Find Brown County Marriage Divorce Records

Getting a Marriage License in Brown County

Brown County marriage license work is handled by the Brown County Recorder, not by Court Administration. The Recorder's office is in the Brown County Courthouse at 14 S State Street, 2nd Floor, New Ulm, MN 56073. The mailing address is PO Box 248, New Ulm, MN 56073. The research lists the Recorder phone as 507-233-6653, fax as 507-233-6668, and office hours as 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Recorder forms page links the online marriage license application, certified copy request, ordination forms, birth and death forms, and credit-card forms.

The Brown County Recorder page is the local source for the recording office that handles Brown County marriage records.

The Recorder path matters because marriage records are county recording records, while divorce files are District Court records.

Minnesota Official Marriage System, or MOMS, says Minnesota marriage records are public information under Minnesota Statutes Chapters 13 and 517. Brown County is listed as a participating county for the MOMS application process. Applicants can begin online, but the Brown County eMarriage notice says both parties must appear in person at the county office to have signatures witnessed, pay the license fee, and finish the application before the ceremony.

How to Apply for a Marriage License

The Brown County process starts online through MOMS and finishes at a participating county office. The online application is a queue entry, not the issued license by itself. The MOMS application notes say the license can be used anywhere in Minnesota, and the certificate must be returned to the county where the license was purchased. Applications remain in the queue for 90 days. After 90 days, the couple must apply again.

The MOMS marriage license application is the statewide start point for Brown County applicants.

The online application screen supports the first step, but Brown County still requires the in-person completion step.

1. Complete and submit the online marriage license application through MOMS.
2. Wait for the confirmation email and keep the information available for the Recorder's office.
3. Both parties appear in person at the Brown County Recorder's office so signatures can be witnessed.
4. Pay the license fee at the county office. The exact fee was not located in the reviewed Brown County sources.
5. Obtain the license before the ceremony and return the completed certificate to the county where the license was purchased.

Applicants should call 507-233-6657 for marriage application questions, especially if either party is a minor. The Brown County eMarriage notice says additional documents are required for a minor.

Marriage License Application Fields

The Brown County eMarriage notice lists the information applicants provide during the online application. Some fields are sensitive, including Social Security numbers and felony-conviction information. Safe at Home participants cannot use the online application and must apply in person. A party with a felony conviction may not change a name through the marriage application and must use the separate process under Minn. Stat. 259.13.

Brown County Marriage and Divorce Fees

The research did not locate current Brown County official fee amounts for a marriage license, certified marriage copy, divorce filing, or certified divorce decree copy. Because the source material does not provide those amounts, the table identifies the correct office to verify each fee instead of supplying unsupported numbers. Marriage fees are checked with the Recorder. Divorce filing and certified divorce decree copy questions are checked with Brown County Court Administration.

Note: A fee table with unknown amounts is more accurate than filling in a statewide or unofficial amount not supported by the Brown County research.

Lookup Brown County Marriage Records

Brown County marriage records can be searched through MOMS when the record is available from a participating county. The search screen supports county filtering, applicant-name searches, date ranges, and match options. The MOMS search tip in the research says that before August 1, 2013, Applicant 1 means Groom and Applicant 2 means Bride. That can matter when searching older records.

The MOMS marriage certificate search is the statewide lookup path for participating counties including Brown County.

The MOMS search screen is most useful when the applicant name, county, and marriage date range are known.

Find Brown County Divorce Records

Divorce and dissolution records are District Court family records, not Recorder records. Search MCRO for public Brown County family cases, especially cases with the FA case-code pattern shown in the research. A divorce case file may include a petition, summons, financial affidavits, parenting plans, custody and support orders, judgment and decree, motions, and post-decree orders. Not all of that material is public or available online.

Use MCRO Case Search by party name or case number for public Brown County divorce records. If a decree or document is not online, contact Brown County Court Administration at 507-441-7020 or visit the courthouse, 3rd floor. For broader court-file context, the Brown County court records page explains MCRO access and case-number fields.

Divorce access also has privacy limits. Confidential financial data, child information, protected addresses, domestic-abuse information, and sealed material may be redacted or unavailable to the public. MCRO may show the case and Register of Actions while withholding a document that requires courthouse review or is not public.

1. Search MCRO by party name or case number.
2. Recognize Brown County family cases by the 08-FA case-number pattern when a number is available.
3. Review the public Register of Actions and any public documents available online.
4. Call Court Administration when the decree, certified copy, or older file is not available in MCRO.
5. Verify fee, ID, and payment requirements before ordering a certified divorce copy.

Getting Certified Copies

Certified copies depend on the record type. Certified marriage copies are a Recorder function, and the Brown County Recorder forms page links a certified copy of marriage license request. Certified divorce decrees are a court function, so those requests go through Brown County Court Administration. A certified copy is often needed for legal name changes, benefits, passport work, remarriage proof, or court proceedings. An uncertified online view may not serve the same purpose.

The Brown County Recorder forms page links the marriage application, certified marriage copy request, and related Recorder forms.

Recorder forms should be used for marriage records, while divorce decree copies should be requested through the District Court channel.

Brown County Offices for Marriage and Divorce

Marriage records and divorce records split between two Brown County offices. The Recorder handles the marriage license, marriage certificate search support, and certified marriage copy forms. Court Administration handles divorce case access because divorce files are District Court family records. Use the office tied to the record type before sending a request.

The Minnesota Official Marriage System connects Brown County marriage searches and applications with statewide participating-county data.

MOMS is the marriage-record system, while divorce records remain in the District Court case system.