Where Marriage and Divorce Records Live in Alcorn County
Marriage and divorce records sit in two separate offices, and that split matters from the first step. Marriage licenses and marriage records are handled by the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk, whose duties include issuing and recording marriage licenses. Divorce, by contrast, is an equity matter heard in Chancery Court, so divorce files are kept by the Chancery Clerk along with custody, adoption, and other family matters.
Because the two records live apart, a request for a marriage copy and a request for a divorce decree go to different counters. For the full range of duties on the marriage side, the page on the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk lays out where licenses are issued and recorded.
The Online Marriage Record Portal
The Circuit Clerk offers internet access to the index of county marriage records through an online portal. The landing page carries two buttons, Search Marriage Records and Apply For Marriage License. The first opens a record-index search, and the second opens the marriage-license application intake. The portal is a convenience, not the final word.
There is an important catch. The online index is not the official record. The official Marriage Records Index is the one kept in the Alcorn County Courthouse, so the online tool is best used to locate a record before you confirm or order it through the courthouse. The record-search endpoint is documented at the online marriage-record search page.
Copies purchased online by credit card are final, and a service fee of 3.5 percent, with a two-dollar minimum, applies and is non-refundable. Treat the online index as a starting point and the courthouse index as the record of authority.
How to Apply for a Marriage License
A marriage license in the county follows a clear path. Both applicants must appear in person with a valid government ID that lists a date of birth, and both must pay the fee. If either applicant is under 21, parental consent is required, so call the clerk before you go. The marriage-license intake form sits at the marriage-license application intake page.
The steps below walk through a license from the first online click to the recorded return after the ceremony.
- Start at the county marriage portal and choose Apply For Marriage License if you want to use the online intake.
- Complete the intake steps shown in the live portal.
- Both applicants appear in person with a valid government ID that shows a date of birth.
- Pay the $36 fee.
- If either applicant is under 21, call the Circuit Clerk at 662-286-7740 first, because parental consent is required.
- After the ceremony, the license is returned and recorded through the Circuit Clerk's marriage-license record function.
Marriage License Application Fields
The online intake asks each applicant for a broad set of facts about identity, background, and family. Gathering these ahead of time makes the visit quicker. The table groups the fields the application collects from Party A and Party B.
| Field Group | Fields and Options |
|---|---|
| Party A and Party B identity | Name, email, date of birth, address, city, state, ZIP, county, phone, and work phone. |
| Residence and birth | A city-boundary question if it is enabled, plus place of birth. |
| Demographics and identifiers | Race, specify race, gender, Social Security number or passport number, and maiden name. |
| Prior marriage | Prior marriages, how the last one ended, the date it ended, and the state where it ended. |
| Education and work | Education level or years of school and college, and occupation or type. |
| Parents | Father's name, birth state, and address; mother's name, birth state, and address. |
| Conditional options | Covenant marriage if enabled, a marriage course certificate upload if it applies, and any children in common with name and birth details. |
| Submission | A checkbox acknowledgement; the portal copies the information to the clerk and assigns an official application number. |
Marriage and Divorce Record Fees
Fees differ by office and by what you order. The county charges for the marriage license, and the state charges a flat fee for certified copies and for a divorce index search. Online card payments add a service fee. The amounts below cover the most common requests.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license (Circuit Clerk) | $36 |
| State certified marriage copy or search (MSDH) | $17 |
| Additional same-record marriage copy (MSDH) | $6 each |
| State five-year divorce index search (MSDH) | $17 |
| Online card service fee | 3.5%, $2.00 minimum |
Certified divorce decrees are not priced here because they come from the Chancery Clerk rather than the state. Confirm the decree copy fee with that office when you place the order.
Buying Copies of Marriage Records
Beyond the county, the Mississippi State Department of Health keeps statewide marriage records and can sell certified copies. This is a useful backup when a record is hard to place by county or when a copy is needed from out of state. The state vital records office is described on the MSDH Vital Records page.
The state generally holds marriage records from January 1, 1926, with one gap. Records from July 1, 1938 through December 31, 1941 were kept by county Circuit Clerks rather than the state, so an Alcorn record from those years routes back to the courthouse. A valid photo ID is required, and not every record may be on file. The marriage-record service is detailed on the MSDH marriage records page.
When the state cannot locate an Alcorn record, the courthouse Marriage Records Index remains the official source. Use the two together: the state for breadth, the county for authority.
Finding Alcorn County Divorce Records
Divorce is a Chancery Court matter in Mississippi, so an Alcorn County divorce file is requested from the Chancery Clerk. The clerk's office handles divorces, child custody, adoption, property disputes, and other equity matters, and it can provide a certified copy of a divorce decree. Where a case has been filed electronically, it may also be searched through Mississippi Electronic Courts and its public viewing system for registered users.
When you contact the office, have the case number, the names of both parties, the filing year, and a note on whether you need certified copies. A divorce file can carry many entries, and some, such as those touching minor children, may be limited. Once an estate or related matter grows out of a family case, the page on Alcorn County probate records explains how the Chancery Court handles those files.
The Chancery Clerk can be reached through several channels, and the right one depends on what you need. A quick status question is a phone call. A file review or a certified decree is a counter visit. A written request works by mail when a trip is hard, though it is slower than the other two.
- In person - the Chancery Clerk counter at 501 Waldron St., Corinth, MS 38834, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
- By phone - 662-286-7700 for the clerk, or 662-286-7702 for the court, to check a case or confirm a copy fee.
- By mail - P.O. Box 69, Corinth, MS 38835-0069, with the case number, party names, and filing year.
- Online - the Mississippi Electronic Courts public viewing system for cases filed electronically, which requires a registered account.
Older divorce files may not be online at all, so a non-digitized case still routes to the clerk's counter or to a mailed request. Plan for a little extra time when the case predates electronic filing.
The Statewide Divorce Index
The state health department does not keep divorce decrees, but it does offer a divorce index search that can point you to the right county. The search covers five years at a time and costs the same flat fee as a marriage copy. It can identify the county, book, and page, after which the certified decree must come from the Chancery Clerk. The divorce index service is described on the MSDH divorce index page.
The state index reaches January 1, 1926 through June 30, 1938 and January 1, 1942 to the present. Use it to confirm that Alcorn handled a divorce, then take the county, book, and page to the Chancery Clerk for the decree itself.
Restricted Family Records
Not every family record is open to the public. Adoption records are generally restricted under state law and should not be treated as ordinary public records. Files that involve minor children may be redacted or limited, and a sealed case stays closed unless a court order opens it. When part of a divorce file is restricted, expect the Chancery Clerk to release only what the law allows.
Mississippi Vital Records Office
The Mississippi State Department of Health, through its Vital Records office, is the statewide source for certified marriage copies and the divorce index search. It is the right office when a record cannot be placed by county or when a request comes from out of state.