Putnam County Marriage License Office
The local marriage-license custodian is the Putnam County Recorder of Deeds. The Missouri Association of Counties directory places the Recorder at 1601 Main Street, Room 202, Unionville, MO 63565, with phone 660-947-3295. Local pages conflict on the current officeholder name, so the office title is the more reliable label for marriage license and copy requests. The Recorder is separate from the Circuit Clerk, which handles divorce case files and other court records.
Missouri law requires a license before a Missouri marriage. The license application must be signed in the presence of the recorder or deputy, or through an approved electronic process that verifies identity. A person seeking a Putnam County marriage license should call the Recorder before appearing to confirm current identification rules, fee, payment method, and whether any local scheduling practice applies. No county web form or online Putnam marriage-license portal was published in the official local sources.
Putnam County Recorder of Deeds
1601 Main Street, Room 202
Unionville, MO 63565
660-947-3295
County offices: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
Apply for Putnam County Marriage
The application route is simple, but the record rules are exact. Applicants should confirm with the Recorder what identification is accepted, whether both applicants must appear in person for the planned method, and whether an electronic application option is available locally. Missouri law also has special affidavit and sworn-statement provisions for certain incarcerated or military applicants, but those provisions require government identification copies, verification, or notary steps. The Recorder can say what the local office will accept for filing.
- Call the Recorder of Deeds at 660-947-3295 to confirm the current application method, identification, fee, and payment options.
- Prepare each applicant's legal name, identifying information, Social Security number if one exists, and prior-marriage information if required.
- Appear before the recorder or deputy, or complete the approved electronic process if the local office offers one and identity can be verified.
- Sign the application and complete any required attestations about identity and relationship.
- Use the license within the state law validity period and give it to the officiant for completion after the ceremony.
- Make sure the officiant returns the license to the issuing official so the marriage record can be filed.
RSMo 451.040 covers application content, identity rules, license validity, special applicant provisions, and Missouri's rule voiding common-law marriage.
That statute is the reason the Recorder route is more than a copy request; it is also the legal intake point for a valid Missouri marriage license.
Putnam County Marriage Application Fields
The marriage application field inventory comes from Missouri law rather than a Putnam County online form. Some fields apply to standard applicants, while others are tied to special affidavit procedures for incarcerated or military applicants. Social Security information is treated differently from public marriage details because the statute links it to an exemption from public examination or copying. Applicants should not assume every data point on an application becomes part of a public copy.
| Field / item | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant names | Text | Yes | Required for standard applications and special affidavit processes. |
| Date of birth | Date | Yes for special affidavit | Specifically listed for the incarcerated or military affidavit process. |
| Social Security number or no-SSN statement | Text / attestation | Yes if the applicant has one | SSN is exempt from public examination or copying. |
| Prior marriage ended date | Date | Conditional | Required for the special applicant process if previously married. |
| Relationship attestation | Attestation | Yes | Applicants attest they are not related in a prohibited way. |
| Identity verification | ID / electronic verification | Yes | Online issuance requires identity verification unless applicants appear in person. |
| Government photo ID copy | File or copy | Special cases | Used for incarcerated or military applicant provisions unless an exception applies. |
| Notary acknowledgment | Notarial | Special cases | Applies to affidavit or sworn-statement processes. |
Putnam County License Return Rules
A Missouri marriage license is void after 30 days from issuance. That timing affects Putnam County couples because the ceremony and return process must fit within the statutory framework. After the ceremony, the person who performs the marriage must return the license to the issuing official within fifteen days. If the license is not returned, the Recorder may not have the completed marriage record needed for a certified copy.
The return rule comes from RSMo 193.185, which requires the officiant to return the license to the issuing official after the ceremony.
For copy requests, that return step is often the point that separates an issued license from a completed marriage record.
Return check: If a marriage copy is needed soon after the ceremony, ask the officiant when the completed license was returned to the Recorder.
Putnam County Marriage Copy Fees
A published Putnam County marriage license fee, certified marriage copy fee, divorce filing fee, or divorce decree copy fee was not located in the official local sources. Rather than assume a dollar amount, use the office that holds the record. Marriage fees and certified marriage copies go to the Recorder. Divorce filing and decree copy questions go to the Circuit Clerk. State-level vital records requests may have their own fees, eligibility rules, and order channels.
| Record or service | Custodian | Published amount in official local sources |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | Recorder of Deeds | Not located; verify with 660-947-3295 |
| Certified marriage copy | Recorder of Deeds | Not located; verify with the Recorder |
| Divorce filing | Circuit Clerk | Not published in the official local sources |
| Certified divorce decree copy | Circuit Clerk | Not located; verify with 660-947-2071 |
| State marriage or divorce statement | Missouri Bureau of Vital Records | Use the state order channel for current requirements |
Note: A copy fee is not the only issue; the office may also need names, dates, proof of eligibility, and a correct payment method.
Search Putnam County Marriage Records
For county-level Putnam County marriage records, start with the Recorder of Deeds in Room 202. A useful request includes both spouses' names, the approximate marriage date, and whether a certified copy is needed. If the marriage license was issued in another Missouri county, the issuing county is the better local route. A Putnam County residence or ceremony location does not always prove that Putnam County issued the license.
The state-level route is the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records, which maintains a central registry of Missouri marriages and divorces since July 1, 1948.
The central registry is useful for statewide verification, but the county Recorder remains the focused source for the local license and certified county copy.
Find Putnam County Divorce Records
Divorce records are Circuit Court records, not Recorder of Deeds records. Search Case.net by litigant name or case number for dissolution cases. A public case summary may show the parties, filing date, case status, docket events, and judgment entries, while sensitive details may be restricted or redacted. For a certified divorce decree, contact the Putnam County Circuit Clerk in Room 204 at 660-947-2071. The Circuit Clerk also handles court records that do not appear online, older paper files, and certified court copies.
Missouri dissolution terminology comes from RSMo 452.300 and related statutes. That legal framework is not a substitute for the case file itself, but it explains why divorce records are court records rather than recorder instruments.
When a decree is needed for remarriage, benefits, name change, or enforcement, request the certified court copy from the clerk rather than relying on a docket summary.
Missouri Vital Records Registry
The Missouri Bureau of Vital Records can be used for state-level marriage and divorce verification, including records in the central registry since July 1, 1948. State records are not the same as a full divorce case file or the Recorder's local marriage-license record. Eligibility and order method can matter, so use the state instructions when a statewide statement is enough and use the county office when a local certified record is required.
The state order path is described on the Missouri vital records order page.
That state channel gives a fallback when the event county is uncertain or when a statewide vital-record statement is the document being requested.
Missouri Bureau of Vital Records
Statewide marriage and divorce registry
Use the official DHSS vital records order channel
Restricted Family Record Details
Marriage records have public and nonpublic parts. The application may include Social Security information, and Missouri law treats that information as exempt from public examination or copying. Divorce case records can include financial, child, medical, address, and protected personal information that may be sealed, redacted, or withheld. A public Case.net entry is not the same as access to every filed document.
For family-history searches, the Recorder and state registry may be enough. For litigation, custody, support, property division, or certified decree needs, use the Circuit Clerk and ask what parts of the file are public. Court staff can provide record access instructions, but not legal advice. Related estate or guardianship issues belong to the Probate Division of the Circuit Court.