Review Free Erie County Marriage Records on Anyone

Locate free Erie County marriage records for any reason — from identification purposes to genealogical research. Searching for marriage records in New York State is much more seamless once you know where to look and how to submit requests.

This resource provides the most efficient ways to find marriage records in Erie County; it will also explain how to get a new marriage license for your wedding within the county or anywhere else in New York State.

How To Perform an Erie County Marriage Records Lookup

Under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, marriage records are not considered to be public records until 50 years have passed.¹ This means that, for 50 years following the filing of the record, only the registrants named on the document and/or someone with a court order can access a license or other marriage record.

Copies of marriage records must be ordered directly from the office where the document was originally filed — or from the state’s Department of Health (this will be covered in a separate section below).

New York also differs from many other states in that municipal governments — rather than county governments — are responsible for issuing marriage licenses. To access Erie County marital records, researchers should contact the clerk in the town where the license was granted rather than reaching out to a county vital records office.

As an example, this article will cover how to request a copy of a marriage record in Buffalo, the largest city in Erie County, New York, by far. The process for ordering marriage record copies from other towns in the county is similar.

To order a copy of a mariage license filed in Buffalo, individuals should contact the Marriage Bureau of the City Clerk. The bureau maintains marriage records dating back to 1877.

You can order a copy of a record from the bureau in person or via mail. If the record you want to request is newer than 50 years old, you must either be one of the parties listed on the document or have a court order allowing you to access the document.

To prove your eligibility, you must provide a government-issued photo identification card plus 5 documents displaying both your name and address. Here’s a list of acceptable documents:

• Utility bill
• Recent paycheck stub
• Health insurance document
• Mortgage or lease document
• Social Security card
• Social Services card

All marriage certificate copies are certified; there’s no way to order an uncertified copy. Copies cost $10 each.

To order a copy of a marriage record in person, you must bring your identification documents and the payment (payable by cash, money order, Visa, or MasterCard) to this address:

City Clerk – Marriage Bureau
65 Niagara Sq., Rm. 1308
Buffalo, NY 14202

Alternatively, you can order a copy by mail. Orders made by mail must be paid for with a money order payable to the “City Clerk.” To make an order, requesters must submit a written request that includes:

• The full names of both registrants
• The date of the marriage
• The requester’s phone number

The request must be mailed along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, money order, and copies of identification papers (if required) to the above address.

In addition, you can also order a copy of a marriage record online using VitalChek, a third-party service. Individuals ordering copies through VitalChek must pay an additional processing fee of $8.50 in addition to the $10 copy cost. Payment can be made online using a credit or debit card.

For more information, you can call the Buffalo City Clerk Marriage Bureau at 716.851.5274 or use the contact form found online.²

To order a copy of a marriage record from another town in Erie County, New York, you can search “(town name) New York marriage license” to find instructions.

The next section of this article will cover ways to locate older marriage records for genealogical research.

How To See Erie County Marital Records That Have Been Archived

The Erie County Clerk’s Office has microfilm containing county marriage records dating from 1878 to April 29, 1935. You can view these records for free by visiting the office’s Basement Record Room located at this address:

Erie County Clerk’s Office
92 Franklin St.
Buffalo, NY 14202

The Basement Record Room is open Mondays through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Once you’ve found the record you’re looking for, you can request a paper copy. The charge is $1.30 for the first 2 pages plus $0.65 for each additional page. If you wish to have the copy certified, the cost is an additional $5.20 for the first 8 pages and $0.65 for each page after that.

For more information, you can contact the Clerk’s Office during business hours by calling 716.858.8785 during open hours. Or you can consult the Frequently Asked Questions page online.³

If the Erie County Clerk’s Office doesn’t have the archived records you’re looking for, you can also try requesting a copy from the town clerk where the record was filed. You can also use any of these resources:

• Buffalo & Erie County Library⁴
• Buffalo History Museum
• Western New York Genealogical Society
• Local newspapers
• Local churches

In addition, the New York State Archives maintains indexes of records — including Erie County marital records — dating from the 1880s to 1964. They can be viewed only in person by visiting this address:

New York State Archives
Empire State Plz.
Albany, NY 12230

For more information, you can contact the Archives at 518.474.6926.⁵

Finally, the New York State Department of Health can provide uncertified copies of marriage records for genealogy research. Although, in general, the marriage records kept by the department date back to 1880, the office does not maintain records from Buffalo before January 1, 1914.

The department charges varying fees for locating and copying these records. You can find the fees for searches that cover more than 3 years on the department’s genealogy resources page.

Copies can be ordered by mail using the General Information & Application for Genealogical Services.⁶

The application should be filled out and sent along with payment (in the form of a check or money order made out to “NY State Dept. of Health”) to:

New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Section
Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220

For more information, you can reach out to the Vital Records Call Center by calling 855.322.1022.

It’s worth noting that, unlike some other states, New York does not acknowledge common-law marriages.

How To Search Marriage Records in Nearby Counties or Throughout New York State

In the course of your search, you may discover that the documents you’re looking for are filed in another county rather than Erie County marital records.

If that’s the case, you can order a certified copy of a marriage record filed anywhere in the state of New York through the Department of Health’s Vital Records Office.⁷

Keep in mind that if the marriage record is newer than 50 years, you can access this information only if you are one of the registrants listed on the document or have a court order.

Marriage documents can be ordered by mail using the Mail-In Application for Copy of Marriage Certificate.⁸

The cost is $30 per record, payable by check or money order made out to “NY State Dept. of Health.”

To order a marriage record copy, send the completed form along with the payment and a copy of your photo ID and 2 utility bills and/or correspondence from a government agency (if applicable) to:

New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220

Alternatively, you can order a copy of a New York state marriage record online by using VitalChek for $45 plus an additional processing fee of $8.50.

You can contact the Vital Records Call Center at 855.322.1022 with any questions.

How To Get an Erie County Marriage License

You can visit the clerk’s office of any city in Erie County to obtain a marriage license. However, no matter where, the process to obtain your license is the same.⁹

Marriage licenses issued in Erie County are valid for weddings that take place anywhere in New York State. After receiving a marriage license, you must wait at least 24 hours for the ceremony. Licenses are valid for 60 days following their issuance.

New York State marriage licenses currently cost $40.

To obtain a marriage license, both registrants must visit the city clerk of any town in Erie County and provide a current photo ID, certified copies of their birth certificates, and their Social Security numbers. If any of the parties have been previously married, they must either provide a deceased spouse’s death certificate or a certified copy of a final divorce decree.

Both registrants must be 18 years of age or older to apply.

Most Erie County marriage licenses are requested from the Buffalo City Clerk’s Marriage Bureau.¹⁰ For more information, you can call 716.851.5274. To find the contact information for a clerk’s office, you can search “(name of town) New York marriage license” using Google or another search engine.

Using the information in this streamlined resource, anyone can find the Erie County marriage records they’re looking for.