic case information and court dates. OECI and OJCIN routes may show register-of-actions details. For filed documents, use the Union County Circuit Court records request process. Newer public documents may be reviewed on courthouse kiosk computers, while older nondigitized files may need retrieval by court staff.
The research also points to confidentiality limits. Adoption and juvenile files are confidential, and family cases may contain protected personal information. Divorce judgments may be public in part, but exhibits, minor details, protected addresses, and sealed materials can be restricted or redacted.
Certified Union County Divorce Copies
Certified copies serve a different purpose than an online case screen. A certified marriage copy comes from the Clerk and Recorder after the completed license is returned. A certified divorce judgment copy comes from the Circuit Court record because the divorce is a court case. Union County Circuit Court's records page defines certified copies as complete filed documents sworn true by a court clerk. It also defines exemplified copies, sometimes called three-way certificates, as copies authenticated by the clerk and presiding judge.
Requesters should identify the case number if known, the names of the parties, the approximate filing or judgment date, and whether the copy must be plain, certified, or exemplified. Exemplified copies take extra processing time in the OJD records process. For a broader explanation of court-file access, the local Union County court records page is the better starting point.
Restricted Union County Family Records
Family-law and marriage-related files do not all have the same public status. A marriage license record handled by the Clerk is different from a divorce case file, a custody matter, an adoption case, or a juvenile matter. Union County Circuit Court records guidance says adoption and juvenile cases are confidential and require special access routes. Oregon law also protects some juvenile court records under ORS chapter 419A.
The Oregon Legislature's juvenile-record provisions are available through ORS chapter 419A.
That statewide confidentiality framework explains why some family records can be withheld even when the case was filed in a public courthouse.