Jackson County Marriage Licenses
Marriage records and marriage licenses in Jackson County are handled by the Auditor/Treasurer, not Court Administration. The Jackson County Auditor/Treasurer page states that the office administers vital records, including birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses. The office is on Level 1 of the courthouse, and the county contact directory lists Kevin Nordquist as Auditor/Treasurer.
The county vital-records page links birth and death certificate applications, but marriage certificate applications are handled by calling the Auditor/Treasurer's Office. That matters because the online path is useful for public searching, while certified certificate requests and a new license require direct contact with the county office. Jackson County also lists a Marriage Educator's Statement among Auditor forms, which ties to Minnesota's reduced marriage-license fee for qualifying premarital education.
Jackson County Auditor/Treasurer
405 Fourth Street, Level 1
Jackson, MN 56143
(507) 847-2763 or (888) 293-4446
auditor@co.jackson.mn.us
The official Auditor/Treasurer page is the local source for Jackson County marriage license and vital-record duties.
That office, rather than District Court, is the county contact for marriage license and marriage certificate questions.
Apply for Jackson County Marriage License
A new marriage license is a county vital-record transaction. Applicants should contact the Auditor/Treasurer, prepare identification and any premarital education statement, pay the applicable county fee, and follow the county's issuance instructions. The research did not locate a separate Jackson County online marriage-license application form, so the county phone and office contact are the reliable starting points.
- Contact the Jackson County Auditor/Treasurer to confirm current application steps and whether an appointment is needed.
- Prepare identity information for both applicants and ask what documents must be presented.
- Bring the Marriage Educator's Statement if seeking the reduced fee based on premarital education.
- Pay the Jackson County marriage-license fee listed for the correct application type.
- Follow the county's issuance instructions before using the license for the ceremony.
Minnesota Statutes section 517.08 sets civil marriage license fee rules, including the reduced-fee route when parties complete at least 12 hours of premarital education and submit the required statement at application.
Jackson County Marriage Application Fields
The county research did not expose a full local marriage-license application in text, but the official process requires enough information for the Auditor/Treasurer to issue or certify a Minnesota marriage record. Use this field list as a practical request checklist, not as a substitute for the current county form.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant legal names | Yes | Needed for license issuance and later certificate lookup. |
| Identity and contact information | Yes | Confirm acceptable identification directly with the Auditor/Treasurer. |
| Premarital education statement | Conditional | Required only when claiming the reduced license fee. |
| Marriage certificate details | Conditional | Useful when requesting a certified copy after the marriage is recorded. |
| Payment | Yes | Fee depends on certificate, full license, reduced license, or amendment. |
Jackson County Marriage Fees
The Jackson County 2026 fee schedule gives local marriage fees. Divorce filing fees were not separately captured in the Jackson County research, so divorce court filing cost questions should be directed to Court Administration or the Minnesota Judicial Branch Court Fees link from the Jackson County District Court page. For court copies of a divorce decree, statewide Judicial Branch copy fees apply.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage certificate | $9 |
| Marriage license with 12 hours counseling | $50 |
| Marriage license without counseling | $125 |
| Marriage-license amendment before marriage | $25 |
| Certified divorce decree copy | Generally $14 per document |
Look Up Jackson County Marriage Records
The public statewide search path is the Minnesota Official Marriage System, known as MOMS. The system is created, designed, and managed by Minnesota counties, and it states that marriage records are public information under Minnesota Statutes chapters 13 and 517. MOMS includes a county dropdown and marriage certificate search, so a Jackson County marriage record search should use Jackson as the county when available.
MOMS is a public lookup tool. It is not the same as ordering a certified Jackson County marriage certificate. If the record is found and a certified copy is needed, contact the Auditor/Treasurer because Jackson County's vital-records page says the marriage certificate application is obtained by calling that office.
The county Vital Records page lists birth and death application links and gives the local instruction for marriage certificate applications.
That local vital-records page is the reason a marriage certificate request should not be sent to District Court.
Find Jackson County Divorce Records
Divorce and dissolution records are District Court records. For Jackson County divorces, the local court office is Jackson County Court Administration at the courthouse. Plain copies of recent divorce records may be available through MCRO Case Search, especially by using a name or case number search with the Family category and Jackson County selected. Certified copies of a divorce decree come from the county courthouse where the divorce was granted.
A divorce case file may include the dissolution petition, orders, judgment and decree, hearing events, and public documents that are remotely accessible. Family case remote access is more limited than some civil records. MCRO makes only court-prepared orders, appellate opinions, and notices remotely available in all family case types for documents filed on or after July 1, 2015.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search tab | Tab | Yes | Name or Case Number is most useful for divorce. |
| Select Name Type | Radio | Yes for name | Use Person for divorce parties. |
| Last / First / Middle Name | Text | Conditional | Exact name or wildcard after two characters. |
| Date Filed | Date | Optional | Narrows results by filing date or range. |
| Case Category | Category | Optional | Select Family. |
| Court Locations | County selector | Optional | Select Jackson. |
The Minnesota State Law Library divorce decree guide explains the split between MCRO plain copies and certified decrees from the courthouse that granted the divorce.
That distinction is important when a Jackson County divorce record must be used for a legal name, benefit, or remarriage purpose.
Certified Marriage and Divorce Copies
Certified marriage certificates and certified divorce decrees come from different offices. For marriage certificates, call the Auditor/Treasurer. For divorce decrees, contact Jackson County Court Administration because the decree is a court record. The Minnesota Judicial Branch copy request rules distinguish uncertified copies, certified copies, and exemplified copies.
Uncertified court copies are plain copies and have no court seal. Certified court copies carry a court seal or seal image and generally cost $14 per document unless fees have been waived. Exemplified copies add verification by a judicial officer and court administrator and generally cost $14 per document, or $28 if both certified and exemplified.
Note: Court Administration does not provide marriage certificates, and the Auditor/Treasurer does not certify divorce decrees.
Jackson County Marriage Access Rules
Marriage records and divorce records have different public-access rules because they are kept by different government offices. MOMS states that Minnesota marriage records are public information under Minnesota Statutes chapters 13 and 517. Divorce records are court records and follow Minnesota judicial branch access rules. Minnesota Statutes section 13.03 provides the general public-data rule for government data, while Rule 8 of the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch governs inspection, copying, and remote access for court records.
MCRO is the online court search path for Jackson County divorce cases, but it is not a certified official court record. It also has remote-access limits. Family case documents available online are narrower than the full courthouse file, and older or non-digitized documents may require Court Administration. For a name search, exact names work best unless wildcard or Sounds Like rules apply. If a divorce case does not appear by party name, a case number search may still work.
Minnesota Divorce Forms
The Minnesota Judicial Branch publishes statewide divorce and dissolution forms. The divorce forms page says Minnesota Guide & File can create forms to start a divorce in Minnesota, including divorce with children, divorce without children, joint divorce with children, and joint divorce without children. Filing and certified-copy questions for Jackson County cases still route through Jackson County Court Administration.
The official divorce and dissolution forms page is the state forms source for starting a Minnesota divorce case.
Those statewide forms support filing, while MCRO and Court Administration support the later divorce record search and copy process.