Fayette County Marriage and Divorce Offices
Marriage licenses in Fayette County are County Clerk records. The Fayette County Clerk is a separate elected county office from the Circuit Court Clerk. The County Clerk's office handles marriage licensing and recorded legal records at 162 E. Main Street in Lexington. Divorce case files, decrees, custody orders, support orders, and post-decree motions are court records in the Fayette Circuit and Family Court system, handled through the Office of Circuit Court Clerk.
The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics has statewide marriage and divorce records from June 1958 to present. For events before June 1958, the state directs requesters back to the county clerk where the marriage license was issued or the circuit court clerk where the divorce decree was granted. This split is the main rule for Fayette County marriage and divorce records.
| Record | Primary office | Use this route for |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | Fayette County Clerk | Applying for a license and local marriage license records. |
| Certified marriage certificate | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics or County Clerk route as applicable | State certificate requests for June 1958 to present and local older records. |
| Divorce decree | Fayette Circuit Court / Family Court | Certified decree and divorce case-file copies. |
| State divorce certificate | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics | State certificate for June 1958 to present. |
Apply for a Fayette County Marriage License
Fayette uses an online pre-application, but the license is not complete until both parties appear at the County Clerk's Office. The application page instructs both parties to come to 162 E. Main Street, Room 132, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Both must bring approved identification under KRS 402.210, with driver's license or passport listed as examples, and pay the Fayette license fee.
- Begin with the Fayette online marriage application.
- Complete the online pre-application fields using names and addresses that match identification.
- Both parties appear together at the Fayette County Clerk's Office, Room 132.
- Bring approved identification such as a driver's license or passport.
- Pay the $60 Fayette marriage license fee by cash, check, or credit card.
- After the ceremony, the license is returned and recorded so certified copies can be issued.
The official Fayette marriage application is the source for the local license process.
The application image anchors the local County Clerk process, including the online start and in-person completion requirement.
Fayette County Marriage Application Fields
The application field inventory captured from the Fayette marriage form is practical rather than decorative. It shows that applicants should be ready to provide identifying and address information, then complete the legal process in person. The in-person requirement is part of the form workflow, not a separate court filing.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant names | Text | Required | Full legal names should match ID. |
| Street Address | Text | Required or unspecified | Visible in form text extraction. |
| City | Text | Required or unspecified | Applicant city. |
| State | Text | Required or unspecified | Applicant state. |
| Zip | Text | Required or unspecified | Applicant ZIP code. |
| In-person appearance | Process requirement | Required | Both parties must appear. |
| Identification | Document | Required | Driver's license or passport are listed examples. |
| Fee | Payment | Required | $60, payable by cash, check, or credit card. |
Fayette County Marriage and Divorce Fees
The research provides one specific local amount for this page: the Fayette marriage license fee. Other copy, certificate, and court-copy costs should be checked with the office that issues the copy because the research does not include a reliable fixed dollar amount for each item. Kentucky court civil filing fees also change July 1, 2026 under a Supreme Court administrative order, so invented divorce filing fees should not be used.
| Item | Amount or note |
|---|---|
| Fayette marriage license | $60; cash, check, or credit card accepted. |
| State marriage certificate | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics fee is a search/certificate fee and is not refunded if no record is found. |
| State divorce certificate | Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics requires a completed application and required fee. |
| Certified divorce decree copy | Request current copy and certification charges from the Fayette Circuit Court Clerk. |
| Divorce filing | Use current Kentucky Court of Justice fee schedule at filing time. |
Kentucky Marriage and Divorce Certificates
The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics marriage and divorce page states that OVS has marriage and divorce records from June 1958 to present. OVS cannot provide information, perform genealogy searches, or verify whether a certificate is on file without a completed application and required fee. It also does not issue photocopies, faxed copies, non-certified copies, or electronic copies of records.
A state certificate request needs the full name of the first party, full name of the second party, month, day, and year of marriage or divorce, the Kentucky county where the license or decree was issued, requester name and mailing address, daytime phone number, number of copies, and payment by check or money order payable to Kentucky State Treasurer. The mailing address in the research is Office of Vital Statistics, 275 East Main Street, 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621.
This state source is essential when the requester needs a Kentucky certificate rather than a local Fayette license file or court decree.
Find Fayette County Divorce Records
Fayette County divorce records are court records. They are generally handled through Circuit Court and Family Court, not the County Clerk. A divorce file can include a petition, summons or return, financial disclosures, custody and support orders, settlement agreements, mediation orders, final decree, and post-decree motions. Public access may be available for basic case or docket information, but sensitive family material can be sealed or redacted.
For a certified decree or full case-file copy, start with the Fayette Circuit Court Clerk. Public Kentucky Court of Justice tools can help locate a case or court date where available, but full documents, certified copies, and older files require clerk routing. The AOC criminal-record channel is not the correct path for divorce records.
Older and Restricted Fayette Records
Older pre-June 1958 events require local routing. Pre-1958 marriage records start with the Fayette County Clerk. Pre-1958 divorce records start with the Fayette Circuit Court Clerk. If a record is not online, the office may need names, date range, event type, and enough identifying detail to locate the file.
Family court files often contain protected information. Child identifiers, adoption-related material, domestic violence details, financial account numbers, protected addresses, and sealed filings may be unavailable or redacted. A certified copy proves an official record exists, but it does not mean every document in the family case is public.
Note: Marriage records and divorce records use different Fayette offices, so confirm the record type before requesting copies.