Hamilton Marriage Records
Hamilton marriage records are filed at the Butler County Probate Court at 315 High Street in Hamilton. The city of Hamilton is the county seat of Butler County, so the probate court is right in town. If you want to get a marriage license, search for an existing record, or order a certified copy, the Butler County Probate Court is the only office that handles these tasks. The court maintains marriage licenses permanently according to retention schedules. It also has an online case access system for looking up probate matters, including marriage records.
Hamilton Overview
Hamilton Marriage License Office
The Butler County Probate Court issues all marriage licenses for Hamilton and the rest of Butler County. The Probate Division of the Butler County Court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction over marriage licenses, name changes, birth record corrections, trusts, wills, adoptions, and guardianship. Both people must appear together in person with valid ID.
You need to bring certified copies of divorce decrees if you were previously married. Ohio has no waiting period under ORC Chapter 3101, so you can marry the same day you get the license. The license is valid for 60 days from the date it is issued. Both applicants must be 18 or older, or have parental consent if younger.
| Court | Butler County Probate Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 315 High Street Hamilton, OH 45011 |
| Phone | (513) 887-3278 |
| Hours | Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
The Butler County Clerk of Courts Legal Division is on the 5th floor of the same building at 315 High Street. However, the Clerk's office does not keep records of marriage licenses. If you call them by mistake, they will direct you to the Probate Court.
Note: Marriage licenses are permanently maintained by Butler County according to their retention schedule.
Search Hamilton Marriage Records Online
The Butler County Court Records portal provides access to court records including marriage licenses. The Butler County Probate Court has its own online case access system for probate matters. You can search by case number or name to find marriage license records.
The Butler County Clerk of Courts serves as the official custodian of records for several courts in the county, but marriage licenses are kept by the probate court. Other courts like the Area Courts maintain their own systems. If you are looking for a divorce record, that goes through the Clerk of Courts, not the probate court.
Marriage records in Hamilton are public records under ORC 149.43. Anyone can request them. The Butler County Clerk of Courts copy request page has a notice reminding people that they do not keep marriage licenses and to contact the Probate Court instead.
Butler County Marriage Records Portal
The Hamilton County Probate Court (not to be confused with the city of Hamilton in Butler County) has a similar system, but Hamilton residents use the Butler County Probate Court. You can view the Butler County court records portal at the Butler County Probate Court reference page.
This page covers the marriage license application process for Butler County. It includes hours, requirements, and contact information. Hamilton residents should use this as their starting point for all marriage license needs.
The Butler County Record Search also provides tools for looking up existing records. The system has case search, marriage license indexes, and archive search tools.
Historical Hamilton Marriage Records
Butler County has kept marriage records since the county was created. The Ohio History Connection holds records from many Ohio counties. There is no statewide index for Ohio marriages, so you need to know the county where the marriage took place.
The FamilySearch Ohio Vital Records page has free digitized Butler County marriage records as part of the Ohio County Marriages collection. The Ancestry Ohio Marriage Index covers 1970 to 2007. Marriage records before 1899 usually do not give parents' names, so plan for extra research if tracing older family lines.
Adoption records in Butler County are also permanently maintained. Estates are kept for 12 years after the final account is approved. Marriage licenses, however, are kept forever, which makes them one of the most reliable records for genealogy work.
Hamilton Marriage Ceremony Requirements
After getting your license from the Butler County Probate Court, you can have your wedding ceremony anywhere in Ohio. The ceremony must be performed by an authorized person. In Ohio, this includes ordained or licensed ministers registered with the Secretary of State, judges, mayors, and certain other officials.
The person who performs the ceremony is responsible for filing the signed marriage license back with the probate court within 30 days. If the return is not filed, the marriage is still valid under Ohio law, but it may not show up in the court records right away. Hamilton residents should remind their officiant about this step. You can check if a minister is registered by calling the Secretary of State at (877) 767-6446.
Nearby Hamilton Marriage Resources
Middletown and Fairfield are also in Butler County and use the same probate court for marriage licenses. Cincinnati in Hamilton County is nearby but has its own probate court. Do not confuse Hamilton County (which covers Cincinnati) with the city of Hamilton (which is in Butler County).
Butler County Marriage Records
Hamilton is in Butler County. All marriage license applications and records go through the Butler County Probate Court. The court serves Hamilton, Middletown, Fairfield, and other Butler County communities. For a full look at county resources, see the Butler County page.