Search Spokane County Marriage and Divorce Records

Where Spokane County Marriage and Divorce Records Live

The first thing to know is that no single office holds both record types. Marriage licenses are issued by the Spokane County Auditor, through its Recording and Marriage License Office. The court clerk does not handle them. Divorce records are a different animal. Those are Superior Court domestic files, and they are kept by the Spokane County Clerk. So a marriage record points you to the Auditor, and a divorce record points you to the court.

This matters because the search tools differ too. A marriage license starts with an application and a fee paid to the Auditor. A divorce case shows up in the court's online viewer, where you can pull case details by name or by case number. If you mix up the two offices, you waste a trip. Knowing the right door saves time.

The Auditor publishes its marriage rules and fees on the county website. You can read the Spokane County marriage information page for the current steps and costs.

The county marriage page lays out the fee, the office hours, and the mailing steps in one place.

From that page you can download the forms and confirm where to send your payment.

Spokane County Marriage License Fees

The cost to apply changed in 2025. Effective July 27, 2025, the total to apply for a marriage license is $162. That breaks down into a $159 application fee and a $3 certified copy fee. There is one discount worth knowing. If either applicant is active military and pays by mail, the total drops to $159. The table below sums up the current costs.

Payment by mail must be a check, cashier's check, or money order made out to the Spokane County Auditor. The county cannot take payment over the phone or by electronic transfer for a mailed application. Plan ahead if you intend to pay another way.

To order a certified marriage copy by mail, send a check payable to the Spokane County Auditor along with the names of each party at the time of application and the date of the marriage.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

The Auditor lets couples apply in person or by mail. Each spouse fills out a separate application form. If you mail the forms, you cannot sign until you are in front of a notary. The steps below follow the county's stated process for a mailed application.

1. Download the Marriage Application and type your information before you print it.
2. Use a desktop computer, not a phone, so the fillable PDF works right.
3. Have each spouse complete a separate form.
4. Do not sign until you are in front of a notary. Banks and credit unions often offer notary service.
5. Mail both forms together with one payment to the Spokane County Auditor.
6. Wait for the county to mail back your marriage-license packet. If something is missing, the county will call.
7. Hold the ceremony in Washington between 3 and 63 days after applying.

Two rules sit at the heart of the process. There is a three-day waiting period, and it cannot be waived. The officiant must be a judge, a retired judge, an ordained minister, or a similar official of a religious organization. The mailing address for applications is Spokane County Auditor - Marriage, PO Box 2353, Spokane, WA 99210.

If you apply in person, the office asks that you arrive at least 30 minutes before closing so staff have time to process the license.

Marriage Application Form Fields

The application asks each spouse for the same set of details. Some fields are routine. One field, the Social Security number, is sensitive and should never be posted in a public copy. The inventory below shows what the Spokane County marriage application collects from each applicant.

Fill every field carefully. A missing line or an unsigned form is the most common reason a packet gets held up.

Spokane County Divorce Records and the Clerk

Divorce, also called dissolution, is a Superior Court matter. The Spokane County Clerk keeps these domestic files, the same way the Clerk keeps probate and other Superior Court cases. The county Court Records page confirms that divorce, adoption, and family-law documents are obtained from the Clerk's Office. For a quick look at a case, the free court viewer is the place to start.

You search the viewer under Superior Court cases, using the Civil, Domestic, or Probate category. A name search needs at least a last name and a first initial. A case-number search works when you have the number. The viewer shows case details and hearing dates, but for an official record you order a certified copy from the Clerk.

Filing a new divorce uses Washington Courts family-law forms along with local Spokane County Superior Court procedures.

1. Confirm venue and residency under Washington law.
2. Download the current Washington Courts dissolution forms and any Spokane local forms.
3. File the petition and summons with the Clerk in Spokane County Superior Court.
4. Pay the filing fee, or file a fee-waiver request if you cannot afford it.
5. Serve the other spouse.
6. Address temporary orders, a parenting plan, child support, and financial declarations as needed.
7. Follow the case schedule through to the final decree, then order certified copies from the Clerk.

Divorce files are public in part, but not in full. General Rule 22 restricts financial source documents and certain family-law materials, so some pages in a divorce file are sealed or redacted by rule.

Why Some Family Records Stay Sealed

Not every family record is open. The Clerk keeps adoption files, but those are confidential and are not searched the way an ordinary public case is. State law sets that privacy. You can read the rule behind adoption record confidentiality on the state legislature site.

The statute page explains the legal basis for keeping adoption files closed to general public search.

Because adoption, juvenile, and certain financial pages are restricted, a divorce or family file may show the case but not every document inside it. Read the rule at RCW 26.33.330 if you need the detail.

Certified Copies of Marriage and Divorce Records

Certified copies are the official version of a record. For a marriage record, you order from the Auditor. For a divorce decree or any Superior Court domestic file, you order from the Clerk. Each office sets its own copy fee and its own request method, so check the right one before you pay.

A certified copy carries a court or county seal and is the version a bank, an agency, or another court will accept. An uncertified printout from the online viewer is fine for reference, but it will not stand in for an official record. When the purpose is legal, ask for the certified copy.

Think about how many copies you need before you order. Some agencies keep the certified copy you give them, so a single copy may not stretch across a name change, a benefit claim, and a bank update. Ordering two or three at once can save a second trip and a second fee. For an older marriage or an older divorce, give the office the full names and the date so staff can pull the right file. The more detail you bring, the faster the copy comes back.

The Clerk of the Superior Court handles divorce copies, while the Auditor handles marriage copies. For related estate matters, the probate records page covers wills and guardianships. For broad county files that are not court records, see public records. And for the full court search workflow, the court records page walks through the viewer in detail.