Scott County Marriage Licenses
Marriage licenses in Scott County are issued by the Scott County Recorder of Deeds, not by the Circuit Clerk. The current Recorder is Tara Mason. The office is in Room 134 on the north side of the bottom floor of the Scott County Courthouse, 131 S. Winchester Street, Benton, Missouri 63736. The mailing address is P.O. Box 78, Benton, MO 63736. The phone number is 573-545-3551, the fax number is 573-545-4482, and the listed email is tmason@scottcomo.com.
The Recorder's office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the office notes that it is open during lunch. As of May 1, 2026, applicants must contact the Recorder to make an appointment before applying for a marriage license. Both parties must appear in person, and both parties must provide original signatures. Missouri no longer requires a blood test for a marriage license.
Scott County Recorder of Deeds
Recorder: Tara Mason
131 S. Winchester Street, Room 134
Benton, MO 63736
573-545-3551
tmason@scottcomo.com
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Apply for Scott County Marriage
The marriage license process is appointment-based. Contact the Recorder before going to the courthouse, because the official instructions changed for applications beginning May 1, 2026. The Recorder collects Social Security numbers for the application. If an applicant has no Social Security number, the applicant may sign an affidavit in lieu of Social Security number, and the Recorder provides that affidavit.
The license fee is paid to the Recorder of Deeds. The license is valid for 30 days from issuance and can be used in any Missouri county. Scott County's Recorder page also notes the current Missouri age rule: effective August 28, 2025, licenses involving anyone under 18 are barred, and county recorders may not issue a marriage license to anyone under 18.
- Call 573-545-3551 or email tmason@scottcomo.com to request an appointment with the Scott County Recorder of Deeds.
- Both parties go to Room 134 at the Scott County Courthouse and complete the application in person.
- Provide the required identity, age, Social Security number, and signature information requested by the Recorder.
- Pay the marriage license fee by cash, debit card, or credit card. Checks are not accepted for the license fee.
- Use the issued license within 30 days. The license may be used in any Missouri county.
The Recorder of Deeds page is the source for the appointment rule, license fee, accepted payment types, and courthouse location.
The Recorder page is the main local source for Scott County marriage records because it lists the office that issues licenses and preserves older marriage files.
Scott County Marriage Fields
The marriage application field inventory comes from the Recorder's official process notes. The office does not publish a blank online application in the available official material, so the fields below reflect the documented items that applicants must be ready to provide or verify in person.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointment request | Phone or email | Yes | Required as of May 1, 2026. Call 573-545-3551 or email tmason@scottcomo.com. |
| Party 1 identity | In-person application | Yes | Both parties must personally appear at the Recorder's office. |
| Party 2 identity | In-person application | Yes | The second party must also appear and complete the application process. |
| Original signatures | Signature | Yes | Original signatures are required from both parties. |
| Social Security number | Text field | Yes, if applicable | An applicant without a Social Security number may sign the Recorder's affidavit in lieu of SSN. |
| Age eligibility | Verification | Yes | Missouri bars licenses involving anyone under 18 under the rule cited by the Recorder. |
| Fee and payment | Payment | Yes | The Recorder accepts cash, debit, or credit for the license fee. No checks. |
Scott County Marriage Fees
Only verified fee amounts are listed here. Scott County publishes the marriage license fee through the Recorder and the domestic filing fee through the Circuit Court fee schedule. The Recorder also publishes copy and recording fees for Recorder records. Divorce decree certification may require a direct Circuit Clerk quote because the available official material confirms a record request copy fee but does not give a separate per-page certification schedule.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $51.00 |
| Marriage license card fee | $2.05 for debit or credit card payments |
| Recorder copies | $1.00 per page |
| Divorce or domestic filing | $132.50 |
| Circuit Clerk record request copy fee | $5.00 before records are received |
The Scott County iCounty access site is listed by the Recorder for online access to deeds in the computer system from 1999 to the present for a monthly registration fee.
The official material reviewed does not confirm that marriage records are searchable through the iCounty subscription, so online marriage access should be verified with the Recorder before payment.
Search Scott County Marriage Records
For a Scott County marriage record search, the local access chain starts with the Recorder of Deeds. The office holds marriage licenses dating back to 1840, which makes it the key office for both recent licenses and historical family research. Searchers can contact the office by phone or email, visit Room 134 in person, or ask about copy options when a record is located.
Scott County also has a separate County Clerk, but the County Clerk does not issue marriage licenses. The County Clerk's office handles elections, voter registration, notary commissions, liquor licenses, county commission clerk duties, payroll and budget functions, insurance programs, financial statements, and political-subdivision tax levy certification. Marriage records stay with the Recorder of Deeds.
The Scott County Clerk page helps show that split between county administration and marriage record custody.
That office distinction matters because asking the County Clerk for a certified marriage copy can add a step that the Recorder could have handled directly.
Note: Historical marriage licenses begin in 1840 at the Recorder's office, but online marriage search coverage was not confirmed in the research.
Search Scott County Divorce Records
Divorce records in Scott County are circuit-court domestic records. A dissolution, motion to modify, paternity, custody, family access matter, or related domestic filing is handled through the Scott County Circuit Clerk rather than the Recorder. Public case information may appear in Missouri Case.net when the case is not sealed or restricted.
Case.net is the first online channel for a public divorce case search. Scott County tells users to search public case information by case number or litigant name. A search limited to the 33rd Judicial Circuit can show local data in real time after clerk entry, while a statewide all-circuit search can lag. Public court documents filed on or after July 1, 2023 may be remotely available if they are not confidential. Older public documents, certified copies, and case materials not visible online may require the Circuit Clerk's request form.
Divorce copy channels include in-person requests at the Circuit Clerk's office, mail to P.O. Box 587, the courthouse drop box on the south end of the courthouse, phone help at 573-545-3596 when the requester has the case number, and the Circuit Clerk record request form. Sensitive custody, support, address, financial, minor, and sealed materials may be redacted or withheld.
Scott County Divorce Filing
A Scott County divorce case begins with the domestic filing process in Circuit Court. The documented local sequence is to confirm Missouri residency and venue, prepare the dissolution petition and required domestic forms, file with the Scott County Circuit Clerk, pay the domestic filing fee unless a fee waiver applies, arrange service through the proper serving entity, attend hearings or mediation as ordered, track the case in Case.net, and request copies from the Circuit Clerk after judgment.
The Scott County research notes an e-filing service-payment detail for court users. E-filing users no longer pay the service entity by check through the court, so service costs and instructions should be confirmed when the case is filed. Court records for divorce may show the case number, filing date, parties, attorneys, docket entries, hearings, orders, judgment, and public documents. They may not show confidential child, address, financial, or sealed filings.
Missouri Vital Record Channels
The Circuit Clerk research lists the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records phone number, 573-751-6400, for vital-record questions. That state channel may help with verification of marriage or divorce facts, but the local marriage license file remains with the Scott County Recorder and the divorce case file remains with the Circuit Clerk. A state vital-record response is not a substitute for a certified court decree when a court-certified divorce judgment is required.
When the needed record is a court order, decree, docket entry, or case document, use Case.net first and then the Circuit Clerk. When the needed record is the original Scott County marriage license or an older marriage entry, use the Recorder. That office split is the main rule for avoiding delays.