Phelps County Marriage Records
The Phelps County Recorder of Deeds handles marriage functions for Phelps County. The office is led by Recorder Robin Kordes and is located at the Phelps County Courthouse, 200 North Main Street, Suite 133, Rolla, MO 65401. The Recorder's contact is 573-458-6095, fax 573-458-6098, and robin.kordes@phelpscounty.org. The Recorder page says the office issues marriage licenses and marriage certificates, maintains public records, scans and preserves documents electronically, and provides online links for marriage applications, marriage license search, and official records copies.
Marriage records are not Circuit Clerk case files. A person looking for a Phelps County marriage license, a certified marriage copy, or a plain copy should use the Recorder. A person looking for divorce, custody, support, or dissolution filings should use Case.net and the Circuit Clerk. That office split is the most common source of wrong turns in Phelps County marriage and divorce record searches.
Phelps Marriage License Steps
The official Recorder marriage instructions require an online application before the pickup appointment. Both parties complete the online form, then call the Recorder to schedule the license pickup. The license is not just a web form; the pickup step, cash payment, valid government-issued photo ID, and date rules still apply. Phelps County judges no longer perform marriages, so the couple must arrange an eligible officiant separately.
- Complete the online marriage license application through the Recorder-linked Phelps marriage application portal.
- Call 573-458-6095 to set an appointment with the Recorder of Deeds.
- Bring valid government-issued picture ID for each applicant.
- Bring $60 cash at pickup, covering the $51 license fee and one $9 certified copy for legal business.
- Give the issued license to the person performing the ceremony before the wedding.
- Use the license only in Missouri and complete the ceremony within 30 days after issue.
- Make sure the officiant returns the completed license to the Recorder within 15 days after the ceremony.
Phelps Marriage Date Rules
The Recorder's 2025 marriage instruction sheet adds several local rules a requester should not skip. The application may remain on file up to six months. If either party cannot appear because of military service, an ADA qualifying disability, or incarceration, an Affidavit of Absent Applicant may be provided. Previously married applicants must provide the month and year the last marriage ended. If a restored maiden name does not match the current ID, bring the dissolution showing that change.
As of August 28, 2025, both parties must be 18 or over to obtain a Missouri marriage license. Parties must not be related through and including first cousins. If the license is lost, destroyed, or not used, the parties must return it to the Recorder or sign an affidavit that it was not used. Copies are available as soon as the returned license is recorded.
| Marriage item | Phelps County rule |
|---|---|
| Online application | Required before appointment pickup |
| Pickup appointment | Schedule by calling the Recorder at 573-458-6095 |
| Identification | Valid government-issued picture ID |
| Age | Both parties must be 18 or over as of August 28, 2025 |
| Ceremony deadline | Within 30 days from issue date |
| Return deadline | Officiant returns completed license within 15 days |
Phelps Marriage Copy Fees
The Recorder fee schedule and marriage instructions distinguish the license fee from copy fees. The pickup cost shown in the 2025 instruction sheet is cash only. The copy order form accepts check or money order payable to Phelps County Recorder when mailed with a stamped self-addressed envelope.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | $51.00 | Recorder fee schedule license amount |
| License pickup total | $60.00 cash | $51 license plus one $9 certified copy |
| Certified marriage copy | $9.00 | Stamped with seal for legal use |
| Plain photocopy | $1.00 | Not certified |
| First military-purpose copy | No charge | Listed in the marriage instructions |
Phelps Marriage Copy Orders
Marriage copies can be ordered with the official Recorder order form. Mail the form with a check or money order payable to Phelps County Recorder and a stamped self-addressed envelope to Phelps County Recorder, 200 North Main, Suite 133, Rolla, MO 65401. The form asks for enough information to identify the recorded license and return the copies to the requester.
| Field label | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name of First Party | Yes | Birth surname or name prior to this marriage |
| Name of Second Party | Yes | Birth surname or name prior to this marriage |
| Date of Marriage | Yes | Date format is not specified on the form |
| Number of certified copies | Optional | $9.00 each |
| Number of photocopies | Optional | $1.00 each |
| Send Copies To | Yes | Mailing address block |
| Contact Phone No. | Yes | Requester contact number |
Search Phelps Marriage Records
The Recorder links a public marriage license search portal for Phelps County marriage records. The captured static source did not expose every live search field, so use the party names and marriage date from the copy order form rather than guessing at hidden portal controls. If the portal does not locate the record, call the Recorder or submit the copy order form.
The marriage search source image comes from the official Recorder-linked Phelps marriage license search portal.
The portal is useful for marriage-license lookup, while certified copies still depend on the Recorder's office and the required fee.
The Recorder also links Official Records Online for Phelps County as an online copy and records channel.
Use that copy channel only for Recorder-held records; divorce decrees and divorce case files remain court records.
Phelps County Divorce Records
Divorce records are Circuit Court records. A dissolution case may include the petition, answer, docket entries, hearing entries, judgment or decree, parenting plan, financial filings, child custody orders, support orders, and later modification activity. Search Missouri Case.net by party name or case number first. For certified copies, older records, records missing from Case.net, or records that require clerk review, contact the Phelps County Circuit Clerk at 200 N Main Street, Suite 201, Rolla, MO 65401, 573-458-6210.
Family records can include restricted material. Minor children's information, personal identifiers, sealed filings, and sensitive family-court documents may be redacted or unavailable through public remote access. The Recorder cannot certify a divorce decree because the Recorder did not issue it. Use the Circuit Clerk for divorce and the Recorder for marriage.
Recorder or Circuit Clerk
The quickest way to choose the right office is to identify the record type, not the names on the record. Marriage licenses and marriage copies go to Recorder Robin Kordes in Suite 133. Divorce case records, divorce decrees, and certified court copies go to Circuit Clerk Marlaina Wallace in Suite 201. Probate estate files are handled by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court, and ordinary civil or criminal case files also stay with the Circuit Clerk.
| Need | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Apply for marriage license | Recorder of Deeds | The Recorder issues Phelps County marriage licenses. |
| Certified marriage copy | Recorder of Deeds | The Recorder records and certifies returned licenses. |
| Divorce decree | Circuit Clerk | Dissolution is a Circuit Court case. |
| Restricted family case details | Circuit Clerk | The court controls access, redaction, and certification. |
For a marriage copy, the Recorder's order form asks for both parties' names, the date of marriage, number of certified or plain copies, the mailing address, and a contact phone number. For a divorce record, the useful search facts are different: party names, case number if known, filing date, and the court location in Case.net. Certified divorce copies should come from the court clerk because they are court orders, not Recorder certificates.
Family records may also contain restricted material. Divorce docket entries can be public, but financial details, protected personal identifiers, minor-child information, and sealed documents may be redacted or unavailable remotely. If Case.net shows only limited information, the next step is the Circuit Clerk, not the marriage portal.
The 2025 marriage instruction sheet also creates a timing check. The online application may remain on file up to six months, the ceremony must occur within 30 days after the license is issued, and the officiant must return the completed license to the Recorder within 15 days of the ceremony. Copies are available after the returned license is recorded, so a very recent ceremony may not have an immediately available certified copy.
Note: Phelps County judges no longer perform marriages, so license issuance and ceremony arrangements are separate tasks.