Title Info: Department of Health, Marriage Certificates, 1968-1998

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Marriage Equality Act
Prior to the effective date of the Marriage Equality Act (December 06, 2012), Groom and Bride will be used. After that date, the terms will be Person A and Person B.

Groom or Person A






Bride or Person B






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Record Creator: Health, Department of
Description:
These records are for couples who were married in the State of Washington from 1968 to 1998. Certificates often include some or all of the following information; name, legal name before marriage, date of birth, location of birth, parents names, location of parents’ birth, officiant information, time, date, location of ceremony, date of license, county of license, and type of ceremony.

In 1997, the front of the Certificate form was revised to include fields for Social Security Numbers. Pursuant to RCW 42.56 and Archives policies, images of these certificates are not displayed.

Effective January 1, 2021, RCW 70.58A.510 allows Marriage Certificates to be transferred from the custody of the Department of Health to the State Archives after 25 years. The Department of Health will still provide all certified copies per RCW 70.58A.530.
Related Records: Pre-1968: Search our website or County Auditor where the marriage license was filed or recorded.

1999 up to 2 months ago: Contact the Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics.

Last 2 months: County Auditor where the marriage license was filed or recorded.
Access Restriction Notes: These records are open for research.
Sources of Transfer State Government Archives
Health, Department of
Notes If you cannot find your marriage record or believe there may be an error in a record, contact the Washington Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics.
Agency History: The Washington State Department of Health has been recording birth and death in Washington State since July of 1907, and started recording marriage and divorce in January of 1968. They also license healthcare professionals in the state.
Preferred Citation: Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Department of Health, Marriage Certificates, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://digitalarchives.wa.gov, [date accessed].
Record Count: 1,346,472
Histogram showing number of records per year