McLean County Marriage Licenses
Marriage licenses in McLean County are issued by the McLean County Clerk, a county office separate from the Circuit Court Clerk. The clerk's office is led by Carol Eaton and handles marriage-related county records along with land records, legal-record instruments, elections, motor vehicle services, delinquent tax lien records, and open-records requests to that office. Local marriage license questions should go to the County Clerk, not the state trial court clerk, because Kentucky issues marriage licenses through county clerk offices.
The McLean County Clerk lists the office at 210 Main St., Calhoun, KY 42327, with mailing at P.O. Box 57, Calhoun, KY 42327. The phone number is 270-273-3082, fax is 270-273-5084, and email is carol.eaton@ky.gov. Posted hours are Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30. The clerk's legal-records page says courthouse documents are generally maintained from 1854 to present, and marriages are among the legal record categories listed for the county's online and in-office records.
McLean County Clerk
Clerk: Carol Eaton
210 Main St.
Calhoun, KY 42327
Mailing: P.O. Box 57, Calhoun, KY 42327
270-273-3082
Fax: 270-273-5084
carol.eaton@ky.gov
Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30
Apply for a Marriage License
Kentucky's Office of Vital Statistics says marriage licenses are issued in county clerk offices, and both people must appear together to obtain one. The license is valid for 30 days from issuance and must be used within Kentucky. The state procedure also says the marriage license fee is nonrefundable, although the McLean County Clerk site reviewed for this build did not publish a local license dollar amount. Call the clerk before arriving if the fee amount, payment method, or holiday schedule may affect the visit.
- Contact or visit the McLean County Clerk before applying, especially if the visit is close to a holiday or the wedding date is soon.
- Have both people appear together at the County Clerk's office, since Kentucky's procedure requires joint appearance for the license.
- Provide the application details requested for both parties, including names, birth details, parent names, current marital status, prior marriage count, occupation, race, relationship status, and intended marriage date.
- Pay the license fee at the clerk's office after confirming the amount and payment method with the office.
- Use the license within Kentucky during the 30-day validity period, then make sure the completed license is returned for recording.
For older McLean County marriage records, the county clerk remains the practical starting point. The state vital records office directs users seeking pre-June 1958 marriage records to call the county clerk in the county where the license was issued.
McLean Marriage Application Fields
The marriage license application information listed by Kentucky's vital records office is detailed enough to prepare before visiting the McLean County Clerk. These fields are license-application facts, not the same as a later request for a certified state certificate. The clerk may ask for proof or clarification at the counter, so applicants should confirm current identification requirements directly with the McLean County Clerk.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name and address | Yes | Requested for both parties applying for the license. |
| Date of birth and age | Yes | Used to establish each applicant's identifying details. |
| Place of birth | Yes | Use Kentucky county or other state, as applicable. |
| Father's name | Yes | Requested for each party. |
| Mother's first and maiden name | Yes | Requested for each party. |
| Current status | Yes | Single, divorced, annulled, or widowed. |
| Prior marriage count | Yes | Number of previous marriages. |
| Occupation and race | Yes | Listed in the state application information. |
| Relationship of parties | Yes | Kentucky does not permit first and second cousins to marry. |
| Date of marriage | Yes | Requested as part of the license process. |
McLean Marriage and Divorce Fees
Fee handling depends on whether the request is for a county license, a state certificate, or a court decree. The McLean County research located a state certificate fee and several access notes, but it did not locate a McLean-specific marriage license fee or a divorce decree copy fee. Those amounts should be confirmed with the office that will issue the record.
| Item | Amount or access note |
|---|---|
| Marriage license issued by McLean County Clerk | Local dollar amount not located in official sources reviewed. |
| Certified marriage certificate from Kentucky OVS | $6 per certificate, nonrefundable search fee. |
| Certified divorce certificate from Kentucky OVS | $6 per certificate, nonrefundable search fee. |
| Additional VS-230 marriage or divorce certificates | $6 each. |
| County Clerk in-office public record viewing | Free viewing of public records, documents, and indices in the clerk's office. |
| eCCLIX online record access | Fees are charged for online data and images; account setup is required. |
| Full divorce decree or case copy | Confirm current copy and certification charges with the Circuit Court Clerk. |
Note: A state certificate fee is not the same as a county marriage license fee or a court decree copy charge.
Look Up McLean Marriage Records
McLean County marriage records may be checked through the county clerk's legal-records access path. The clerk's legal records page says the online real-estate and legal-record database commonly includes marriages, along with deeds, name changes, mechanic's liens, mortgages, powers of attorney, wills, corporations, tax liens, military discharges, trademarks, assignments, releases, and delinquent property taxes. The same page makes an important local distinction: online document images are generally available for most instrument filings from January 2004 to current date, while courthouse records and indexes are broader.
Online access runs through eCCLIX, which requires an account and password assigned by Software Management, LLC, plus special software for document images. The clerk states that access fees support online data and image service, but all public records, documents, and indices are available for free viewing in the McLean County Clerk's office. For older family research, that in-office route may matter because most courthouse documents are maintained from 1854 to present, while online image coverage is more limited.
The assigned image for McLean County marriage and divorce records comes from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics purchase options page, which explains certificate ordering channels.
The state purchase screen matters for McLean County users who need a certified certificate rather than a local license index entry or a full divorce case file.
Find McLean Divorce Records
Divorce records split the same way marriage records do: a state certificate proves the event, while the full court record stays with the court system. Kentucky Circuit Court handles divorces. For McLean County, a full decree, pleadings, custody orders, property settlement, docket entries, or other divorce case papers should be requested from the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. The local Circuit Court Clerk can be reached at 270-273-3966 or 270-273-5055.
Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics holds divorce certificates from June 1958 to present. For divorce certificates during that period, use the VS-230 process. For pre-June 1958 divorce decrees, the state office directs users to call the circuit court clerk in the county where the divorce decree was granted. In McLean County, that is the Circuit Court Clerk at the courthouse annex. Divorce files can include sensitive family, child, financial, or sealed material, so public access to the full case file may be narrower than access to a basic certificate.
McLean Certificate Request Fields
The official VS-230 marriage and divorce certificate application is the state form for certified copies from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics. It is not a request for a McLean County marriage license application file or a full divorce decree. Use the County Clerk for county marriage records and the Circuit Court Clerk for divorce case records when the certificate is not enough.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Party current legal name | Text | Yes | First, middle, and last. |
| First Party legal name previous to marriage | Text | If applicable | Used when prior name is relevant. |
| Second Party current legal name | Text | Yes | First, middle, and last. |
| Second Party legal name previous to marriage | Text | If applicable | Used when prior name is relevant. |
| County where marriage license issued | Text | For marriage | Enter McLean if the license was issued here. |
| Date of marriage | Date | For marriage | Month, day, and year. |
| County where divorce decree granted | Text | For divorce | Enter McLean if the decree was granted here. |
| Date of divorce | Date | For divorce | Month, day, and year. |
| Requester details and signature | Text/signature | Yes | Name, phone, mailing address, city, state, ZIP, and signature. |
| Number of certificates | Numeric | If ordering | Separate counts for marriage and divorce certificates. |
Kentucky Vital Records Office
The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics maintains marriage and divorce records from June 1958 to present. Purchase channels include in person, mail, drop box, online, phone, and fax. VitalChek is the only authorized online and telephone ordering partner named in the research, with phone ordering at 800-241-8322 and fax at 866-283-7477. Extra vendor or shipping fees may apply when that channel is used.
Mail requests use a check or money order payable to Kentucky State Treasurer and go to the Office of Vital Statistics, 275 E. Main St., 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621. In-person service is at 275 East Main Street in Frankfort through the Martin Luther King Blvd entrance of the Human Resources Building. Applications are accepted 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Eastern, Monday-Friday, but same-day service is not guaranteed after 3:45 p.m. Mail and drop-box orders are filled within five business days when possible, with up to 30 working days allowed for mail.
Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics
275 E. Main St., 1E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621
VitalChek phone: 800-241-8322
VitalChek fax: 866-283-7477