Marriage License Office (Tulare County Clerk-Recorder)
The Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder issues every marriage license in the county. The office sits at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105, in Visalia. Tara K. Freitas, CPA, holds the elected role of Assessor/Clerk-Recorder. The marriage license must be issued by the Clerk-Recorder before the wedding takes place. Without it, the ceremony is not legal in California.
The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Transactions like marriage license issuance, name changes, and certified copy orders run only until 3 PM. After 3 PM the staff finishes paperwork for the day. Plan the visit before that window closes. The office is closed on county holidays.
The Clerk-Recorder is a county executive office. It is not part of the Superior Court. It handles marriage licenses, fictitious business names, official records, and other recorded documents. Court divorce files are not stored here. The split matters when ordering certified copies. The Clerk-Recorder gives you the marriage license and the marriage certificate. The Superior Court gives you the divorce decree.
Tulare County marriage records are searchable through the official Tyler-hosted portal at tularecountyca-web.tylerhost.net. The portal also hosts the broader recorder index. Use it to confirm a recorded marriage license exists before placing a copy order.
Tulare County Clerk-Recorder
221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105
Visalia, CA 93291
559-636-5051
Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM (transactions until 3 PM)
Online Application and Seven-Day Rule
The Clerk-Recorder marriage license process starts online. Both applicants fill out the marriage license application on the county site before they come to Visalia. The online form gathers names, dates of birth, prior marriages, and other basic facts. It saves time at the counter.
The seven-day rule is the key Tulare-specific catch. Both applicants must appear together at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105, within seven business days of finishing the online application. If they wait too long, the online application expires. They must start over and fill in a new one. The office visit needs to happen between 8 AM and 3 PM.
The online application alone is not the license. It only sets up the visit. The actual license is signed and issued at the office. The couple receives an information booklet at the same time. After the wedding, the officiant returns the signed license to the Clerk-Recorder. Only then can a certified marriage certificate be ordered.
The marriage license page lays out the online application, the seven-business-day window, the ID rules, and the appointment hours.
The page makes clear that the office does not perform ceremonies. Couples must line up an officiant on their own and bring valid photo ID to the counter.
ID and Appearance Requirements
Both applicants must show up at the same time at the Clerk-Recorder counter. Each must bring a government-issued photo ID. A driver license, state ID, U.S. passport, or military ID all work. A foreign passport is accepted. The ID must be current, not expired.
The time of license purchase is the only point in the process when an applicant can change a middle name or last name through the marriage. Once the license is issued, the name on it is set. A later name change must run through Superior Court as a separate petition. This is a small rule, but it catches people. Decide on names before the office visit.
How to Apply for a Marriage License
The Tulare County marriage license process moves in a set order. The steps below match the official Clerk-Recorder workflow.
- Complete the online application on the Clerk-Recorder marriage license page before visiting the office.
- Schedule the office visit within seven business days of finishing the application.
- Both applicants come to 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105, Visalia, between 8 AM and 3 PM.
- Bring a government-issued photo ID for each applicant.
- Choose any middle name or last name changes at the counter; this is the only chance in the marriage process.
- Pay the marriage license fee at the counter when the license is issued.
- Pick an authorized officiant; the Clerk's Office does not perform ceremonies.
- Hold the ceremony anywhere in California; the license must be registered back in Tulare County.
- If the license is lost or damaged before the wedding, return for a replacement at $93.
Note: A new license must be purchased if the seven-business-day window closes before the office visit takes place.
Marriage License Application Field Table
The Tulare County marriage license application asks for a known set of fields. The table below maps them out based on the official county page.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online application | Web form | Yes | Must be completed before the office visit. |
| Applicant identity | Photo ID check | Yes | Government-issued photo ID needed at counter. |
| Joint appearance | In-person | Yes | Both applicants must appear together. |
| Name change choice | Application field | Optional | Only chance to set new name through marriage. |
| License type | Selection | Yes | Public or confidential license; confirm at counter. |
| Officiant info | Return field | Yes after ceremony | Officiant signs and returns the license. |
Marriage Certificates and Certified Copies
A marriage certificate is the proof that a marriage took place. It is not the same as the license. The license allows the marriage. The certificate proves it happened. Once the officiant signs and returns the license to the Tulare County Clerk-Recorder, the office can issue certified copies.
The official Application for Marriage Record is hosted on the Tulare County site. Authorized persons may receive certified copies. Unauthorized persons may receive informational copies in some cases. Authorized persons include the people on the record, parents, children, a court-ordered party, or a peace officer acting in their role. The copy fee depends on the record type and is set on the recorder fees page.
For older marriages, the index goes back many years. The Tyler portal at tularecountyca-web.tylerhost.net can help confirm whether a record exists before paying for a copy. The portal does not always show the full document image to the public.
Divorce Case Search (Superior Court)
Tulare County divorce records are not stored at the Clerk-Recorder. They live with the Tulare County Superior Court. The Family Law division at tulare.courts.ca.gov/divisions/family-law handles dissolution, legal separation, nullity, parentage, domestic partnership, and restraining order cases.
Divorce case search runs through the Tulare Superior Court online portal at online.tulare.courts.ca.gov. The portal states that case search requires login. Users must register first. If the case number is unknown, the public can use in-person terminals at the Visalia County Civic Center. The clerk search fee applies after the first ten minutes of staff search.
The Family Law division supports eFiling and remote appearance for many case types. Filings move through the same portal. Certified judgment copies must be requested through the court records request process at tulare.courts.ca.gov/online-services/records-request.
The Tulare Superior Court Family Law division page lays out the dissolution, parentage, restraining order, and eFiling paths.
The same page links to remote appearance rules and self-help resources for dissolution and related family law matters.
Tulare County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Fees for Tulare County marriage and divorce records come from two different offices. Marriage license and marriage certificate fees are set by the Clerk-Recorder. Divorce decree and family law copy fees are set by the Superior Court. The numbers below pull from official Tulare sources.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Replacement marriage license (lost or damaged) | $93.00 |
| Certified divorce decree (dissolution judgment) | $15.00 |
| Dissolution judgment copy for public agency | $10.00 |
| Other certified family law document | $40.00 plus copies |
| Non-certified copy | $0.50 per page per side |
| Marriage certificate copy | See Clerk-Recorder fee page |
The full Recorder fees page lists copy fees, recording fees, the SB2 fee, transfer tax, indexing fees, and other charges tied to recorded documents.
Check the page before placing a large order so the right amount goes with the request. Fees change from time to time, and the official page holds the current numbers.
Family Law Self-Help
The Tulare Superior Court Self-Help Resource Center supports people who file family law cases without a lawyer. The center can help with dissolution, legal separation, nullity, parentage, custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, joinder with exceptions, grandparent visitation, stepparent adoption, and changes to custody, visitation, or support orders.
The center cannot help with property division disputes, QDROs, most adoptions, discovery or subpoenas, trial preparation beyond brief process explanation, collections except support wage assignments, complex legal advice, or contempt cases. For those, a private attorney or California legal aid is the right path. The statewide guide is at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov.
Confidentiality Considerations
California treats some family law records as confidential. Adoption records are sealed under Family Code section 9200. Confidential marriage licenses are not part of the public index in the same way as public marriage licenses. Domestic violence restraining order files have access limits. The court can also seal parts of a divorce file under California Rules of Court 2.550 and 2.551.
For a basic dissolution case, the parties' names, filing date, case number, and judgment date are public. Financial disclosures often have limits on public viewing. The Clerk of the Superior Court can confirm what is open and what is not for a specific file. See Clerk of the Superior Court for the request path.