Look Up Free Pierce County Marriage Records on Anyone

Search free Pierce County marriage records efficiently today.

Marriage records are vital when trying to learn more about a person’s marital history or to conduct a genealogy search of one’s family roots. They may also be needed to prove a marital relationship for business or legal reasons. The right to inspect and copy these records is authorized through Washington’s Public Records Act.

While broad access is granted, the means for making these records available is not provided in any state law; accessing marriage records can vary from one government agency to the next.

This streamlined resource will provide details on what types of marriage records you can access and the steps you should take to find the marital information you’re seeking.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Search Pierce County Marriage Records for Free

The custodian of marriage records in Pierce County is the Auditor’s Office.¹ If you want to search for Pierce County marital records, you can use their Marriage Document Search Tool.² This tool is specifically designated to search for marriage records.

To conduct a search, the primary criterion you will enter is the person’s name. However, you can also select a type of record, such as a mail-in or public marriage record. If you happen to have the specific instrument number or file location (book and page), you can enter that in the search tool.

You can also narrow down your search results by setting a date range for when the application was submitted, the marriage occurred, or the marriage certificate returned.

Once you get to the search results page, you will see a list of marriage records that match the criteria you entered.

The matching results will contain the following information:

• License Number, Book & Page
• Application Date
• Marriage Date
• Type of Marriage Document
• Applicants’ Names
• Status of Marriage Certificate

If you click on the license number, you can view any additional information. For some marriage records, there is also a PDF of the original marriage certificate online that you can view.

If you need a copy, you can click on the option to buy a certified copy. This will bring you to a page where you can either select to pick up the marriage certificate or enter an address for it to be delivered.

The cost of a certified marriage certificate is $3.00 per copy. A photocopy without certification is $1.00.

You can also obtain a copy of a marriage record by completing the Pierce County Auditor Request for Marriage Records Form and mailing it or bringing it in person to the address below:

Pierce County Auditor
Attn: Marriage Records
2401 South 35th Street, Rm. 200
Tacoma, Washington 98409

This form will require you to provide both parties’ names, date of marriage, where they were married and what county issued the license. You will also need to provide your contact information as the requester. The processing time for requests is approximately one week.

If you are not sure the exact year a couple was married, you can request a five-year record search for $8.00. This fee will also apply to marriage record requests prior to 1984.

For any additional questions, you can view their marriage FAQ page. You can also contact the Pierce County Auditor by sending a message, by phone at 253-798-7435 or by email at [email protected].⁴ The Pierce County Auditor is open 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

In the next section, there will be information on how to obtain older (archived) marriage records.

How Do I Access Historical Records in Marriage in Pierce County Washington?

Archived marriage records are often used when a person is conducting a genealogy search. They may also be needed to resolve a complex legal matter. Sometimes, these documents are maintained by the primary custodian responsible for marriage records, while some counties have their own designated archives office specifically designated to maintain these older records.

In Pierce County, archived marriage records are not maintained by a separate office. For archived marriage records, you can gain access through the Pierce County Auditor’s Office.⁵ A good place to start is by using the Pierce County Auditor’s Marriage Records Search Tool.

If you cannot find what you are looking for with the online search tool, you can contact the Pierce County Auditor to inquire about how far back marriage records are kept and alternative ways to access them. You can contact the Pierce County Auditor’s Office by phone at 253-798-7427.⁶ You can also talk to someone in person at the address below:

Pierce County Auditor
2401 South 35th St. 
Tacoma, Washington 98409

If you complete your search with the Pierce County Auditor and still need to find additional archived marriage records, you can consider other alternatives. One example is churches or religious institutions, which may have recorded older marriages that were officiated by them. You can also check for indexes, old newspapers and other documents containing marriage records in local libraries, historical societies and related types of institutions.

There are other types of related marriage records, old and new that an individual may have a need to access. Common–law marriages are often searched with marital records; however, this type of relationship is not recognized by Washington State law. However, Washington does recognize domestic partnerships in certain situations.

A statewide option is to see what archived marriage records are available with the Washington State Archives.⁷ For questions on archived marriage records, you can view their FAQ page, call them at 360-586-1492 or email them at [email protected].⁸ They are located at the address below:

Washington State Archives
1129 Washington St. SE
Olympia, Washington 98501

How To Locate Washington Marriage Records Outside of Pierce County

Once you have exhausted your search of Pierce County marital records, you may want to look for additional marital information throughout Washington. While you have the option of searching from one county to the next, there is also a statewide solution that may be more efficient.

To request a marriage record anywhere in the state, a citizen can contact the Washington State Department of Health.⁹ You can request records for any marriage that has occurred in Washington from 1968 to the present. The fee for a marriage certificate is $25.00, whether you are requesting a certified or noncertified record.

Marriage certificates are available for anyone to request. While some states may require only certain people to access this information (e.g., family members, attorneys, legal representatives, etc.), that is not the case in Washington as they are an open records state.

A citizen has three options to request a marriage certificate: Mail, In-person or online.

To request a marriage record by mail, you can start by completing the Marriage Certificate Order Form.¹⁰

The form will ask you to provide identifying information about the applicants along with the date and location of the marriage. Once you complete this form, you can send it, along with your fee (check or money order) and photo identification, to the address below:

Washington Department of Health
P.O. Box 9709 
Olympia, Washington 98507

If you are looking for an in-person solution, you can request a marriage record at any participating Washington Health Department location.¹¹

If you are looking for an online option, you can order a marriage record through VitalChek. They are the only approved third-party vendor in Washington.

The standard fee for a marriage certificate is $25.00. However, there are additional shipping and processing fees when using the online service. For additional questions, you can view the marriage FAQ page or contact the Washington Department of Health by phone at 800-525-0127.

How To Apply for a Pierce County Marriage License

There is a lot of planning that goes into many weddings. However, before the big day, you will need to make sure you have your marriage license. There are both requirements and specific steps that need to be followed to obtain a marriage license.

If you are looking to obtain a marriage license in Pierce County, you can apply either in person or by mail. Either way, you can begin the process by filling out the Pierce County Online Marriage Application.¹²

Applicants will have to provide the following information:

• Complete Name
• Birth Name (if applicable)
• Address (including county)
• Date of Birth
• Marriage Status
• Occupation
• Father’s Name & Birth State
• Mother’s Name & Birth State

If you’re applying in person, you can hit the “apply” button when you complete it. To mail it in, hit the “application preview” button and then you can print it. For mail-in applications, you and your partner will have to sign it and have the application notarized.

You must then mail the fee and application to the address below:

Pierce County Auditor
Attn: Marriage License
2401 South 35th Street, Rm. 200
Tacoma, Washington 98409

The fee for a marriage license is $72.00 and can be paid by either a check or money order. If you are going in person, you can bring the application, fee and your government-issued identification to the above address.¹³ If you are going this route, make sure that you first schedule an appointment.¹⁴

Once you obtain a marriage license from the Pierce County Auditor’s Office, you will have to wait for the mandatory three-day waiting period before you finalize your marriage with a wedding ceremony. This waiting period cannot be waived.

After the three days when you cannot get married, applicants have 60 days to get married. Otherwise, the license expires and will no longer be valid.

If you need additional information, the Pierce County Auditor has a helpful marriage FAQ page for you to view. If you still have additional questions, you can give a call to the Pierce County Auditor’s Office at 253-798-7435 or email them at [email protected]. They are available Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

With the above information, you are now ready to apply for a marriage license; you can also search Pierce County marriage records by using the tools and resources detailed throughout this article.