Find Red Lake County Marriage and Divorce Records

Red Lake County Marriage Records

Marriage licenses and marriage certificates in Red Lake County are handled by the Red Lake County Recorder, not by District Court. The Recorder is Joyce Paquin. The office is listed at 124 Langevin Ave N, P.O. Box 3, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. The phone number is (218) 253-2997, the fax number is (218) 253-2052, and the email address is jepaquin@co.red-lake.mn.us. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

The Recorder also serves as the vital statistics registrar and registrar of titles for Red Lake County. That office records and provides information from real estate documents, provides computerized birth and death records where allowed, issues marriage licenses and marriage certificates, files notary commissions, files minister credentials, and handles driver's license renewal. For marriage records, the key point is local: a Red Lake County marriage certificate is available from the Recorder only when the couple applied for the marriage license in Red Lake County.

Red Lake County Marriage Certificates

A Red Lake County marriage certificate request can be made by mail or in person through the Recorder. The county's vital records page says mail requests should include the full names of both parties and the date of marriage. Mail requests go to Red Lake County Recorder, P.O. Box 3, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. In-person requests use the Recorder's second-floor office at 124 Langevin Ave in Red Lake Falls.

Certified and non-certified marriage certificates are listed at the same local fee. A certified copy is the copy most often requested for legal, benefit, insurance, name-change, or agency use. A non-certified copy may help with research, but it may not serve the same proof function. If the license was not applied for in Red Lake County, the local Recorder is not the right office for the certificate. The county-managed statewide marriage system can help locate the county of issuance.

Note: The reduced license fee is tied to premarital education under Minn. Stat. 517.08 subd. 1b.

Apply for a Red Lake County Marriage License

Marriage license applicants in Red Lake County must complete an application, provide Social Security number information, and have picture identification when applying. The Recorder's office handles the application at the local registrar level. The research source does not publish a remote online application workflow for Red Lake County, so the documented local channels are in person and the specific supplemental process for a party who cannot appear.

Use the license fee table before applying, since the standard fee and reduced premarital-education fee are different. The reduced fee is not just a discount request; it is tied to the Minnesota statute cited by the county. Applicants should also account for the fact that a marriage certificate later comes from the county where the license was applied for, so applying in Red Lake County means the Recorder becomes the Red Lake County certificate source after the marriage is recorded.

1. Contact or visit the Red Lake County Recorder to confirm current application handling and payment method.
2. Complete the marriage license application with information for both parties.
3. Bring picture identification and provide Social Security number information as required by the county process.
4. Pay the standard license fee or provide the qualifying premarital education basis for the reduced fee.
5. After the marriage is recorded, request certified or non-certified certificates from the Recorder when copies are needed.

One Party Cannot Appear

Red Lake County documents a specific process when one party cannot appear in person at the local registrar's office at the time of application. The appearing applicant completes the full application with information for both parties. The non-appearing party completes the supplemental application for a marriage license for the party not appearing. This is not the same as the Recorder waiving the application requirements. It is a documented way to complete the Red Lake County application when both parties are not present together.

The supplemental application detail is important for military, work, travel, health, and distance issues, but the research does not state that all parts of the process can be completed by email or online. Treat the supplemental form as a county-specific add-on to the application, then verify submission requirements with the Recorder before mailing or appearing at the office. A complete application and the right fee still control whether the license can be issued.

Minister Credentials in Red Lake County

Red Lake County also files minister credentials. The Recorder's vital records page states that credentials of ordination or licensing must be filed in one Minnesota county before a minister performs marriage ceremonies in Minnesota. In Red Lake County, filing can be done by mail or in person. For mail filing, send the original license or certificate and the Certificate of Filing form to Red Lake County Recorder, P.O. Box 3, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750.

For in-person filing, the minister brings the original license or certificate to the Recorder's office at 124 Langevin Ave, 2nd floor. The filing fee is $20. This filing is different from applying for a couple's marriage license and different from ordering a marriage certificate. It is a credential record that supports authority to perform ceremonies under Minnesota practice.

Search Red Lake County Marriage Records

The Minnesota Official Marriage System, often called MOMS, is created, designed, and managed by Minnesota counties. It provides a statewide path to search for a marriage certificate and includes county selection. MOMS states that marriage records are public information under Minnesota Statutes chapters 13 and 517. The research file notes that Red Lake is shown as a participating county in the county list surfaced during review.

The MOMS form was protected from automated inspection, so Red Lake County content should not invent a full list of search fields. The supported facts are the county selection and the search path for applicant-based marriage certificate lookup. If MOMS identifies a marriage tied to Red Lake County, certificate copies still route back to the Red Lake County Recorder. If the result points to another Minnesota county, that county's local registrar is the certificate office.

Red Lake County Divorce Records

Divorce records are not Recorder records in Red Lake County. A Minnesota divorce is a dissolution case filed in District Court, and the decree is a court record. Red Lake County divorce case files and decrees are searched through Minnesota Court Records Online where remote access is available. Use MCRO Case Search, select the Family category, set Court Locations to County, and choose Red Lake. A case number is the best search key when it is known.

Certified divorce decree copies must be requested from Red Lake County District Court Administration, not the Recorder. Court administration is at the Red Lake County Courthouse, 124 Main Ave NW, P.O. Box 339, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. The phone number is (218) 521-4050, the fax number is (218) 277-1462, and business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. MCRO is useful for public case lookup, but it is not the certified court record.

1. Search MCRO by party name or case number and filter to Red Lake County.
2. Use the Family case category for dissolution and related family court matters.
3. Open public case details to confirm the caption, filing date, and case number.
4. Contact Red Lake County District Court Administration for a certified decree copy.

Note: Family case access may be limited where court rules restrict remote documents or protect private information.