Find La Plata County Marriage Records

La Plata County Marriage License Office

Marriage and civil-union licenses are issued by the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder, not by the court Clerk of Court. The office is led by Tiffany Lee and serves marriage/civil-union customers at 679 Turner Dr Suite C, Durango, CO 81303. The marriage phone line is 970-382-6281. Public counter hours for this service are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Wednesday 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and closed Friday.

The county accepts marriage license appointments. Applicants complete the online Marriage/Civil Union Application before booking, then appear in person with valid identification and payment. The appointment should be on the day of marriage or within 35 days before it. Colorado residency is not required, and the license may be used immediately anywhere in Colorado once issued.

The county's marriage and civil-union license page lists the local fee, identification, appointment, and certified-copy rules.

Those rules are the starting point for a license, while divorce decrees remain court records.

Apply for La Plata County Marriage License

The application process has two parts: an online form and an in-person appointment. Both parties usually appear together to pick up and sign the license. If one person cannot appear, the appearing person may use a completed notarized Absentee Affidavit from the Clerk's Office plus a photocopy of valid government-issued ID for the absent party.

1. Complete the online Marriage/Civil Union Application for Party One and Party Two.
2. Submit the application and use the bookings link on the confirmation page to schedule an appointment.
3. Choose an appointment date on the day of marriage or within 35 days before the ceremony.
4. Bring valid photo identification and the required Social Security number information or affidavit.
5. Pay the license fee and buy certified copies at issuance if needed.
6. Use the license in Colorado within its validity period and return it as instructed after solemnization.

The online marriage and civil-union application workflow is the county's required first step before an appointment.

The confirmation workflow matters because the appointment link appears after the online form is submitted.

La Plata County Marriage Fees

La Plata County publishes a small but important fee schedule for marriage and civil-union licensing. The license fee is paid to the Clerk and Recorder and may be paid by cash, check, or credit card. Certified copies can be bought at the time of licensing, which can save a later copy request if a name change, benefits update, or legal filing will need proof.

The online application fields captured in the research are workflow sections rather than a full field-by-field form export. Applicants should still expect to supply identity details that match their proof of age and identification.

La Plata County Marriage ID Rules

Applicants must prove age and identity. Accepted proof includes a valid Colorado driver license or ID, valid out-of-state photo driver license or ID, valid U.S. military ID, certain original or certified DD214 records, tribal ID, certified adoption order with birth date, certificate of naturalization with intact photo, valid foreign passport with immigration documentation, refugee or asylee I-94 status, permanent resident card, or listed employment and temporary resident cards.

Some documents are not accepted. The county does not accept a Matricular Consular Card, novelty ID, city or county prison or jail ID, souvenir birth certificate, temporary driver license, temporary state ID, or expired ID. A Social Security number is required, unless the applicant completes an Affidavit of No Social Security Number. Applicants age 16 or older but under the standard adult rule need a Judicial Court Order from the court of jurisdiction.

Note: Marriage license questions for minors with a court order are routed to the courthouse phone number in the county's instructions.

Search La Plata County Marriage Records

Marriage licenses and civil-union licenses are not available through the county's iDoc Market recorded-document search. The Clerk and Recorder's recording page states that military discharges, marriage licenses, and civil-union licenses are not available online. That is a useful limit because many recorded documents can be searched by iDoc Market, but marriage records require direct contact with the Clerk and Recorder.

Certified copies of marriage licenses come from the County Clerk and Recorder. Historical marriage and civil-union records also require direct clerk contact. Searchers should be ready with the names, approximate date, and whether they need a certified copy or ordinary information. For land records and recorded documents, use the separate County Clerk and Recorder channels, but for divorce decrees use the court.

Find La Plata County Divorce Records

Divorce records are District Court domestic relations records. The District Court also handles child support, custody, adoptions, probate, juvenile, felony criminal, and other general-jurisdiction matters. A divorce docket may be searched through the Colorado Judicial Branch docket system. CoCourts may cover domestic relations case data where available, and Colorado State Courts Data Access is account-gated and contains court data, not documents.

Certified divorce decrees and court case-file copies come from the Clerk of Court at the La Plata County Courthouse, not from the County Clerk and Recorder and not from state vital records as the primary local source. Sensitive filings involving children, financial identifiers, protection orders, or sealed domestic material may be redacted or restricted. If only a court date or case existence check is needed, start with the docket. If a certified decree is needed, contact the Clerk of Court.

The State Public Defender application guidance is not a marriage record source, but it appears in the court research because family, custody, and criminal court access can overlap when people are navigating court obligations.

Use court-specific offices for court orders, even when family or custody questions connect to other justice-system services.

The county's property-release rules are likewise not a marriage source, but they illustrate how custody and family matters may require office-specific proof and procedures.

That office-by-office distinction is why divorce decrees, marriage licenses, and custody-related records should not be requested from the same custodian by default.

La Plata County Divorce Case Copies

A divorce case generally starts in District Court if venue and residency requirements are met. Parties use Colorado Judicial Branch domestic-relations forms, pay a filing fee or request a waiver if eligible, serve or respond, exchange required financial disclosures where applicable, and attend status conferences, mediation, or hearings as ordered. Final decrees, parenting orders, and support orders are court orders.

Copy requests should name the parties, case number if known, document type, and whether certification is required. If the requester does not know the case number, the Clerk of Court can explain search options and copy rules. For a broader court-record search, related dockets and case records are discussed through La Plata County court records.