Gulf County Marriage Records

Gulf County marriage records are maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Port St. Joe. This small coastal county in the Florida panhandle processes marriage license applications, civil ceremonies, and record requests at the Gulf County Courthouse. Whether you want to get married in Gulf County or search for an existing marriage record, the clerk office in Port St. Joe is where you start. The Florida Department of Health also has Gulf County marriage certificates on file from June 1927 to the present. You have two main paths to get the records you need, through the local clerk or through the state.

Gulf County Clerk of Court

The Gulf County Clerk of the Circuit Court runs the marriage license office at the courthouse in Port St. Joe. Both parties must come in together. Each person needs a valid photo ID. Driver licenses, passports, military IDs, and state identification cards are accepted. U.S. citizens must provide a Social Security number. Anyone who has been married before has to supply the date of the last divorce, death, or annulment.

You can reach the Gulf County clerk at (850) 229-6112. Call to check hours and ask what you need to bring. The office accepts walk-in applications for marriage licenses. Under Section 741.04 of Florida Statutes Chapter 741, both people sign an affidavit before the Gulf County clerk issues the license. No blood test is needed. Florida has no residency rule for marriage licenses. Visitors to Port St. Joe and the Cape San Blas area can apply for a Gulf County marriage license just like locals.

Note: Gulf County sees destination wedding couples due to its beach areas, so calling ahead during peak months is a good idea.

Gulf County Marriage License Fees

The fee for a Gulf County marriage license is $86 without a premarital course. With a course, the price drops to $61. Section 741.0305 of the Florida Statutes provides the $25 discount for couples who take an approved course within one year of their application date. The course also waives the three-day waiting period that Florida residents must observe. Non-Florida residents have no waiting period at all.

A Gulf County marriage license is valid for 60 days under Section 741.041. Use it for a ceremony anywhere in the state. After the wedding, the signed license must be returned to the Gulf County clerk within 10 days. The clerk records the license into the official records and forwards the data to the state. One free certified copy is sent to the couple. Civil ceremonies at the clerk office cost $30. Ordained ministers, judges, clerks, and notaries can officiate under Section 741.07.

Certified Copies of Gulf County Marriage Records

Get a certified copy of a Gulf County marriage record from the clerk office in Port St. Joe. Go in person or mail a written request with both spouse names, the date of marriage, and your payment. Call (850) 229-6112 for the current fee.

The Florida Department of Health also holds Gulf County marriage certificates from June 6, 1927 onward. The state charges $5 for a one-year search plus one certified copy. Each additional copy is $4. Send mail requests to the Bureau of Vital Statistics at P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042. Make checks payable to Vital Statistics. You can order online through VitalChek, the only contracted vendor. VitalChek charges $15 for the state fee plus $7 for processing. Gulf County marriages before June 1927 can only be found at the local clerk office.

State processing takes 3 to 5 business days for records from 1970 to the present. Older Gulf County marriage records stored in different formats take longer. The Bureau of Vital Statistics handles these requests from its Jacksonville office.

Gulf County Marriage Records and Public Law

Marriage records in Gulf County are public under Florida Statutes Chapter 119. Anyone can ask to see or copy them. You do not have to be a party to the marriage or give a reason. Section 119.07 limits the cost of plain copies to 15 cents per page. Certified copies carry a base cost of $1 under the statute, though the Gulf County clerk may add fees for the full certification.

Social Security numbers and bank account information are protected from public release under Section 119.071. Everything else on a Gulf County marriage record stays public. Under Section 741.09, the Gulf County clerk must keep a correct record of every license issued. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers site has a directory linking to all 67 county clerk offices.

Search Gulf County Records Online

Gulf County does not have a large online records search system. The My Florida County Records portal covers official records in many counties and may include Gulf County files. For certified copies by mail or online, VitalChek offers the easiest route to get Gulf County marriage certificates from the state.

The state marriage records page from the Florida Department of Health covers the process for requesting Gulf County marriage certificates.

This page covers all 67 Florida counties including Gulf County and explains mail and online ordering options.

If you need to search through older Gulf County marriage records, a trip to the clerk office in Port St. Joe may be the only option. The staff can search paper files and microfilm by name and date range. Bring as much information as you have. For very old records, the Gulf County clerk may be the sole source since the state only has files from 1927 forward.

The VitalChek portal provides online ordering for Gulf County marriage certificates from the state without having to visit any office.

VitalChek is the only online vendor approved by the Florida Department of Health for marriage record orders.

Note: For recent Gulf County marriages, the clerk in Port St. Joe will have the record before the state office does since it takes about 60 days for the filing to reach Jacksonville.

Nearby Counties

Gulf County sits in the panhandle of Florida. These neighboring counties each have their own Clerk of the Circuit Court that manages marriage records.