Access Free Lake County Marriage Records (Acquire a License)

Obtain free Lake County marriage records to gain important insights into family lineage and local unions.

Whether to confirm someone’s marital status, conduct genealogical research, or simply satisfy your curiosity, these records matter. For various reasons, it may be necessary for someone to retrieve a copy of a marriage license or related records.

Due to the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state-level Indiana Public Records Act, marriage records are accessible in Lake County. This resource offers helpful guidance and details for seamlessly locating and obtaining licenses or certificates in Lake County, Indiana.

How To Complete a Lookup of Lake County Marriage Records (Indiana)

Copies of Lake County marital records can be obtained directly from the County Clerk’s Office by submitting Marriage License Copies Requests.¹

Though Lake County has several courthouses with clerk’s offices, only one location offers marriage records and licenses. That location address and contact information is:

Lake County Clerk’s Marriage Office (Main)
2293 N. Main St., Courts Bldg., 1st Fl.
Crown Point, IN 46307

Phone: 219-648-6996
Alternate Phone Line: 219-755-3466
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 am—3:30 pm

If the following information is already known, then it is sufficient to request records directly from this office.

Though Lake County has several courthouses with clerk’s offices, only one location offers marriage licenses. Individuals seeking these records may visit the Lake County Clerk’s Marriage main office.

Certified marriage documents, including licenses copies from the Clerk’s office cost $4.00 per page. Payment can be made using cash, money order, or certified check. Genealogy copies can be obtained through the same method at a rate of $1.00 per page.

Receiving copies of these records requires providing a record request form and showing identification when submitting the request. Be sure to include a completed request form, a copy of identification documents for one of the license applicants (or a death certificate, if requesting records on behalf of a now-deceased applicant), and the appropriate payment if mailing in the request.

Requests can be mailed to the Lake County Clerk’s Office, whose address is mentioned above.

Searchers may also seek for older records to explore someone’s lineage or any personal reasons. For those hoping to uncover histories, checking the Indiana Archives is worth checking.

How To Find Historical or Archived Marriage Records in Lake County Indiana

The statewide search tool has some limitations, most important of which is that it can only access data from marriage records dated 1993 or later. For earlier marriages, there are a few official Indiana statewide databases that reflect compiled genealogical research efforts.

The first of these is the Indiana State Library Marriage Index through 1850.² This tool uses a simple keyword search. It retrieves data based on spouse names, date of marriage, and county.

To view only marriage records from Lake County, one can run a search using “Lake” as the keyword, checking the “Exact Keyword” box, and then clicking “Limit This Search” and the “County” box from the resulting drop-down menu. This will display all Lake County marriages in this database in alphabetical order by spouse last name.

The second official index is the Indiana Marriages 1958-2021.³ The state’s Genealogical Society has worked with a third-party genealogy site to create a government-endorsed index of Indiana Marriages 1811-2019, but because it is offered through a private site it requires creating a login and may require a subscription in order to access some of the materials.

If online searches don’t yield the desired records, there are Lake County-specific print materials available through the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library. The print collection on Marriage Records through this resource has the following library call numbers:

• First Marriage Records, 1837-1850
  ISLG 977.201 L192j
• WPA Index to Marriage Records, 1850-1920
  ISLG 977.201 L192u v. 13-22

Access can be requested by contacting the Indiana State Librarian at 317-232-3692 or [email protected].

One of the online resources made available through the Indiana State Library is an index of Lake County marriages from 1837-1849, with the names of the spouses, the date of the ceremony, and the date of the license issuance. If seeking marriage records from within that date range, this can be a helpful government-endorsed resource.

If more obscure records are desired, the Lake County Public Library offers a local Genealogy & Local History Collection and can help request additional resources that may be difficult to find.⁴

However, if the person seeking marriage records does not already have the specific information required to make a request directly through the county, it may be necessary to run a broader search using the statewide Indiana Marriage Records search tool, which will be detailed below.

How Do You Search Indiana Marriage Records Outside of Lake County?

If during the course of looking for Lake County marital records it becomes clear that the marriage occurred elsewhere in Indiana, the marriage license search tool provided by the State of Indiana Supreme Court can be used to search for records in other counties as well.⁵ To search Indiana jurisdictions other than Lake County, select the appropriate jurisdiction name in the search tool.

The lookup tool can also search multiple counties simultaneously. To select more than one jurisdiction name, press the ‘CTRL’ button and keep it held down as you select all the counties you wish to search.

A potential limit of the statewide search is that it may not have comprehensive data. To find the most accurate and detailed marriage records possible, it may be necessary to use county-specific records search options as a secondary step. These might be online through any of the county clerk offices, Vital Records office, or another recording office.

For older records, requesters order marital records to the Indiana State Library.⁶

Some counties have their own online marriage records search tools or request protocols. Other counties may not offer these features online but may have them available by telephone, in-person appointment, or by visiting the office during business hours to make a request.

How To Obtain a Lake County Marriage License

To seek a marriage license in Lake County, Indiana, the couple seeking a license must complete a form, show identification documents, provide genealogical background on both applicants, pay required fees, and meet marriage license requirements.

The Marriage License E-file Application is available to submit online or in-person.⁷

However, a trip to the Clerk’s Office is necessary even if applicants submit the form online. Below is the office address and contact information.

Lake County Clerk’s Marriage Office (Main)
2293 N. Main St., Courts Bldg., 1st Fl.
Crown Point, IN 46307

Phone: 219-648-6996 / 219-755-3466
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 3:30 pm

During that visit to the Clerk’s Office, applicants must provide all required documents and fee payment. Fee amounts are as follows:

• $25.00 (cash only): At least one of the two applicants is a Lake County resident.
• $65.00 (cash only): Neither applicant is a resident of Indiana.

If the applicants who are applying for a marital certificate are not Indiana residents, they must hold the wedding associated with the marriage license they applied for.

Please note that Indiana residents who are not residents of Lake County must apply for marriage licensure in the county where one of the applicants resides and cannot apply in the county.

In order to be eligible for a marriage license, both applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Must be over the age of eighteen.
• Applicants are required to have a valid driver’s license or state identification card.
• Social Security numbers must be submitted.

Indiana’s general exclusions for marriage license applicants are as follows:⁸

• Either applicant is intoxicated by drugs or alcohol when they come to apply for their marriage license;
• Applicants have a closer family relationship to each other than second cousins, unless they are first cousins and both over the age of 65;
• If there is a current/active adjudication of unsound mind for an applicant;
• For an applicant adjudicated as a lifetime sex offender or violent offender, unless that person provides with their application for marriage license an affidavit under penalty of perjury that law enforcement has been appropriately notified in writing of that person’s intention to get married and intended married name.

There is no required waiting period after a couple has received their marriage license; licenses may be used the same day they are issued and they are issued upon application. Essentially, couples can apply for a license, receive the license, and get married on the same day. Licenses expire 60 days after issue, so weddings must occur within 2 months following the date the license was issued.

While obtaining Lake County marriage records can be complex if you don’t know where to look. using the appropriate forms and procedures outlined in this article makes for a quick and stress-free process.