Where Marriage Records in Georgia Are Kept

Marriage records in Georgia are filed with the Vital Records division, which is connected to the state's Department of Human Resources. Records kept at the office date only as far back as the middle of 1952 up until 1996.

Marriage Records in Georgia at County Probate Courts

Marriage records in Georgia prior to 1952 or after 1996 may be found at the issuing probate court at county level. A certified copy of any marriage license issued by the Georgia courts may be obtained by anyone.

However, only either spouse is allowed to obtain a certified copy of the APPLICATION for the marriage license where they are named.

The cost per record is only $10 and should be paid via money order if by mail. Georgia does not accept personal checks. Attach a photocopy of any valid government photo identification card (e.g., driver's license, social security card, etc.) when making a request.

For inquiries, call (404) 679-4701 or visit the state records office at 2600 Skyland Drive, NE Atlanta.

Marriage Records in Georgia for Genealogical Research

At the beginning of the 19th century, the state laws of Georgia began requiring that the Court of the Ordinary, which later became the Probate Court, document marriages. The county where the bride resides is usually where the marriage is recorded.

Genealogical researchers should know that although older records are kept as microfiche at the state's archive repository, the data they contain would likely be insufficient for research purposes.

Therefore, the researcher should probably turn to old census or newspaper archives for additional information. A digitized census for some counties may be available over the Internet, but a majority will probably have to be physically accessed through microfiche.

In some instances the only way to find information will be to read records line for line. Even then, some censuses may be incomplete since certain records were taken only for households with children aged 10 or younger.

Another useful Internet index for this purpose is the Family History Library Catalog. The index can, for example, give you information on whether newspaper summaries or even marriage records exist over a given period.

Getting your marriage records in Georgia isn't so difficult, if you know how. Feel free to browse around the Marriage Records section of RecordsSiteReviews for all you need to know about finding your vital marriage documents.