Find Yazoo County Marriage and Divorce Records

Getting a Marriage License in Yazoo County

In Yazoo County the Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps the county marriage records. Robert Coleman holds that office, and his staff handles the application, the signing, and the recording after a ceremony. The same office files Circuit and County Court cases, draws juries, records professional licenses, and registers voters, so marriage work shares a busy public counter. Couples apply in person at the Circuit Clerk's office on East Broadway Street in Yazoo City.

Eligibility and identification rules deserve a careful read before anyone drives downtown. Yazoo County's official FAQ still says each applicant should bring a blood-test receipt dated within the last 30 days, a picture ID, and, for anyone under 21, a parent's signature on the registration form. Many Mississippi counties no longer require a blood test, so that posted language may be out of date. Call the Circuit Clerk at 662-746-1872 before applying to confirm the current requirements, the license fee, and whether both partners must appear together.

Note: Marriage licenses, jury duty, voter registration, and passport help all run through the same Circuit Clerk window, so call ahead to confirm which service the counter is handling that day.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

A short call before you arrive removes most of the guesswork, because posted requirements can lag behind current practice. The steps below follow the official Circuit Clerk and county FAQ guidance for a Yazoo County marriage license.

1. Call the Circuit Clerk at 662-746-1872 to confirm current requirements, the fee, and whether both applicants must appear together.
2. Gather a picture ID for each applicant, plus any proof of age the office requests.
3. Ask the office about the FAQ's blood-test receipt language so you know whether it still applies.
4. If either applicant is under 21, confirm the parent-signature step on the registration form.
5. Apply in person at the Circuit Clerk's office, 209 E. Broadway St., Yazoo City, MS 39194.
6. After the ceremony, confirm the return and recording process so the marriage record is filed and searchable later.

Marriage License Application Fields

The application gathers identity and history details for both partners. The table lists what the Yazoo County FAQ and Circuit Clerk references describe, with a note where a requirement should be confirmed by phone rather than assumed.

Yazoo County Marriage and Divorce Record Fees

Fees split between the state health department and the county clerks. The Mississippi State Department of Health publishes its vital-records charges, while Yazoo County's clerk copy fees are not posted online and should be confirmed before you mail any payment.

Note: The county did not publish a marriage license price or a clerk copy fee in the sources reviewed, so confirm the current amount and accepted payment methods by phone first.

How to Look Up Yazoo County Marriage Records

Two offices can produce a Yazoo County marriage record. The Circuit Clerk keeps the local file from the license it issued, and the Mississippi State Department of Health keeps a statewide marriage index. The state agency lays out its ordering channels on its marriage records page.

That page explains that Mississippi marriage records are kept by both state and county officials, and it points people back to the Circuit Clerk in the county where the license was issued. The state copy covers records from January 1, 1926 to June 30, 1938, and from January 1, 1942 to the present.

You can order a state copy by mail with a cashier's check or money order, online or by phone through a private vital-records vendor with a credit card, or in person at the Ridgeland office between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. In-person orders may be paid by cash, cashier's check, money order, or card, and the record is mailed within seven to ten business days. The health department warns that not every marriage may be on file even though registration is required by law, so the Circuit Clerk remains the most direct source for a Yazoo County license.

How to Find Yazoo County Divorce Records

Divorce in Yazoo County is a Chancery Court matter. The Chancery Court hears domestic and family cases, including divorce, custody, alimony, and property division, and the Chancery Clerk keeps the certified decrees. April Adams-Jones serves as Chancery Clerk, and her office at 211 E. Broadway Street holds the divorce files. For office detail and recording duties, the county profiles the Chancery Clerk office that manages these equity records.

The Mississippi State Department of Health does not keep certified divorce decrees. It explains the limit and the index option on its divorce records page.

The state offers only a five-year index search for $17 that points to the county where the divorce was granted along with the book and page number in the Chancery Clerk's office. A divorce file may include the complaint, the answer, property and custody agreements, and the final decree, but sensitive financial details and matters involving children can be sealed or redacted before a copy is released.

How to Locate a Divorce Decree

When you are not certain where a divorce was granted, the state index narrows the search before you contact a clerk. These steps move from a statewide lookup to a certified county copy.

1. If you know the divorce was granted in Yazoo County, contact the Chancery Clerk directly at 662-746-2661.
2. If the county is unknown, order the MSDH five-year divorce index search for $17.
3. Use the county, book, and page result to request a certified decree copy from the Chancery Clerk.
4. Expect redactions or sealed material on sensitive family-law filings, especially anything involving minor children.

Restricted Family Records in Yazoo County

Not every family file is open to the public. Chancery Court handles divorce, custody, adoption, and emancipation, and several of those record types carry strong confidentiality rules. Adoption files contain sensitive identity and family information and are not treated as ordinary public Chancery records. Access to an adoption file may require party status, an attorney, statutory authorization, or a court order.

Other family matters can be limited as well. Civil commitments and records involving mentally disabled persons may hold medical detail that is not public, and youth matters that move through Youth Court are confidential under Mississippi law. Guardianship and minor-settlement files that overlap with Yazoo County probate records are often restricted or redacted. Even when a divorce docket is open, a released copy may hide Social Security numbers, account numbers, and the names or birth dates of minor children.

When You Need a Certified Copy

A printout from a screen is not the same as a certified copy. Courts, lawyers, and many government agencies will only accept a certified record carried under the office seal. For a marriage, a certified copy can come from the Circuit Clerk that issued the license or from the state health department, while a certified divorce decree comes only from the Chancery Clerk.

Plan ahead for timing and payment. The state mails an in-person order within seven to ten business days, and mailed requests take longer. Because Yazoo County clerk copy fees are not posted, confirm the amount and the accepted payment forms before sending money. Ask whether the office takes cash, a money order, or a card, and whether a self-addressed stamped envelope speeds the return.

Mississippi State Department of Health Vital Records

The state vital-records office is the statewide backstop for marriage records and for the divorce index. Its main vital-records hub explains every record type it handles, from births and deaths to marriage and divorce events. The agency describes its services and ordering steps on its vital records page.

For a Yazoo County couple, the office serves two roles. It can sell a certified marriage record copy, and it can run the five-year divorce index search that locates the granting county and the book and page for the decree. Once that search points to Yazoo County, the certified decree itself still comes from the Chancery Clerk.