Find Winston County Marriage and Divorce Records

Where Winston County Marriage and Divorce Records Live

Mississippi splits these records between two clerks. The Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses, keeps the marriage records, and files a Statistical Record of Marriage with the State Board of Health. The Chancery Clerk is the custodian of Chancery Court files, and divorce in Mississippi is a Chancery Court matter, so the divorce decree itself lives with the Chancery Clerk.

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) adds a third piece. It can help locate a record through its vital records services, but it does not hold the courthouse decree. For a marriage, MSDH warns that not every marriage is on file even though the law requires registration. For a divorce, MSDH plainly states that it does not maintain divorce records and only searches a county index to point you back to the courthouse.

The takeaway is simple. Marriage licenses and certified marriage copies are a Circuit Clerk service. Divorce decrees are Chancery Clerk and Chancery Court records. MSDH is an ordering aid and an index, not the file room for either record.

Getting a Marriage License from the Circuit Clerk

The Winston County Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses from the office in Louisville. Circuit Clerk Gwenita Mays runs the office, which also handles passports, voter registration, notary service, and felony and civil court filings. For marriage purposes, the office takes the application, collects the fee, issues the license, and later records the returned certificate.

The published marriage license fee is $37.00, and a certified marriage license copy is $17.00. Mississippi does not impose a statewide waiting period or a blood test, but applicants should confirm current ID and appearance rules directly with the clerk before driving over, since small offices set their own counter practices. The office keeps weekday hours and answers the phone during business hours, which matters in a county where many records are still handled in person rather than through a self-service portal.

Because the Circuit Clerk both issues the license and files the marriage statistic with the state, this office is also the right first call for a certified marriage copy when the marriage was licensed or recorded in Winston County. The same office handles other clerk services covered on the Winston County Circuit Clerk page.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

The application is handled at the Circuit Clerk counter. Winston County does not publish the form online, so the steps below follow the official county fee and office details and standard Mississippi county practice. Confirm the specifics by phone before you go.

1. Call the Circuit Clerk at 662-773-3581 during weekday hours to confirm what to bring and whether both applicants must appear together.
2. Gather identification, proof of age, and any prior-marriage information, such as a divorce date or a spouse's death date, in case the clerk requests it.
3. Complete the application at the office and pay the $37.00 marriage license fee.
4. Hold the ceremony and have the officiant complete and return the license so the clerk can record it.
5. After recording, order a certified marriage license copy for $17.00 if you need one for a name change, benefits, or other proof.

Marriage License Application Details

Winston County does not post a downloadable marriage license application in the county's online materials, so the exact printed fields are not published. The table reflects the information Mississippi county clerks commonly collect, presented as general guidance rather than a confirmed Winston County form. Treat the office and fee lines as the only documented local facts and verify the rest at the counter.

Note: The specific field list above is general Mississippi practice, not a published Winston County form, so the clerk's office is the authority on what the application actually asks.

Winston County Marriage and Divorce Fees

The Circuit Clerk publishes its marriage-related charges, and the same fee list covers a few related services a researcher often needs. The Chancery Clerk handles divorce decrees, but a divorce copy or filing fee was not published in the county's online sources, so call the Chancery Clerk for the current amount rather than relying on a guessed figure.

Looking Up Winston County Marriage Records

For a marriage that took place in the county, the Circuit Clerk is the local source of the record and any certified copy. The state health department offers a parallel path through its vital records program, which is useful when you are not sure where a marriage was recorded or you need the statewide service. The MSDH vital records hub lists the office's record services and ordering options.

You can review the program on the MSDH Vital Records hub, which describes the records the department handles and how to request them.

That hub is the entry point to the state's marriage and divorce information, and it routes users to the specific marriage and divorce pages described below.

The MSDH marriage page carries an important caveat for genealogists and anyone chasing an older marriage. Marriages are required by law to be registered with the department, yet the page warns that not all marriage records may be on file. Online ordering for certain vital records is available through VitalChek, but applicants should verify fees on the state or VitalChek page rather than assuming a fixed amount.

The department explains its marriage-record services on the MSDH marriage records page, including the registration note and ordering options.

Because the state file may be incomplete, the Winston County Circuit Clerk remains the surest source when the marriage was issued or recorded locally.

Winston County Divorce Decrees at the Chancery Clerk

Divorce in Mississippi runs through Chancery Court, and the Chancery Clerk maintains the court docket and files all records of that court. That makes the Winston County Chancery Clerk the custodian of the divorce decree and the full case file. To request a certified copy of a decree granted in the county, contact the Chancery Clerk directly with the parties' names and an approximate date.

Newer Chancery cases also move through Mississippi Electronic Courts. Winston County Chancery Court went live in MEC on March 27, 2017, so divorce matters filed after that date sit in the statewide electronic system, while older files stay in the clerk's paper records. Estate, guardianship, and other Chancery matters are described on the Winston County Chancery Court page.

Using the MSDH Divorce Index Search

When you do not know which county granted a divorce, MSDH offers an index search that points you to the right courthouse. The department does not keep divorce records, but it will search county divorce indexes and report the county where the divorce was granted along with the book and page in the Chancery Clerk's office.

The search covers two periods, January 1, 1926 through June 30, 1938, and January 1, 1942 to the present. MSDH charges a $17 fee for a five-year search. Once the search returns the county, book, and page, you still contact the Chancery Clerk in that county for a certified copy of the decree, because MSDH itself cannot issue one.

The department lays out these rules on the MSDH divorce records page, including the eligible date ranges and the index-search fee.

Use the index only to find where a decree lives. The decree and any certified copy come from the Chancery Clerk, not the health department.

Mississippi Divorce Residency and Common Filings

Before a divorce can be filed in Winston County Chancery Court, the residency rule has to be met. High-authority legal references on Mississippi law state that at least one spouse must be an actual Mississippi resident for six months before filing, under Section 93-5-5. Venue and the right court within the state should be confirmed with the Chancery Clerk or an attorney.

A reference summary of the state's residency rule appears on the WomensLaw Mississippi divorce page, which lays out the six-month requirement in plain terms.

A Winston County divorce file usually holds more than the final decree. Common filings include the complaint for divorce, the summons, financial information, custody and support pleadings, a property settlement agreement, irreconcilable differences documents, temporary orders, the final decree, and, when children are involved, parenting and support orders.

These documents are public court records unless a judge has restricted access, but the sensitive pieces inside a file follow the rules in the next section.

Restricted Family and Chancery Records

Not every family record is open. The Chancery Clerk also serves as Youth Court Clerk, and Mississippi treats youth court records as confidential. Adoption is a Chancery Court matter as well, and adoption records are not routine open records, so access usually requires statutory authority or a court order.

Files that involve minors, mental-health information, or protected addresses may be sealed or redacted, and a certified copy request can require proof of eligibility. When you ask the Chancery Clerk for a divorce file, expect the office to withhold or redact a sealed case, a youth or adoption matter, or personal identifiers protected by law.

Note: MSDH is only an index and ordering aid for these records, so a certified marriage copy comes from the Circuit Clerk and a certified divorce decree comes from the Chancery Clerk.