DeKalb County Marriage License
Marriage records are handled by the DeKalb County Recorder of Deeds, not the Circuit Clerk. Recorder Ashley D. Johnson issues and maintains marriage licenses from the courthouse at 109 W Main St, PO Box 248, Maysville, MO 64469. The office phone is 816-449-5010 option 6, and the office email is recorder@dekalbcountymo.gov. The Recorder's regular office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a daily closure from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Marriage-license service runs Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The county marriage-license page asks applicants to call for an appointment. Both parties must appear together in person with valid government-issued picture identification or a passport. If either person was previously married, the application requires the date the last marriage dissolved. Applicants may not be related through and including first cousins. The license must be presented to the person performing the ceremony, the ceremony must occur in Missouri within 30 days of issuance, and the officiant must return the completed license to the Recorder within 15 days after the ceremony.
The county's marriage-license page is the local source for appointment, age, payment, and ceremony rules.
That local page matters because DeKalb County sets office timing, appointment handling, and payment details for the license process.
DeKalb County Marriage Age Rule
The DeKalb County marriage-license page includes a specific 2025 update. Effective August 28, 2025, HB 737 and SB 43 raised the minimum marriage age in Missouri to 18 and prohibit Recorders from issuing a marriage license to anyone under 18. That update replaces older Missouri rules that allowed some minors to marry with conditions. For current DeKalb County marriage-license work, both parties must be 18 or older.
Important: DeKalb County marriage license applicants must both be at least 18 under the 2025 Missouri update.
The age rule is a license-issuance rule. It does not decide whether an older marriage record can be copied, indexed, or certified. Older DeKalb County marriage records remain with the Recorder according to the county's retention and index practices, while new licenses must follow the current minimum-age rule.
Apply for DeKalb County Marriage License
A DeKalb County marriage license is an in-person office process. The county page says to schedule an appointment, appear together, bring identification, provide prior-marriage dissolution information when applicable, pay the fee, and use the license within the Missouri time limit. The Recorder preserves the record after the officiant returns the completed license.
- Call the Recorder of Deeds at 816-449-5010 option 6 to schedule a marriage-license appointment.
- Both parties appear together in person during marriage-license service hours, except holidays.
- Each party presents valid government-issued picture identification or a passport.
- Provide the date the last marriage dissolved if either party was previously married.
- Pay the $46.00 marriage-license fee by an accepted method and exact amount when required.
- Give the license to the officiant before the wedding ceremony.
- Hold the ceremony in Missouri within 30 days of issuance.
- The officiant returns the completed license to the Recorder within 15 days after the ceremony.
Missouri law allows solemnization by a clergyman in good standing, a judge including a municipal judge, or a religious society, institution, or organization according to its customs when either party is a member. The county page notes that performing a ceremony without a license presented first is a misdemeanor and that a ceremony before license pickup is invalid.
DeKalb County Marriage Application Fields
The research does not provide a captured online DeKalb County marriage-license form, but it does identify the information applicants must be ready to provide in person. The signature is treated as a sworn affirmation that the application information is true and correct and that the parties are free to marry under Missouri law.
| Field or Item | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full legal name for each party | Yes | Used to prepare the marriage-license application and later record. |
| Valid government-issued photo ID or passport | Yes | Each applicant must present identification in person. |
| Age confirmation | Yes | Both parties must be 18 or older under the 2025 update. |
| Prior marriage dissolution date | When applicable | Required if either party was previously married. |
| Relationship restriction affirmation | Yes | Applicants may not be related through and including first cousins. |
| Sworn signature | Yes | The application signature affirms truth and legal freedom to marry. |
| Officiant return | After ceremony | The officiant returns the completed license to the Recorder within 15 days. |
DeKalb County Marriage and Divorce Fees
The Recorder fee schedule provides the researched local amounts for DeKalb County marriage records. Marriage-license payments must follow the county's current office rules. The marriage-license page says cash or money order in the exact amount, while the Recorder page says marriage licenses must be paid by exact cash or credit card with a $1.55 fee. Because the two county pages describe payment options slightly differently, applicants should call before the appointment.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $46.00 |
| Certified copy of marriage license | $10.00 |
| Plain copy of marriage license | $1.00 per page |
| Email, fax, or mailing per document | $2.00 |
| Credit card fee listed by Recorder | $1.55 |
| Divorce filing or decree copy | Not published in the marriage/divorce research; confirm with the Circuit Clerk. |
Lookup DeKalb County Marriage Records
The county Recorder online search page says DeKalb County real estate, marriage, and tax lien record information is available through iCounty. For marriage records, the index runs from 1928 through current, but images are unavailable online. That means the online system can help locate an indexed marriage license, while copies and certified copies still require the Recorder's office.
The iCounty system requires registration and a paid subscription before searching. Subscription choices visible in research included a single-day single-user DeKalb County subscription, a monthly single-user subscription, and a monthly sharable subscription, with image preview and printing service details shown on the public page. The login page displays User ID, Password, Save User ID, Login, Register, and Forgot Password controls. Registration asks for email, first name, last name, company name if part of a company, phone number, password, and agreement to iCounty privacy and terms.
The county's Recorder document formatting standards page is tied to the same Recorder office that preserves marriage-license records and other recorded documents.
Recorder rules are relevant because marriage records, real estate documents, liens, and certified copies are handled by that county office rather than the court clerk.
Find DeKalb County Divorce Records
Divorce records are court records handled by the DeKalb County Circuit Court and Circuit Clerk. Public case information should be searched through Case.net by case number or litigant name when the case is public. Divorce decrees or certified copies should be requested from the Circuit Clerk where the divorce was filed. In DeKalb County, the Circuit Clerk's office is at 109 W Main St, PO Box 248, Maysville, MO 64469, phone 816-449-2602 option 2.
Domestic cases can include divorce, custody, paternity, support, and orders of protection. Public access may be limited where minors, abuse, sealed filings, financial identifiers, or protected personal data are involved. The county child-support page states that effective July 1, 2001, the Family Support Payment Center became trustee for child and spousal support cases previously ordered paid through the Circuit Clerk. Payments go to the Family Support Payment Center in Jefferson City, and cash should not be mailed.
The DeKalb County child support page documents the payment-center channel for support cases connected to divorce or domestic litigation.
Support-payment records are not the same as a divorce decree, but they often intersect with family-court files after a divorce judgment.
DeKalb County Marriage Access Limits
Missouri public-record policy favors public access unless a law closes the record. Marriage license indexes are public-facing through the Recorder's online search, but images are unavailable online for DeKalb County marriage licenses. Divorce case files are court records and can be restricted or redacted under court rules when they include minors, abuse allegations, financial account numbers, protected addresses, medical information, or sealed documents.
The Sunshine Law policy in RSMo 610.011 supports open public records, while court access rules and specific confidentiality laws can limit domestic case details. Certified copies are the better route for legal use because an index entry or uncertified copy may not be accepted for name changes, benefits, immigration, estate matters, or court filings.
The Missouri Sunshine Law policy source is relevant to DeKalb County marriage and divorce record access because it frames open public records with statutory exceptions.
Open-record policy does not make every family-court document public, so the correct office must still review access limits.