Connecticut Marriage Records
Marriage records in Connecticut include any official documents that confirm the legal marriage status of two individuals. The state's Vital Records Office, part of the Department of Public Health, maintains these records for marriages occurring from July 1, 1897, to the present. Additionally, each of Connecticut's 169 towns has its own vital records office that keeps marriage records for marriages held within that town. These records typically include marriage certificates issued after a marriage has occurred.
Marriage records are public and can be accessed by anyone to verify a marriage or conduct genealogical research. Certified copies of marriage certificates can be requested by individuals 18 years or older, with certain restrictions on accessing the spouses' Social Security numbers, which are only provided to the couple themselves. The state's marriage laws are codified under Chapter 815e of the Connecticut General Statutes.
For marriages before July 1, 1897, records are only available from the town where the event occurred. Historical indexes are available at the Connecticut State Library to help locate specific records. As of 2022, Connecticut had a marriage rate of 6.0 per 1,000 population.
What are Marriage Records?
Any official document relating to the legal married status of two persons in Connecticut may be referred to as a marriage record. These records are maintained by the Vital Records Office of the State Department of Public Health for marriages that occurred from July 1, 1897, to the present. Also, each of the 169 towns in the state has a vital records office that maintains marriage records for marriages held in that town. The towns retain copies of marriage records for events occurring in the state to persons residing in that town at the time of the marriage.
Typically, Connecticut marriage records are in the form of marriage certificates. However, a marriage license may also be categorized as a marriage record. The marriage license is a requisite document before a marriage may occur in the state. It is issued by town clerk offices and returned to the clerk's office after the marriage has been completed. While a marriage license is issued before a marriage, a marriage certificate is issued after the marriage, serving as evidence that two persons are legally married pursuant to Connecticut laws.
Connecticut marriage records typically contain information such as the name of the parties in the marriage, the location of the marriage, and the date of the marriage. Marriage records are public records and can be inspected or copied by members of the public. Anyone may request a marriage record to verify whether an individual is married in Connecticut or for genealogy purposes. The persons named on a marriage record may request a copy of their marriage records for legal documentation or tax purposes.
Marriages in Connecticut
Connecticut recorded 19,477 marriages in 2021, higher than the 15,134 recorded in 2020 and 18,006 in 2019. The marriage rate per 1,000 population was 5.4, 4.2, and 5.1 in 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. In 2021, opposite-sex marriages accounted for 18,964 of the over 19,000 marriages, while same-sex marriages recorded in the state were 513. Middlesex and New London Counties had the highest marriage rates at 8.8 and 7.0 marriages per 1,000 population in 2021. In 2022, Connecticut had a marriage rate of 6.0 per 1,000 residents.
Overall, marriage rates declined from 1990 to 2020 but have since been on an upward trend. Divorce rates in the state have seen an uptick in recent years compared to the huge dip experienced in 2020, potentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 and 2020, Connecticut had 2.5 and 2.8 divorces per 1,000 population, respectively, following the 1.6 divorces per 1,000 population in 2020.
Connecticut marriage laws ensure strict requirements for persons looking to get married in the state. An individual is eligible for marriage in Connecticut if such a person is:
- Not a party to another marriage or another relationship with substantially the same rights, responsibilities, and benefits of a marriage
- At least 18 or a minor 16 years old who has obtained authorization to marry from the judge of a probate court in the district where they reside.
- Not under the control or supervision of a conservator, or the person has obtained written consent from their conservator to marry.
- Not prohibited from marrying under Sections 46b-21 of the Connecticut General Statutes. This section prohibits individuals from marrying their child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, stepchild, stepparent, sibling, sibling's child, or parent's sibling.
If you meet the eligibility conditions for a marriage in Connecticut, you must apply for a marriage license in the state before you may legally conduct a marriage ceremony. You and your partner must visit the vital records office or the office of the town or city clerk where the wedding is expected to take place to apply for and obtain a marriage license. While both couples are advised to appear together at the clerk's office at the same time, one party may appear on a different date to complete their part of the application. However, the later date will be considered the official application date.
At the town clerk's office, you must provide a copy of acceptable identification, such as a driver's license, birth certificate, or state-issued ID, and a $50 application fee, typically payable by cash or money order. Your Social Security number is also required to complete the application process. Anyone may get married in Connecticut; you do not need to be a resident of the state or a United States resident. However, if you are not a resident of the United States, you should contact the clerk in the town or city where you intend to marry for the appropriate documentation to bring on the application day.
Upon completing your application, the license may be available the same day or the next day. The marriage license is valid for 65 days from the day you filed the application. The state requires no blood tests or physical examination before you hold your marriage ceremony. Also, witnesses are not mandated to be present at your marriage ceremony. At the ceremony, the marriage must be solemnized by an official authorized by the state to perform marriages. A marriage held in Connecticut may be officiated by anyone in the following categories:
- Judges and retired judges, including judges of other states and federal judges
- Family support magistrates, state referees, family support referees, and justices of the peace appointed in Connecticut
- Licensed or ordained members of the clergy, including persons ordained via online ministries and given the authority to officiate marriages through such ministries
After the ceremony, the marriage officiant must submit the marriage license to the town's registrar of vital records where the marriage occurred. The license is then filed in Connecticut's official marriage records. Once recorded, the marriage license is officially recognized as a marriage certificate, becoming a vital record.
On October 1, 2005, Connecticut enacted civil union laws, allowing same-sex couples to enter into legal unions that provided the same benefits, protections, and responsibilities as marriage under state law. However, these civil union laws were repealed on October 1, 2010, following the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state. Since then, couples have been no longer allowed to enter into civil unions in Connecticut, and all existing civil unions were automatically converted into marriages unless proceedings for dissolution, annulment, or legal separation were initiated before October 1, 2010.
The pivotal moment in legalizing same-sex marriages in Connecticut came in October 2008, when the State Supreme Court issued its decision in Kerrigan et al. v. Commissioner of Public Health et al. The court ruled that the state's policy restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples contravened the equal protection principles of Connecticut's constitution. Following this decision, local registrars of vital records were authorized to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, provided they met the requirements outlined in Connecticut General Statutes §§ 46b-21 through 46b-35. Per common-law marriages, while Connecticut does not recognize such unions, it acknowledges a common-law marriage if it was legally established in a state where such unions are valid.
Connecticut Marriage Certificate
A Connecticut marriage certificate is an official document that serves as legal proof of a couple's marriage within the boundaries of Connecticut. It is issued by the state's Vital Records Office and is an essential document for various legal, financial, and personal purposes. The certificate contains detailed information about the marriage, including the full names of both spouses, the date and location of the marriage ceremony, and the name of the officiant who conducted the ceremony.
In Connecticut, marriage certificates are maintained as part of the state's public records and are accessible through the Vital Records Office. The office holds records for all marriages that have taken place in the state from 1897 to the present day. Once a marriage is registered with the state, the marriage license used during the ceremony is officially recorded, and the marriage certificate is then available for issuance to the married couple or authorized individuals.
How to Find and Access Connecticut Marriage Records
Marriage records in Connecticut dated before July 1, 1897, are maintained exclusively at the vital records office in the town where the marriage occurred. If you are unsure where a marriage occurred in the state, the Connecticut State Library offers indexes and some collections of historical marriage records that can assist in locating where a particular event occurred. Records of marriages that occurred after July 1, 1897, are maintained by the state's Vital Records Office.
Anyone aged 18 or older can purchase a certified copy of a marriage certificate for a fee. The certificate will contain all important details of the marriage, excluding the spouses' Social Security numbers. Copies of marriage certificates, including Social Security numbers, are only issued to the individuals named on the records. To obtain this version, you must provide proof of identity showing that you are one of the parties listed on the document.
Finding and Accessing Connecticut Marriage Records Online
The Connecticut Department of Public Health partners with VitalChek to make certified copies of marriage certificates available to requesters online. To order a Connecticut marriage certificate or civil union certificate online, visit the VitalChek website.
Finding and Accessing Connecticut Marriage Records Offline
You may order a certified copy of a marriage certificate from the state vital records office or a town clerk. To obtain a marriage record by mail using a state application, submit a completed request for a certified copy of the marriage record (State) and a postal money order made (of $20 per copy) payable to "Treasurer, State of CT" to:
Connecticut Department of Public Health
Vital Records Section
Customer Services, MS # 11 VRS
P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308
If you want to make your request to a town clerk, submit a request for a certified copy of a marriage record (Town) and a postal money order made payable to the city or town to the town vital records office. You may use the Connecticut Department of Public Health Town Directory to find the address and phone number of the vital record offices in the state.
Connecticut civil union certificates are accessible to the public. Anyone aged 18 or older can request a copy of any Connecticut civil union certificate. To obtain a copy, you must provide information, such as the names of both parties involved, the approximate date of the civil union, and the town where the union took place, to ensure the correct certificate is located. Social Security numbers of the civil union partners will be excluded from the certified copy unless the requester is one of the individuals named in the civil union.
To request a Connecticut civil union certificate, send a completed request for a copy of the civil union certificate and a $20 (per copy) money order made payable to the town or city clerk. You may use the town clerk list provided on the Connecticut DPH website to locate the addresses of town clerks in the state.
References
- https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/marriage_by_state/marriage_rates.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/divorce_states/divorce_rates.htm
- https://portal.ct.gov/dph/health-information-systems--reporting/hisrhome/vital-statistics-registration-reportshttps://portal.ct.gov/dph/vital-records/license-to-get-married
- https://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/Notebooks/Pathfinders/CivilUnions.pdf
- https://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/law/civilunion.htm
- https://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/law/marriage.htm
- https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_815e.htm
- https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0264.htm
- https://portal.ct.gov/dph/vital-records/state-vital-records-office--home
- https://portal.ct.gov/dph/vital-records/marriage-and-civil-union-certificates
- https://portal.ct.gov/dph/vital-records/applications-and-forms
- https://portal.ct.gov/dph/vital-records/connecticut-general-statutes
- https://portal.ct.gov/sots/election-services/find-your-town-clerk-registrar-and-elected-officials/find-your-town-clerk-registrar-of-voters-and-elected-officials
- https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/departments-and-agencies/dph/dph/communications/pdf/faqsforsamesexpdf.pdf
- https://www.dph.state.ct.us/oppe/townclerks.htm
- https://www.ct.gov/dph
- https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Health-Information-Systems--Reporting/Vitalrecs/Connecticut-Town-Vital-Records-Directory