Find Yakima County Marriage and Divorce Records

Getting a Marriage License in Yakima County

Marriage licenses in Yakima County are issued by the Auditor's Office, not the court. The Recording Division of the Auditor handles them. The office sits at 128 N 2nd Street, Room 117, in downtown Yakima, the same block as the courts but a separate department. You apply in person during open hours, which run Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Mail goes to a separate P.O. Box, not the street address. The Recording Manager, Jennifer Richter, oversees the division. You can read the rules on the county's Marriage License page.

That page spells out the ID, the fee, and the timing, so check it before you go. A few rules trip people up. Both parties normally must show up together at the Recording Division to apply. Each person brings a valid government-issued photo ID as proof of age and identity. There is a 3-day waiting period after the license is issued before the ceremony can happen. The county gives an easy example: a license issued on a Wednesday means a Saturday wedding at the earliest. After the wait, the couple has up to 60 days to marry. The license is good only in Washington State, not elsewhere.

Can't both show up? There is a workaround. You print the application, fill out every field, and have it notarized. Both applicants still need current photo ID as proof of age and identity. Then the original notarized application, the correct fee, and any other needed information are mailed in or dropped off by someone else to complete the process.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

The process is short once you have your ID and your fee ready. The steps below follow the county's own instructions. Plan around the waiting period, since that part you cannot skip.

1. Decide whether both parties can appear together at the Auditor's Office Recording Division. If not, use the notarized mail-in option.
2. Bring a current government-issued photo ID for each person as proof of age and identity.
3. Pay the license fee, which starts at $176. Add a card fee if you pay by credit or debit.
4. Get the license and wait three full days before the ceremony.
5. Hold the ceremony inside the valid window, which closes 60 days after the waiting period ends.
6. Return or record the license after the ceremony following the Auditor's instructions.

Once the signed license comes back, the Auditor records it, and from that point it is a public record.

Marriage License Application Fields

The application asks for the basic facts the Auditor needs to issue and record the license. Official text shows that every field must be filled out, though the office does not publish each exact label online. The table below lists what the county text confirms you must provide. Bring both IDs even for the in-person process.

The Auditor also handles copy requests for documents it has recorded, including marriage records. You can see how to order them on the Auditor's Request copies page.

Use that page when you need a copy of a recorded marriage record rather than a new license.

Yakima County Marriage and Divorce Fees

Fees split by office, since the two records sit in two places. The Auditor charges the marriage license fee. The Clerk of Superior Court charges the divorce filing fee and the cost of certified copies of court documents. Card use adds a fee on the license. A counter petition in a divorce, filed by the other spouse, carries its own charge. The figures below come from the county Auditor and the Clerk fee schedule.

If you cannot afford the filing fee, you may ask the court for a waiver or reduction. The Clerk of Superior Court page lists the full copy and filing schedule.

How to Look Up Yakima County Marriage Records

Recorded marriage records are public, so anyone can request a copy. The Auditor's Recording Division keeps them. You can ask for a copy in person at Room 117 or follow the Auditor's request-copies process for documents it has recorded. To find the right record fast, have the names of both spouses and a rough date of the marriage. The more you can give, the quicker staff can pull the file.

Marriage data also feeds the state. Washington keeps statewide vital records through the Department of Health, which holds marriage records from across the state. For very old or out-of-county records, the state office can be the better stop. Within Yakima County, though, the Auditor is the local source, and that is where most requests should start.

How to Find Yakima County Divorce Records

Divorce and legal separation are Superior Court family law cases. The Clerk of Superior Court holds these files at 128 N 2nd Street, Room 323. The Clerk's domestic and family law records cover divorce, legal separation, child custody, non-parental custody, residential custody, and paternity. To search a Yakima County divorce, use the statewide Washington Courts case search or the Odyssey Portal, and pick the Superior Court case type for Domestic matters. A name or case number gets you to the docket.

Most divorce filings are public once filed, but not all of it is open. Sealed or confidential pleadings need a court order or party or attorney status to view. Paternity matters stay confidential until the order determining parentage is entered. Adoption files are sealed so tightly the Clerk needs a court order even to confirm a case exists, under RCW 26.33.330. You can read that statute on the Washington Legislature site.

That law explains why sealed family records, especially adoptions, are treated so much more strictly than an ordinary divorce file. When a divorce or legal separation wraps up, the Clerk also transmits the information to the Washington Department of Health in Olympia for statistical record keeping.

Help for Self-Represented Filers

Many people file for divorce without a lawyer. Yakima County runs a Family Court Facilitator to help with that. The Facilitator sits at 128 N 2nd Street, Room 314, and can be reached at 509-574-2695, with a Spanish line at 509-574-1894. The office helps self-represented filers with the state family-law forms and the basic steps, though it does not give legal advice. A user fee of $75 applies.

A typical divorce moves through a set order. Confirm Yakima County Superior Court is the right venue. Prepare the Washington family-law forms. File with the Clerk in Room 323 and pay the fee or ask for a waiver. Serve the other party. Then track the case through Odyssey or the Clerk and, at the end, order a certified copy of the decree if you need one.

Getting Certified Copies

A certified copy is the kind an agency or another court may demand. A plain copy will not do for many legal needs. For a divorce decree or other court document, the Clerk of Superior Court issues certified copies. The first page costs $5, and each added page costs $1. You can buy copies at the front counter with cash, business check, or online through nCourt. Debit and credit cards work only when you order through the website.

For copies ordered online, a confirmation number must go on the copy request, and the Clerk does not process the request until payment or that number arrives. If payment is not received within 30 days, the request is deleted. For a marriage record copy, ask the Auditor's Recording Division instead, since that office recorded it.

Washington Vital Records Office

The Washington State Department of Health keeps statewide vital records, including marriage and divorce data reported by county offices. The state office can help when a record is old, when the county of record is unclear, or when you need a statewide search. For a Yakima County license or divorce file, though, the local offices remain the first stop. The Auditor handles the marriage side, and the Clerk handles the divorce side.

Related Yakima County Records

For estate and will matters, see Yakima County probate records. For the broader rules on open records, see public records. And for copy steps, hours, and the full fee schedule, see the Clerk of Superior Court page.