Beauregard Parish Marriage License Rules
Marriage licenses in Beauregard Parish are issued by the Beauregard Parish Clerk of Court. The Clerk's marriage page says the fee is $32.50 and payment must be by cash or local check. Licenses are issued Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; the office does not issue licenses after 4:00 p.m. unless special circumstances apply. Applicants apply in person at 201 West First Street in DeRidder, and the Clerk says the downloadable questionnaire is required and may be completed before arrival.
Both applicants need valid state identification and an original birth certificate. Foreign birth certificates must be translated. If an applicant was married before, the applicant must know the month, date, and year the prior marriage ended by divorce or death, and maiden names are needed where applicable. Divorce papers are required when the divorce was finalized within the last 30 days. A 24-hour waiting period applies before the ceremony, and the couple must marry within 30 days after issuance.
The Clerk's official marriage-license page is the source for the local issue hours, fee, document rules, and waiting period.
Those local Clerk rules are more specific than a general Louisiana marriage summary because they give the Beauregard Parish payment method and application address.
Apply for a Beauregard Parish Marriage License
The Clerk's questionnaire adds an important nuance to the in-person rule. It says only one applicant must be present at issuance unless the couple is applying for a covenant marriage, in which case both applicants must be present. The documents for both applicants still matter, so the person appearing should bring the required identification, birth certificates, and prior-marriage details.
- Complete the required marriage-license questionnaire before visiting the Clerk if possible.
- Bring valid state ID and an original birth certificate for each applicant.
- Bring prior divorce papers if a divorce was finalized within the last 30 days.
- Pay the $32.50 license fee by cash or local check.
- Wait 24 hours before the ceremony and complete the marriage within 30 days of issuance.
Applicants under 18 have extra requirements. Both parents must sign the license, or a certified custody order must be shown if only one parent has custody. If a party is under 16, the research states that written parental consent and a court order from the judge are required.
Beauregard Parish Marriage Application Fields
The marriage-license questionnaire asks for identity, residence, family, prior-marriage, and covenant-marriage information. It includes sensitive data, so the form should be handled through the Clerk rather than sent through insecure channels unless the Clerk gives a specific instruction. The field inventory below follows the Clerk questionnaire captured in the research file.
| Field | Required or conditional | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Covenant marriage | Required or unspecified | Yes or no selection; both applicants must be present for covenant marriage issuance. |
| Party type and sex | Required | Groom, bride, or spouse plus sex field. |
| Full name and maiden name | Required | Use full legal name and maiden name when applicable. |
| Residence address | Required | Street or P.O. Box, city, state, ZIP, city-limits answer, parish or county. |
| Social Security number and phone | Required or unspecified | Sensitive identifier and contact information. |
| Birth and parent details | Required | Date of birth, age, state of birth, race, education, father, and mother's maiden name. |
| Prior marriage details | Conditional | Prior marriage status, number of previous marriages, ending date, and reason ended. |
Beauregard Parish Marriage and Divorce Fees
Marriage and divorce records have different fee paths. The marriage license has a fixed local fee listed by the Clerk. Divorce filings are civil court filings, and the Clerk advance-deposit schedule separates ordinary divorce petitions from divorce matters with temporary restraining order, rule, or hearing officer components. Copies and certifications use the Clerk's copy and certification fees.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $32.50, cash or local check |
| Marriage issue hours | 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday |
| Divorce petition with one service | $400 advance deposit |
| Divorce with TRO, rule, or hearing officer | $500 advance deposit |
| Divorce rule | $250 advance deposit |
| Civil copy | $1.00 per page |
| Civil certified copy certification | $5.00 plus copy fee |
The Clerk advance-deposit schedule is the research source for Beauregard Parish divorce filing deposits.
The deposit schedule matters because divorce records are civil district-court records, not vital records issued by a separate parish registrar.
Look Up Beauregard Parish Marriage Records
Marriage record access runs through the Clerk. The research file notes that marriage index and image coverage is available through Clerk online records depending on the portal and date range. The Clerk online-records material and COTT certified dates do not match perfectly across every record book, so coverage should be checked against the portal and the Clerk's office when an older or official marriage record is needed.
A search is stronger with both spouses' names, maiden names where applicable, the approximate license date, and the ceremony date if known. Certified copies should come from the Clerk because the Clerk warns that online records are convenience copies and only the official public records provided in the Clerk's office should be treated as official.
Note: The Clerk's records coverage differs by portal, book, and date range, so older marriage images may require direct Clerk help.
Find Beauregard Parish Divorce Records
Divorce records in Beauregard Parish are civil records in the 36th Judicial District Court. The Clerk Civil Department opens and indexes civil suits, processes pleadings, collects fees, keeps minutes while court is in session, receives exhibits admitted at trial, and handles copies and certifications. Divorce files may include petitions, service returns, rules, hearing officer references, judgments, custody or support material, and certified copies of decrees or judgments.
The 36th JDC orders and forms page links guided forms for Louisiana Civil Code Article 102 and Article 103 divorce, with or without minor children. The research notes that Article 103 forms are for spouses already separate and apart for the required time, while Article 102 forms are for spouses who have not yet lived separate and apart for that period before filing. Sensitive child, protective-order, sealed, or personal-identifier material may be restricted or redacted.
Certified Marriage and Divorce Copies
Certified copies are used when a plain online image is not enough. Marriage license copies and divorce decree copies should be requested through the Clerk with enough identifying detail to locate the record. For divorce files, provide party names, case number if known, document type, and date range. For marriage records, provide both names, maiden names if relevant, and the license or ceremony date if known.
The Clerk's civil copy fee is $1.00 per page, and civil certification is $5.00 plus the copy fee. Recording copies have a separate fee path in the research file, including $2 per page for recording plain copies and $10 plus copy fee for recording certified copies. The correct fee depends on the record series and copy type.
Vital Records and Beauregard Parish Limits
The research file found a Clerk route for birth and death certificate applications, but Beauregard Parish marriage licenses and divorce records remain Clerk and court records. The marriage and divorce access sweep says state vital records rules may differ by record type, while Beauregard marriage license records are Clerk-held and divorce records are 36th JDC civil filings.
The Clerk birth and death certificate page is a related vital-record source, but it should not be confused with the local marriage-license and divorce-file paths.
That related source helps define the boundary: birth and death certificates use a different Clerk service path than marriage licenses and civil divorce records.