Saginaw County Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriage Records at the Saginaw County Clerk

Marriage records in Saginaw County are a vital records function of the County Clerk. Vanessa Guerra is the elected County Clerk, and her office keeps these files on the first floor of the Governmental Center, Room 101, at 111 S. Michigan Avenue in Saginaw. The Clerk maintains marriage records for couples where one or both parties lived in Saginaw County when they applied and were married somewhere in Michigan. If the license came from a different county, that county holds the record instead.

Marriage licenses in Saginaw County are public records. Anyone may request a certified copy of a marriage record, which is one reason these files are often used for name changes, Social Security updates, and other everyday paperwork. Records from 1995 to the present are indexed for online searching, while older marriage records are handled as historical requests through the Clerk's genealogy process.

The marriage license page from the Vital Records Division sets out the copy fees and the ways to apply. You can review the official Saginaw County marriage license page for the current rules before you visit or apply.

The same page links to the online portal used for both marriage record searches and new license applications, so it is a useful first stop whether you are getting married or ordering a copy.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

Couples planning to marry start with an application, not a certified copy. The Clerk's marriage page directs applicants to apply online through the Saginaw County Vital Records Self-Service Portal, which walks both parties through the required details. Fees depend on residency, and the office cannot process a marriage license after 4:30 p.m., so timing matters if you plan to finish in person.

1. Open the Vital Records Self-Service Portal at tylereagleselfservice.saginawcounty.com and start a marriage license application.
2. Enter the identifying details the form requests for both applicants, checking that names match the identification you will present.
3. Pay the license fee, which is $20 when a party lives in Saginaw County and $30 when both parties live outside the county.
4. If you qualify for and request a reduced waiting arrangement, note the $10 waiver fee listed on the Clerk's schedule.
5. Finish any in-person step before the 4:30 p.m. cutoff, since licenses are not processed after that time.

Because state law, not a local rule, governs marriage eligibility in Michigan, the Clerk's office is the place to confirm current identification and any statewide requirements before your date.

Saginaw County Marriage License Fields

The online application collects standard identifying information for each person named on the license. Having these details ready for both applicants makes the form quick to complete. The table below outlines the kinds of information a marriage license application typically requests.

Field labels and exact prompts are set inside the Self-Service Portal, so confirm each entry on screen before submitting the application and paying.

Saginaw County Marriage and Divorce Fees

Fees fall into two groups. Marriage license and marriage copy fees are set by the County Clerk's Vital Records Division, while divorce filing and copy costs run through the Circuit Court side of the Clerk's office. The table gathers the published amounts so you can budget before you file or request a copy.

In-person payments accept cash, checks, and debit or credit cards, though a $2.50 processing charge applies to card payments under $49.99. Mail requests take checks or money orders, and online copy orders take debit or credit cards.

Note: Online certified copy prices climb with the number of copies and the mailing option you choose, so the $26 figure is a starting point, not a flat rate.

How to Look Up Saginaw County Marriage Records

A Saginaw County marriage records search has three main channels, and the best one depends on how old the record is and how you want to receive it. Records from 1995 forward are the simplest, since they are indexed for online searching. Older marriages fall under the genealogy process described further down.

For a modern record, use the Vital Records Self-Service Portal to search and order a certified copy without visiting the courthouse. To search in person, go to the County Clerk's Vital Records counter in Room 101 during business hours. To request by mail, complete an Application for Marriage Record, enclose a check or money order payable to the Saginaw County Clerk, and mail it to Saginaw County Clerk, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Saginaw, MI 48602, or drop it in the courthouse entrance drop box.

To find any marriage record, have the full names of both spouses and an approximate year on hand. Accurate spelling helps, because a small difference in a name can hide the entry you need.

How to Find Saginaw County Divorce Records

Divorce is not a vital record. A divorce in Saginaw County is a domestic relations case filed with the County Clerk's Circuit Court Division, which handles divorce, paternity, and general family matters for the 10th Judicial Circuit Court. That means a divorce file lives with the court records, not with the marriage certificates, even though the same Clerk oversees both functions.

There are several ways to reach a divorce file. You can run a name or case-number search through the county Odyssey portal by setting the court to Circuit Civil, though public visibility varies with how a case is categorized. You can review files and buy copies over the counter at the Circuit Court Division. You can also request records by mail from Saginaw County Circuit Court Records, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Saginaw, MI 48602, including a $10 search fee for each name and a return envelope. Certified and standard copies are available by mail as well.

A divorce file can show the parties, the judgment of divorce, and orders on property, support, and custody. Not everything is open, though. Child-related details, confidential personal information, sealed records, and protective-order specifics may be redacted or withheld. Adoption records are separate and are kept confidential under Michigan's adoption record statute, MCL 710.67.

That statute is a reminder that family case files often mix open and closed material, so a divorce record may arrive with some portions removed. For the broader picture of how the Circuit Court keeps its files, the Saginaw County Circuit Court page covers the court that hears these cases.

Certified Copies of Saginaw County Records

A plain printout is fine for personal reference, but many agencies insist on a certified copy. For a marriage record, the certified copy comes from the County Clerk's Vital Records Division, and in most in-person visits it is prepared while you wait. Mail and online orders take longer because of handling and delivery time.

For a certified divorce record, the copy comes from the Circuit Court Division, which charges $1 per page plus a $10 certification fee. Whether you are ordering a marriage or a divorce copy, confirm how many certified copies you need up front, since additional marriage copies of the same record cost less when requested in the same visit or request.

Genealogy and Historical Records

Older Saginaw County records fall under a separate genealogy process. Marriage and death records are available for the public to request copies, and birth records open to public copy requests once they are at least 100 years old. These historical requests are not part of the online portal.

Genealogy requests may only be submitted in person at the County Clerk's office. There is a $10 search fee per record, and certified copies follow the same structure as other vital records, at $15 for the first copy and $7 for each additional copy of the same record in the same visit. The county's genealogy page explains the access rules for these older files.

For family history work, that in-person genealogy counter is where century-old marriage and birth records become available for copying.