Monroe County Marriage and Divorce Records

Where Monroe County Marriage Records Are Kept

In New York, marriage licenses are issued by city and town clerks, not by the County Clerk. The Monroe County Clerk's own page is clear on this and notes the office does not record birth and death records either. A copy of a marriage license comes from the clerk who first issued it. For a marriage in the City of Rochester, that is the Rochester City Clerk. For a town or village wedding, it is that municipal clerk.

So a Monroe County marriage records search really means contacting the right local clerk. If you know the city or town where the couple applied, you go straight there. If you do not, the state can also help, since marriage certificates may be available through New York vital records under state eligibility rules.

This local model trips up a lot of people. They call the County Clerk expecting a marriage index and learn the office never held one. The County Clerk is the right office for divorce decrees and Supreme Court files, but not for the marriage license itself. Keeping that line clear is the single most useful thing to know before you start a search.

Getting a Marriage License in Monroe County

A couple applies for a marriage license at a city or town clerk's office, in person, with both parties present. New York applies the license statewide once issued, so a license from any New York clerk is valid across the state. There is a short waiting period before the license takes effect, and the license itself has a limited window in which the marriage must take place.

Both people apply together and show valid identification. The application asks about prior marriages, since proof a prior marriage ended may be needed. Rules and fees are set by the issuing clerk, so confirm the specifics with the city or town office before you go.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

The process is quick when you arrive prepared. Both parties must appear together at the issuing clerk's office.

1. Find the city or town clerk where you will apply, and check whether an appointment is needed.
2. Both parties go in person and bring valid government photo identification.
3. Complete the application, including any prior marriage details and proof a prior marriage ended.
4. Pay the license fee set by the issuing clerk.
5. Wait out the required waiting period before the license takes effect, then marry within the license's valid window.

Once the ceremony is done, the officiant returns the signed license, and a certified copy can be ordered from the same clerk later.

Marriage License Application Fields

New York uses a standard marriage license application across its clerks. The exact form may vary slightly by office, but the core information is consistent. The table below lists the fields a couple should expect.

Divorce Records Are Supreme Court Matters

Divorce in New York is handled by the Supreme Court, the state's trial court of general jurisdiction. In Monroe County, the Monroe County Clerk keeps the Supreme Court civil files, and the Clerk's page directs contested divorce questions to Supreme Court at 585-371-3758. So a divorce action is filed and tracked through the County Clerk and Supreme Court, not Family Court and not a vital records office.

Divorce files are sealed. The Monroe County Clerk states they are available only to the plaintiff, the defendant, or the attorneys of record. A nonparty needs a court order to view a file, and identification is required at the counter. This sealing follows Domestic Relations Law section 235, which keeps matrimonial records confidential.

The image below comes from the Monroe County Clerk's marriage and divorce record page.

The page explains who may get a divorce record and how to request it, and it routes filing questions to Supreme Court.

How to Get a Monroe County Divorce Decree

If you are a party or an attorney of record, you have three ways to request a divorce decree from the Monroe County Clerk. Each one needs enough detail to find the file and proof you are allowed to see it.

1. Go in person to the Clerk's Office at 39 West Main Street, Room 105, Rochester, with identification.
2. Mail a notarized letter requesting the document to the same address, payable by check to the Monroe County Clerk.
3. Call Customer Service at 585-753-1600 to confirm details and payment options.

Include the names, the index number if you have it, and the filing year. If staff must search for the file, the Clerk charges $5 for every two years searched.

Filing for Divorce in Monroe County

Filing starts with deciding whether the divorce is contested or uncontested. An uncontested case, where both spouses agree, can often be done with the state's self-help packet. A contested case usually needs a lawyer. The comparison below lays out the two paths.

Either path is filed in Supreme Court through the County Clerk or NYSCEF. Opening a Supreme Court civil action needs an index number, which the Clerk issues for $210 unless a fee waiver is granted. The NY Courts site provides uncontested divorce forms and checklists. After filing, papers are served on the other spouse, and the court follows its own steps before signing a judgment. The County Clerk routes contested questions to Supreme Court at 585-371-3758, which is the office to call when a case turns disputed.

Monroe County Marriage and Divorce Fees

The County Clerk publishes the fees that apply to divorce files and certified copies. Marriage license fees are set separately by the issuing city or town clerk, so confirm those locally. The table below shows the Clerk's published charges that touch these records.

Getting Certified Copies

A certified copy is the version courts and agencies accept as official. For a divorce decree, the certified copy comes from the Monroe County Clerk, who keeps the Supreme Court file. For a marriage certificate, the certified copy comes from the city or town clerk who issued the license. Plan to show identification, especially for a sealed divorce file.

Order what the receiving agency actually requires. A name change at the Social Security office, an immigration filing, or a new passport often calls for a certified copy, while an uncertified copy is fine for personal records. Give the Clerk the names, the index number, and the filing year so staff can pull the file quickly. Without an index number, a staff search runs $5 for every two years searched, so an index number is worth tracking down first.

New York Vital Records and the County Clerk

The County Clerk does not hold birth, death, or marriage certificates. Marriage certificates trace back to the issuing local clerk, and the New York State Department of Health handles vital records at the state level under its own eligibility rules. So for a marriage certificate, start with the city or town clerk; for a divorce decree, use the County Clerk. For driver and traffic records, which are separate state records, the New York DMV is the source.

Note: Birth and death records are not available from the Monroe County Clerk, so do not send those requests to the Clerk's Office.

Related Monroe County Records

For estate and probate matters, see Surrogate's Court records. For Clerk fees, certified copies, and filing, see the County Clerk page. For the trial court that hears divorce, see Supreme Court. For other agency records, see public records.