Search Greene County Marriage and Divorce Records

Getting a Marriage License in Greene County

Marriage licenses in Greene County are issued by the Circuit Clerk, not the Chancery Clerk. Cecelia Bounds serves as Circuit Clerk and Registrar, and her office handles every step of the license at the courthouse in Leakesville. Both parties must appear together before the clerk. Each person shows proof of age, such as a driver license or birth certificate, and the couple pays the license fee at the counter.

The clerk asks for more than names and ages. The office records both parents' full names for each applicant, including the mother's maiden name. If either party was married before, the office needs proof of the date that last marriage ended, whether by death, divorce, or annulment. The license is issued the same day, and a couple may hold the ceremony that same day if they have arranged an authorized officiant. The office does not perform ceremonies and does not arrange an officiant.

Appointments are preferred. The clerk may still issue a license during regular business hours, but calling ahead at 601-394-2379 or emailing the office first helps streamline the visit. There is no time limit on completing the ceremony once the license is in hand. After the wedding, the couple is asked to return the signed license to the clerk for recording within five days.

The local rules, fee, and parent-name requirements are laid out on the Greene County marriage license instructions page.

That page is the source for the same-day issuance rule and the request that couples return the license within five days after the marriage.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

The application moves quickly once both people are present with the right documents. A short call before the visit confirms the office is ready and that nothing is missing. The steps below follow the Circuit Clerk's stated process.

1. Call the Circuit Clerk at 601-394-2379 to set an appointment or confirm walk-in hours, since appointments are preferred.
2. Both parties travel to the courthouse together, because each person must appear in person before the clerk.
3. Bring proof of age for each applicant, such as a driver license or a birth certificate.
4. Provide both parents' full names for each party, including each mother's maiden name.
5. If either party was married before, show proof of the date the prior marriage ended.
6. Pay the marriage license fee, then the clerk issues the license the same day.
7. Arrange your own authorized officiant, hold the ceremony, and return the signed license within five days for recording.

Greene County Marriage License Application Fields

The marriage license worksheet collects a full personal profile for each party. It goes well beyond name and birth date, asking about education, occupation, race, and any prior marriages. Knowing the questions ahead of time lets a couple gather the answers before they reach the counter.

Note: The mother's maiden name and a prior-marriage end date are easy to overlook, so confirm both before the visit to keep the application moving.

Greene County Marriage and Divorce Fees

The Circuit Clerk sets fixed fees for the license, for record searches, and for certified copies. The marriage license fee covers the application itself. A record search carries its own charge and includes a certified copy when the marriage is found, which is why the two services are priced separately.

Payment for a mailed marriage search must be made in advance by personal check or money order payable to Greene County Circuit Clerk. The form also accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, and the office takes no responsibility for cash sent through the mail.

How to Look Up Greene County Marriage Records

Greene County marriage records are held locally in the Circuit Clerk's office, and the local run is long. Records from 1874 to the present are kept at the courthouse. Any license before 1874 was destroyed by fire, according to the Circuit Clerk, which is why genealogy searches in this county hit a hard floor at that year. Earlier records may require the state archives or another historical repository rather than the courthouse.

A historical marriage search costs a set fee per marriage and includes a certified copy if the record is located. The office needs the complete groom name, the complete bride name including her maiden name, and the approximate marriage date. The downloadable request form notes that a five-year search will be made around the date you give. If the record cannot be found, only fees paid for extra copies are refunded.

The state health department keeps statewide Mississippi marriage records as well, which helps when the county of the marriage is uncertain. The state's process and coverage are described on the MSDH marriage records page.

For a record known to be from Greene County, the Circuit Clerk counter is the most direct source, while the state office is the fallback when the county is unknown.

Requesting a Greene County Marriage Copy

A mailed request for a certified marriage copy uses a short search form. The form asks who is requesting the copy, why they need it, and where to send it, along with the names and date that identify the marriage. The Circuit Clerk forms page links the request, and applicants can review the fee schedule there before they pay.

The marriage search request and the office's full Circuit Clerk forms are posted online for download and mailing.

How to Find Greene County Divorce Records

Divorce is not a Circuit Clerk matter. Divorce records are Chancery Court records, handled on the equity side of the Greene County system. The Chancery Court hears divorce, child custody, property division, alimony, adoption, and related family matters. Michelle "Shelley" D. Eubanks serves as Chancery Clerk, and her office is the place to request a certified divorce decree granted in Greene County.

Some divorce filings and decrees are public or partly public, but adoption, minor-related, and other sensitive family records can be sealed or restricted. The Mississippi Public Records Act allows release of nonexempt material while exempt material is redacted, so a file is not always open in full. For the certified decree itself, the request goes to the Chancery Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted.

Probate, guardianship, and other equity files run through the same court, and the Greene County probate records path explains how those Chancery filings are reached.

Greene County Divorce Index at MSDH

The Mississippi State Department of Health does not maintain divorce decrees. What it offers is a divorce index, useful when you are not certain which county granted the divorce. The state divorce page describes a five-year county divorce index search for a set fee for certain date ranges. The index can point you to the right county, but it does not give you the decree.

The state index and the county where the divorce was granted work together. You can use the index to locate the county, then turn to that county's Chancery Clerk for the certified copy. The state's divorce-record process is shown on the MSDH divorce index page.

For a Greene County divorce, that final certified decree still comes from the Chancery Clerk at the Leakesville courthouse, not from the state.

Note: MSDH provides a county divorce index search, but the certified divorce decree itself must come from the Chancery Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted.

Mississippi Vital Records Office

The Mississippi State Department of Health runs the statewide Vital Records office. It is the central source for Mississippi birth, death, and marriage records, and it hosts the divorce index that links a name to a county. For Greene County marriage and divorce records, the state office is the backstop when local searches stall or when the county of the event is unknown.

The Vital Records hub explains how to order copies and run index searches by mail, phone, or online. The starting point is the MSDH Vital Records landing page.

Pairing the state index with the local Circuit Clerk and Chancery Clerk gives a complete path to almost any Greene County marriage or divorce record.