Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

Marriage Licenses, Records, and Ordination

How to Apply for a Marriage License in Lake County

  • Both parties must appear in person to complete the application. If one of the parties is not available, the individual who is absent will be required to complete a verification statement from our office that includes having their signature notarized.
  • Social security numbers must be provided for each party. There is an additional form to complete for those individuals who do not have a social security number. That form can be obtained at this office.
  • If either applicant has been married previously, information regarding the termination of the most recent marriage is required, i.e., date, location. If the previous marriage ended in divorce, the name of the court (i.e. 6th Judicial) where the marriage was terminated is required.
  • The regular application fee for a marriage license is $115.00 (cash or check).
  • Reduced fee:
    • If the applicants provide at the time of application, a statement on letterhead paper, that is signed, dated, and notarized (or affixed with the church seal) from the person who provided pre-marital education confirming that the education was received, the application fee is reduced to $40.00 (cash or check).
    • In order to qualify for the reduced fee, the couple must have received at least 12 hours of pre-marital education that included the use of a pre-marital inventory and the teaching of communication and conflict management skills. The training must be provided by a licensed or ordained minister, a person authorized to solemnize marriages under Minnesota Statutes, section 517.18, or a person licensed to practice marriage and family therapy under Minnesota Statutes, section 148b.33. Click here to view/print a Sample Educator’s Statement.
  • There are no refunds.
  • Licenses are valid for six (6) months.
  • Questions regarding marriage licenses? Please contact Lake County Vital Records at (218) 834-8301 or LakeCoVitals@co.lake.mn.us or you can access Minnesota Statute 517 for laws regarding marriage in the State of Minnesota.

Request a Copy a Marriage Certificate

Please note that in the State of Minnesota, marriage certificates are recorded in the county in which the marriage license was obtained and not necessarily in the county where the marriage took place. To find out which Minnesota county a marriage was recorded in, please use the MOMS website link below.

The cost for certified and non-certified copies of marriage certificates is $9.00 per copy. Checks should be made payable to Lake County Vitals. Requests for marriage certificates may be made in person at our office or by mail. We require a request form to be completed (see link below), or provide a letter to our office listing both applicant’s names as they were prior to the marriage as well as the date of marriage.

You may also request a copy of a marriage certificate online through the MOMS (Minnesota Official Marriage System) website at www.moms.mn.gov.

File Credentials to Perform Marriages in the State of Minnesota

In accordance with Minnesota Statute 517.05, “Ministers of any religious denomination, before they are authorized to solemnize a civil marriage, shall file a copy of their credentials of license or ordination or, if their religious denomination does not issue credentials, authority from the minister’s spiritual assembly, with the local registrar of a county in this state, who shall record the same and give a certificate of filing thereof. The place where the credentials are recorded shall be endorsed upon and recorded with each certificate of civil marriage granted by a minister.”

To file your ordination credentials to perform marriages in the State of Minnesota, we require that you submit:
Two (2) original signed copies of the Ordination Filing form along with your original ordination credentials to our office and a filing fee of $25.00 (cash or check) made payable to Lake County Vital Records. (either in person or by mail) (faxes and emails are not accepted) We will record your ordination and return your original credentials along with one recorded copy of the Certificate of Filing form to you for your records.

Once your credentials have been filed in any county in the State of Minnesota, you are able to perform marriages in any county within the boundaries of the State of Minnesota.

If you have any questions, please contact our office at (218) 834-8301 or email LakeCoVitals@co.lake.mn.us