Getting a Marriage License in Coffey County
Marriage licenses for Coffey County are processed through the Kansas courts online marriage-license application, with local status help available from the Fourth Judicial District court offices after the application has been paid for and submitted. The Coffey County FAQ directs marriage-license questions to the Clerk of the District Court at 620-364-8628. The local court office is the Coffey County District Court, 110 S. 6th, Suite 102, Burlington, KS 66839. That same office handles court case records, older marriage and probate copy requests, divorce files that are not online, and court payment questions.
The Fourth Judicial District marriage-license page sends applicants to the Kansas Courts marriage-license site rather than to a county paper form. It also says applicants with questions may call any Fourth Judicial District Court office. For Coffey County, use the district clerk number rather than the County Clerk, because the State Court Structure Map identifies marriage licenses as a Clerk of the District Court function. The County Clerk in Room 202 handles county administrative records, tax and budget duties, elections, oaths, and Board of County Commissioners records, not district court marriage-license processing.
The Fourth Judicial District marriage-license instructions are shown on the official How to Obtain a Marriage License page. This source is useful because Coffey County belongs to the Fourth Judicial District and the Coffey County government links to the district court materials hosted there.
The district page confirms that the local court office supports questions after the online Kansas marriage-license application is submitted.
How to Apply for a Marriage License
The researched local sources do not publish a Coffey-specific walk-in license form, appointment rule, identification checklist, or waiting-period instruction. Use the Kansas Courts online process as the starting point and use the Coffey County Clerk of the District Court for local status questions after submission. Do not assume that the County Clerk can issue or retrieve the license just because that office handles other county records.
- Open the Kansas Courts marriage-license application from the official Fourth Judicial District marriage page or the Kansas Courts Self-Help marriage-license page.
- Complete the online application with the applicant information requested by the state system.
- Pay and submit through the Kansas Courts online process. K.S.A. 23-2510 sets the Kansas marriage license fee at $59, and online processing charges may be added by the payment system.
- For status questions after payment and submission, call the Coffey County Clerk of the District Court at 620-364-8628.
- If a judicial ceremony is requested, use the Fourth Judicial District contact list. The researched page lists Judge Eric Godderz in Garnett, Judge David Braun in Ottawa, and Judge Lori Breshears in Lyndon for appointment inquiries, but it did not list a Coffey-specific ceremony appointment.
Kansas Courts Self-Help also provides marriage-license information for applicants statewide. The Kansas Courts marriage-license page is a separate state-level source from the Fourth Judicial District page.
The statewide self-help page supports the same online-license workflow used by Coffey County applicants.
Marriage License Application Fields
The research captured the local access route and the old-record request fields, but it did not capture every field inside the live Kansas Courts marriage-license application. For a new license, follow the state application prompts. For older Coffey County marriage records, the Fourth Judicial District old-record page gives a clearer inventory: identify the indexed name group, provide the case number or book and page when known, list the documents requested, wait for a clerk estimate, then send payment with a self-addressed stamped envelope for mail return.
| Field or Information | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Online applicant information | Yes for new license | Complete the Kansas Courts online application as prompted by the state system. |
| Groom's last-name index group | Optional for old records | Old Coffey marriage records prior to 2/15/01 are indexed alphabetically by groom's last name. |
| Case number or book/page | Recommended for copies | The old-record page asks requesters to include case numbers or book and page locations. |
| Requested documents | Yes | The clerk uses the request to prepare a cost estimate. |
| Payment after estimate | Yes | Do not mail an estimated payment until the clerk provides the amount. |
| Self-addressed stamped envelope | Yes for mailed return | Needed when copies will be returned by mail. |
Coffey County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Use only the fees verified in the research file. K.S.A. 23-2510 sets the Kansas marriage license fee. The Fourth Judicial District old-record page lists copy and clerk time charges for old Coffey marriage and probate records. The research did not verify a Coffey divorce filing fee or a certified divorce decree copy fee, so those items should be confirmed directly with the Clerk of the District Court before filing or ordering.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $59 under K.S.A. 23-2510, plus any online processing charge |
| Old Coffey marriage photocopies prior to 2/15/01 | $0.25 per page |
| Old-record clerk research or copying time | $12.00 per hour |
| Certified marriage license copy | Certified copies must be obtained through the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics |
| Divorce filing or decree copy | Not verified in the research file; confirm with the Clerk of the District Court |
Kansas statute text for the marriage license fee is available through the official revisor page for K.S.A. 23-2510.
The statutory fee source helps separate the state marriage-license charge from local copy and research charges.
How to Look Up Coffey County Marriage Records
For older local marriage entries, use the Fourth Judicial District old marriage and probate records page. Coffey marriage records prior to 2/15/01 are grouped by the groom's last name in alphabetical ranges: A-B, C-D, E-G, H-I, J-L, M-N, O-Q, R-S, T-V, and W-Z. Once the entry is identified, the request should give the clerk the case number or book and page location and state which documents are needed.
The old-record page says requests may be made in writing or by email to the clerk. The clerk prepares an estimate in writing or by email. After the estimate is received, the requester sends the appropriate cost and a self-addressed stamped envelope. This process is narrower than a broad statewide vital-record order because it is tied to the old Coffey County index and local District Court clerk files.
How to Find Coffey County Divorce Records
Divorce records are District Court records, but Coffey County divorce case information is not treated as ordinary online case-search content. The Fourth Judicial District Court Case Information page says online searches will not provide case information on divorce, visitation, support, and paternity cases. Those records can only be obtained by visiting local courthouses. For Coffey County, the relevant courthouse office is the Coffey County District Court, 110 S. 6th, Suite 102, Burlington, phone 620-364-8628.
A person requesting a divorce file should be ready with the party names, approximate filing year, case number if known, and whether a plain or certified copy is needed. Court staff can help with record access and clerk procedures, but they cannot provide legal advice. Kansas Courts self-help forms and Fourth Judicial District court forms are the official starting points for divorce filing questions when a litigant needs approved forms rather than record copies.
Getting Certified Copies
Certified marriage-license copies are not issued through the old-record page. The Fourth Judicial District page says certified copies of marriage licenses must be obtained through the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics. For local old-record photocopies, the District Court clerk can estimate photocopy, certification, and research charges where the old Coffey index applies. For divorce decrees or other domestic case documents, call or visit the Clerk of the District Court because the online portal does not provide divorce, visitation, support, or paternity case information.
A separate sheriff/jail payment source, JailATM, is sometimes encountered in broader Coffey County records research, but it is not a marriage-license, divorce-record, or certified-copy source.
Marriage and divorce copy paths should stay with the Kansas courts, the Fourth Judicial District, the Clerk of the District Court, or Kansas vital records offices.
Kansas Vital Records Office
For certified marriage certificates, use the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics as directed by the Fourth Judicial District old-record page. For divorce case files, use the Clerk of the District Court because divorce is a court record and the Fourth Judicial District states that online searches do not provide divorce case information. The distinction matters: a vital-record certificate proves the marriage event, while a district court divorce file may contain pleadings, orders, decree information, and restricted domestic details.
Kansas Office of Vital Statistics
State vital-record office for certified marriage records
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Coffey County Clerk of the District Court
110 S. 6th, Suite 102
Burlington, KS 66839
620-364-8628
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
For older Coffey marriage indexes, use the Fourth Judicial District old marriage and probate records page. For the local online-access warning affecting divorce, use the Fourth Judicial District Court Case Information page.