View & Obtain Free Hernando County Marriage Records: Resource

Search free Hernando County marriage records today. You may need the marriage records to satisfy a requirement for some business or legal situation, or you might be looking through marriage records as part of a genealogy search.

Regardless of your purpose, the authority to inspect and copy marriage records comes from the Florida Public Records Law. This statute allows citizens to access marital information for any reason, even to learn more about someone they know; the only caveat is that the information can not be used for illegal reasons.

To access marriage records, searchers must understand who the record custodian of these documents is and how to look them up or request copies. This streamlined article holds all the information you need to search marriage records in Hernando County quickly and effectively.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Track Down Hernando County Marriage Records

If you want to track down marriage records on your own, check with the Hernando County Clerk of Court, as they are the designated record’s custodian.¹

An individual can access marriage records online using the Clerk of Courts Record Search Tool.² This tool can be used for any marriage record from 1983 to the present.

Assuming you do not have the exact instrument or book and page number, you will want to perform a name-based search. You can do so by first selecting “name” on the search’s home page.

Under the document category drop-down menu, select “marriage license.” You can then enter a person’s name you want to search along with a date range for when the marriage license was issued.

The search results will provide you with the parties’ names, the date the marriage was recorded and where the physical copy of the record is located. You can click on the marriage record to view the complete information, including an image of the original marriage certificate. You can print off an informational copy of the marriage record if you want.

You can submit a record request with the Clerk of Court by phone, email, mail or in person. The cost to search for marriage records is $2.00 per name and year. A copy of the record is $1.00 per page plus an additional $2.00. Anyone can request a certified copy of a marriage record in Hernando County.

For additional information, you can contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Hernando County by calling the Recording Division at 352-540-6768. They are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Recording Division is located at the address below:

Hernando County Clerk of Court
20 N. Main St., Rm. 165
Brooksville, Florida 34601

If you are looking to access archived marriage records in Hernando County, you can learn about them in the next section.

How To Look Up Archived Marriage Records in Hernando County Florida

Many people have a desire to learn more about their family history by performing a genealogy search. When doing so, they will need access to a variety of information, including archived marriage records.

To inspect and copy archived Hernando County marital records, you can start by contacting the County Clerk of Court as they are the records custodian for these documents.⁴ Similar to other records, you can contact the Recording Division at 352-540-6768 to determine how to access these archived documents.

You can also submit a public records request with the Hernando County Clerk of Court. A request can be submitted via email to [email protected] or by phone to 352-540-6361. You can also submit a public records request by mail or in-person to the address below:

Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller
20 North Main St., Rm. 362
Brooksville, Florida 34601

Alternatively, you can find older marital information through various religious institutions, libraries and historical societies. You may find this information in indexes, old newspapers and other miscellaneous documents.

You may also consider contacting the State Archives of Florida to see what type of records they have available. You can call them at 850-245-6700 or send an email to [email protected]. They are located at the address below:

State Archives of Florida
R.A. Gray Building
500 S. Bronough St.
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Sometimes, people want to research similar or related types of records. For instance, common law marriage, which is the legal recognition of a couple as married despite not going through the formal process, is legal in some states.

In Florida, common law marriage is not recognized except for those entered into before 1968. Florida also does not recognize domestic partnerships or civil unions by state law.

How To Search Florida Marriage Records via State Agencies

With the above information, you are thoroughly equipped to search for marriage records at the local level in Hernando County. However, if you are looking for marriage records outside this county, you will have to either figure out how to search in that county or request them through a state government agency in Florida.

To request marriage records throughout the state, you can do so through the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics.⁶ They have marriage records available for request from June 6, 1927, to the present.

To request a record, complete their Application for Marriage Certificate. To complete the application, in addition to your own contact information, you must provide the following:

• Full names of spouses
• Date of birth for both individuals
• Date of marriage
• The county that issued a marriage license
• City and county of the marriage ceremony

This application, along with the fee, should be sent to the address below:

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
ATTN: Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, Florida 32331

To make a request in person, you can do so at the following location:

Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
1217 N. Pearl St.
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

A certified marriage record costs $5.00, which is also a non-refundable search fee, regardless of whether a marriage record is found. An additional $2.00 per year (up to $50.00) is charged if you do not know the year the parties were married.

Additional certified copies cost $4.00 and $1.00 for shipping and handling. If you need the record rushed, it will cost an additional $10.00.

If you have any additional questions, you can contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics by phone at 904-359-6900 or by email at [email protected]. Their office is open from Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

For an online option, a citizen can request a marriage record from VitalChek, an approved third-party vendor. However, there are additional processing and shipping fees required.

How To Apply for a Marriage License in Hernando County Florida

As part of the marriage process, two people seeking to get married must apply for a license. Each county may have its own fee structure and process for making a request. If you and your significant other are looking to apply for a marriage license in Hernando County, you can do so through the Clerk of Circuit Court.⁸

For a couple to be eligible for a marriage license in Hernando County, both people must be at least 18 years old and able to prove their age with official government-issued identification (e.g., passport, driver’s license etc.). Another prerequisite to receiving a marriage license is the reading of Florida’s Family Law Handbook.⁹

The fee for a marriage license in Hernando County is $86.00, and there is a mandatory three-day waiting period for Florida residents (non-residents do not have a waiting period). However, there is an exception to the three-day waiting period if the parties can provide completion certificates for an approved premarital preparation course.¹⁰ Completion of this course also reduces the marriage license fee to $61.00.

The Main Office is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (weekdays), and the Spring Hill Office is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (weekdays). The main office does not accept applications after 4:30 PM and 4:00 PM for the Spring Hill Office. If you have any questions before you go to apply for a marriage license, you can call the Clerk’s Office at 352-540-6768.

To receive a marriage license, you can complete an application at any marriage license kiosk at either Clerk of Court Office address provided below:

Main Office (Government Center)
20 N. Main St., Rm. 165
Brooksville, Florida 34601

Spring Hill Office
7405 Forest Oaks Blvd.
Spring Hill, Florida 34608

After the application is complete, you and your partner can present the Clerk with proof of age. Once you receive your marriage license, you have sixty days to have the marriage ceremony performed.

A marriage ceremony can be performed in any county in Florida. If you are not planning your own marriage ceremony, you can have it performed at either Clerk’s Office location for a $30.00 fee.

You should now be prepared to take the next steps in applying for a marriage license; this resource also provides the search tools necessary to look up recent and archived Hernando County marriage records.