Getting a Marriage License in Menominee County
A Menominee County marriage license is issued by the County Clerk, not by a church or the courts. Clerk Marc Kleiman oversees the filing and recording of birth, death, and marriage records, prepares certified copies, and hands couples the license they must obtain before a wedding can be legally performed. The office sits on the second floor of the county courthouse at 839 10th Avenue in Menominee, Michigan 49858, and keeps weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can reach the Clerk at (906) 863-9968 before you visit.
Under Michigan law a marriage license is more than a form. It is an application made by affidavit and sworn in front of the clerk. Because the local Clerk page does not publish a fixed identification checklist or a firm waiting period, a quick phone call is the surest way to confirm what to bring, how long processing takes, and how much the total will run once any local or out-of-state amounts are added to the state base fee. The same office also serves as the filing clerk for the County Clerk functions that touch Circuit Court cases.
The affidavit requirement comes straight from Michigan's marriage code, published in full at MCL 551.102, which directs each applicant to file the application in the form of an affidavit with the county clerk.
Reading that statute makes clear why both partners must appear and swear to the application in person before a Menominee County marriage license can be issued.
Note: Call the Clerk before you drive in, because the county page does not list a set waiting period or a fixed identification requirement online.
How to Apply for a Marriage License in Menominee County
Applying is straightforward once both applicants are ready to appear together. The affidavit basis means the clerk needs each person present to sign and swear, so plan the visit for a time when both of you can be there. The steps below follow the order the County Clerk uses, from first contact through the certified copy you may want later.
- Call (906) 863-9968 or visit the County Clerk on the second floor of the courthouse during business hours to confirm current requirements and, where offered, schedule a time.
- Complete the marriage license application in affidavit form, with both applicants present to sign.
- Present the identification, age, and residency proof the Clerk requests, since the office verifies these at the counter.
- Pay the fee, which starts at the statutory base amount and may include additional local or out-of-state charges that the Clerk will total for you.
- Wait out any processing time the office applies, then pick up the license once it is ready.
- Have an authorized officiant perform the ceremony, return the signed certificate for recording, and request a certified copy from the Clerk if you need proof of the marriage.
Menominee County Marriage License Application Fields
The application collects the information the state and county need to confirm eligibility and to build a permanent vital record. The local Clerk does not post the exact form online, so the field inventory below follows the standard Michigan county model built on the affidavit requirement. Treat it as a preparation checklist rather than a line-by-line reproduction of the county form.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant legal name | Yes | Sworn on the affidavit basis under MCL 551.102 |
| Residence and address | Yes | Determines county and state validity rules |
| Date of birth and age | Yes | Establishes age eligibility; identification is expected |
| Place of birth | Usually | Standard marriage-license data |
| Parents' or birth names | Usually | Standard vital-record data |
| Prior marriage status | Usually | May require a divorce or death date |
| Ceremony location and date | Usually | Out-of-state couples may need the issuing county |
| Oath and signature | Yes | The application is made by affidavit |
Menominee County Marriage and Divorce Record Fees
Only one fee on the marriage and divorce side is fixed by statute and documented for Menominee County, the marriage license base fee. Michigan sets that amount at twenty dollars, paid to the county clerk, and you can read the fee statute at MCL 551.103. The county page does not publish local charges for certified copies or for divorce filings, so the table marks those as amounts to confirm by phone rather than figures to guess at.
The fee statute confirms that the base license charge is paid directly to the County Clerk, and it explains why the office is the right place to ask about every other marriage and divorce copy cost.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license (Michigan base fee) | $20.00 |
| Certified marriage record copy | Call the County Clerk |
| Divorce filing (Circuit Court) | Call the County Clerk |
| Certified divorce judgment copy | Call the County Clerk |
Note: Twenty dollars is the statewide license base fee only, so confirm certified-copy and filing costs with the Clerk because those local amounts are not published online.
Certified Menominee County Marriage Records
After a wedding, the signed certificate returns to the County Clerk for recording, and the office then holds the official marriage record. A certified copy is the version that carries legal weight for name changes, immigration, benefits, and probate. Michigan treats the clerk's record and its certified copies as prima facie evidence of the marriage, a point established by MCL 600.2133.
Because that statute gives the certified copy its evidentiary standing, an uncertified printout or an informational copy is not a substitute when an agency or court asks for proof of the marriage.
To order, contact the County Clerk with the full names of both spouses and the approximate date of the marriage. The office prepares certified records and copies as part of its vital-records duties, and staff can confirm the current copy fee, accepted payment, and identification when you call. Ordering by mail is possible at the same 839 10th Avenue address, though calling first avoids a rejected or underpaid request.
Finding Menominee County Divorce Records
Divorce is a domestic relations matter, and in this county those cases belong to the 41st Circuit Court. The County Clerk serves as the clerk for the Circuit Court judges, receives and processes every Circuit Court filing, and opens new cases, so the same office that issues marriage licenses is also where a divorce file begins and where certified judgments are requested. That dual role is why searchers sometimes assume the Probate Court handles divorce; it does not, and you can compare its separate role on the Probate Records page.
Public case information may be searchable through the statewide portal at MiCOURT Case Search, where availability varies by court and case type. What you will not find online is the document itself. Michigan court rules bar public access to document images over the internet, a limit explained on the state's records management page, so obtaining the actual complaint, judgment, or settlement usually means a courthouse visit or a clerk request. A divorce file can hold the judgment of divorce, property division, and any custody or support terms, while sensitive attachments and protected details may be restricted.
Friend of the Court in Menominee County Divorce Cases
When a divorce involves minor children, a second office enters the record. The Friend of the Court provides services to parties with minor children in divorce, family support, and paternity matters. It investigates and recommends custody, parenting time, child support, and medical support, enforces the resulting orders, and helps collect, record, and distribute support payments. You can reach the office at (906) 863-8981.
For a records searcher, this means the divorce judgment in the Circuit Court file may not tell the whole story. Ongoing custody, parenting-time, and support activity is tracked through the Friend of the Court, and some of that information is protected. The office also makes clear it cannot give legal advice, enforce personal protection orders, or investigate criminal matters, so questions outside its role belong with the court or an attorney.
Note: A divorce judgment on file may be modified later, so current custody or support terms can differ from what the original judgment shows.
Confidential Family Details in Menominee County Divorce Records
Not everything in a marriage or divorce case is open to the public. Personal protection orders are processed by the Clerk as Circuit Court matters, and safety information, addresses, and protected-party details may be withheld even when the existence of a case is public. Adoptions and juvenile matters fall within Circuit Court jurisdiction as well, and those files are generally confidential, reachable only through lawful access channels rather than a routine name search.
Michigan records standards also require redaction or restricted display of protected identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and information about minors. The practical takeaway for anyone pulling a Menominee County divorce record is simple: the docket may confirm that a case exists and how it resolved, but the most sensitive pages are shielded by rule. When in doubt about what you can lawfully obtain, ask the County Clerk or the court directly rather than relying on a third-party aggregator.