Ruskin Marriage Records

Marriage records for Ruskin are kept by the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court in Tampa. Ruskin is an unincorporated community in south Hillsborough County near Tampa Bay, and the county clerk is the only office that issues marriage licenses and stores records for this area.

Getting a Marriage License from Ruskin

Ruskin is in Hillsborough County. The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court handles marriage licenses at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs St., Tampa, FL 33602. Ruskin is in the southern part of the county, so expect about a 35-minute drive north on US-41 or I-75 to reach the courthouse in downtown Tampa.

The clerk office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone number is (813) 276-8100. Both people applying for the license must come in together. Bring a valid photo ID. Driver licenses, passports, military IDs, and state cards are all accepted. You also need your Social Security number.

Prior marriages? Bring proof they ended. A final divorce decree or death certificate with the exact date works. The clerk will not process your application without it.

License Fees

A marriage license in Hillsborough County is $86. Take a premarital course and the fee goes down to $61. The course needs to come from a state-approved provider and must be done within one year of applying. Florida Statutes Chapter 741 lays out the rules and allows the course to waive the three-day wait.

Ceremonies at the clerk office cost $30. Cash and credit cards are accepted. Personal checks are not. Duplicate licenses run $30 each.

Certified copies of marriage records cost $5 for the first and $4 for extras. A search fee applies per year when the exact year is unknown.

Search Ruskin Marriage Records Online

The Hillsborough County Clerk marriage records page is where to start looking. The clerk has an online system for searching marriage records by name. The search is free. You pay only for certified copies.

Statewide records are available from the Florida Department of Health, which holds marriage certificates dating back to 1927. The state charges $5 for a search and one certified copy, $4 for each extra. VitalChek is another online option at $15 plus processing. For Ruskin marriages, the county clerk is normally faster.

Records before 1927 are only at the county. Florida did not start tracking marriages at the state level until June 6 of that year. For older records, reach out to the Hillsborough County Clerk.

Application Steps for Ruskin Residents

Follow this process:

• Complete the online pre-application on the Hillsborough County Clerk website
• Gather photo IDs and Social Security numbers
• Both people go to the Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa
• Pay $86 at the counter ($61 with premarital course proof)
• Florida residents wait three days unless the course was taken
• License is valid 60 days and can be used anywhere in the state

Non-Florida residents have no wait. The premarital course eliminates the wait for everyone. Courses run about four hours and are offered by state-approved providers around the Tampa Bay region. They typically cover communication, money, and conflict resolution.

Under Florida law, ordained clergy, judges, court clerks, deputy clerks, and Florida notaries public may officiate. After the ceremony, the officiant signs and files the license with the clerk within 10 days. The clerk records it and later sends the data to the state Bureau of Vital Statistics. The whole recording process takes about 60 days.

Getting Copies of Ruskin Marriage Records

In-person visits to the Tampa courthouse are the fastest way to get certified copies. The drive from Ruskin takes about 35 minutes. Mail requests go to the Hillsborough County Clerk at 800 E. Twiggs St., Tampa, FL 33602. Include both party names, the approximate date, and a check or money order. Call (813) 276-8100 for help.

Marriage records are public in Florida. Florida Statutes Chapter 119 guarantees public access. The clerk removes sensitive info like Social Security numbers before releasing copies. If you need privacy protections, ask the clerk what options exist under the law.

Newly married couples should go to the county first. The state system lags by about two months after the ceremony date.

Other Cities in Hillsborough County

All cities in Hillsborough County use the same clerk office. Browse another city for details.