Lincoln County Marriage License Office
Marriage licenses in Lincoln County are issued by the Lincoln County Clerk. The county clerk is Shannan Hemphill. The office is at 310 11th St., P.O. Box 338, Carrizozo, NM 88301, and the main phone is 575-648-2394. The county lists office hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed major holidays. License issuance has a narrower window: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Both applicants must appear in the clerk's office. Each applicant needs photo identification showing date of birth. Adults age 18 or older may apply without parental consent. Applicants who are 16 or 17 must bring a birth certificate and consent from each living parent shown on that birth certificate. Consent can be given in person with identification or through a notarized affidavit of consent. The county material does not say the online kiosk replaces the office visit, so the kiosk should be treated as preparation for the in-person license process.
Lincoln County Clerk
Clerk: Shannan Hemphill
310 11th St.
P.O. Box 338
Carrizozo, NM 88301
575-648-2394
shemphill@lincolncountynm.gov
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Apply for Lincoln County Marriage Records
The Lincoln County Marriage Kiosk collects the applicant details the clerk needs before issuing the license. The form uses separate fields for Spouse 1 and Spouse 2 and validates several required fields before submission. Because both applicants still must be present with photo ID, users should finish the kiosk with enough time to arrive during the clerk's marriage-license hours.
- Open the Marriage Kiosk and enter both applicants' legal names, address details, Social Security numbers, birth details, and any required prior-marriage information.
- Review spelling before submitting. LandmarkWeb search guidance warns users to try spelling variations, so clean names at the license stage matter later.
- Go to the Lincoln County Clerk's office together during the posted marriage-license window.
- Present photo identification with date of birth and, if an applicant is 16 or 17, bring the birth certificate plus the required parental consent.
- Pay the license fee and follow the clerk's instructions for signing, issuance, solemnization, and later certified-copy requests.
The county marriage page quotes NMSA 40-1-2 for who may solemnize a marriage. The listed officiants include ordained clergy, a civil magistrate, or an authorized representative of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe, or pueblo.
Lincoln County Marriage Kiosk Fields
The kiosk field inventory is useful before a couple starts the Lincoln County marriage records process. Required validation is stricter than some visible labels. For each spouse, the form requires first name, last name, Social Security number, street address, city, state, county, zip code, date of birth, and birth state or place. Middle name, suffix, given or birth name, race, and phone are not required by the visible validation. Prior-marriage fields become required only after the applicant marks the ever-married checkbox.
| Field Group | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant names | Yes for first and last | Separate first, middle, last, suffix, and given or birth-name fields appear for each spouse. |
| Social Security number | Yes | The kiosk validation requires SSN for both spouses. |
| Address | Yes | Street address, city, state, county, and zip code are required. |
| Birth details | Yes | Date of birth and birth city or state/place dropdown fields are required. |
| Race and phone | No | Race includes an N/A option, and phone is not required by validation. |
| Prior marriage | Conditional | Number of marriages, last marriage ended date, and marriage-ended field are required if ever married is checked. |
| Submit or cancel | Submit required to file | The state/place dropdown includes U.S. states, territories, Canadian provinces, Mexican states, and Armed Forces options. |
The Lincoln County Marriage Kiosk source shows the spouse-field layout before the in-office license step.
The kiosk image supports the field inventory above and shows why applicants should gather both spouses' identifying details before visiting the clerk.
Lincoln County Marriage Record Fees
Lincoln County publishes two concrete marriage-record fees. The marriage license costs $55. A certified copy of a Lincoln County marriage license costs $1.50 each, and the county directs callers to 575-648-2394 ext. 3 for certified-copy questions. The research did not locate an official Lincoln County divorce filing fee or divorce decree certification fee, so those amounts should be confirmed with the District Court Clerk before filing or ordering a decree.
| Item | Amount | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | $55.00 | Lincoln County Clerk |
| Certified copy of Lincoln County marriage license | $1.50 each | Lincoln County Clerk, ext. 3 |
| Divorce filing | Confirm with court | Lincoln County District Court |
| Certified divorce decree copy | Confirm with court | Lincoln County District Court |
Note: A Lincoln County certified marriage copy is tied to a license obtained in Lincoln County.
Look Up Lincoln County Marriage Records
Marriage license records are county-clerk records, not District Court case files. The County Clerk page links to the official records system, LandmarkWeb, and the county IPRA page says recorded documents can be viewed or printed free through the Clerk's Document Lookup without filing an IPRA request. LandmarkWeb warns that data is subject to constant change, that indexes are search aids rather than the legal document, and that users should search spelling variations of proper names.
For a certified marriage record, use the county clerk rather than the state court portal. If the license was issued in another New Mexico county, Lincoln County should not be assumed to hold or certify it. A user who is not sure where the license was issued can start with names, date range, and county of marriage, then check the likely county clerk office.
The Lincoln County Clerk source page identifies the clerk office and its online records link.
The clerk-page image anchors the marriage-record search in the county office that issues licenses and certified copies.
Find Lincoln County Divorce Records
Divorce records are District Court records. They do not live in the County Clerk's marriage-license file. Lincoln County District Court is at 300 Central Ave., Carrizozo, NM 88301, phone 575-648-2432, with case-information extensions 100, 102, or 103. The Twelfth Judicial District records-request email is 12thdistrictresearch@nmcourts.gov. A divorce case may show docket-level information in New Mexico Case Lookup, but public Case Lookup does not provide the underlying divorce documents.
Registered access through re:SearchNM may include many domestic-relations records by access tier, subject to New Mexico court policy and restrictions. Sensitive family-law material can be sealed, redacted, or limited to parties, counsel, and people with court authority. For a decree, parenting order, or filed motion that is not visible online, contact the District Court Clerk and describe the case with reasonable detail.
The Lincoln County District Court source is the local court page for divorce case access.
The District Court image separates divorce case records from marriage license records held by the county clerk.
Certified Marriage and Divorce Copies
Certified copies serve different purposes based on the record. A certified marriage-license copy proves the license record held by the Lincoln County Clerk. A certified divorce decree or order comes from the District Court case file and proves what the judge entered in the divorce case. Do not send a District Court divorce request to the County Clerk, and do not search the court docket for a certified license copy.
For marriage copies, call the County Clerk at 575-648-2394 ext. 3 and be ready to give the names on the license and the approximate license date. For divorce copies, contact Lincoln County District Court at 575-648-2432 or use the Twelfth District records-request email. A written court-record request should include requester contact details and enough information to identify the case, such as party names, case number if known, and the document requested.
- Marriage license copy: Lincoln County Clerk, for licenses obtained in Lincoln County.
- Divorce decree copy: Lincoln County District Court, for divorce cases filed there.
- Online marriage preparation: Marriage Kiosk, followed by an in-office clerk visit.
- Online divorce docket lookup: Case Lookup or registered re:SearchNM access, subject to restrictions.
Historic Lincoln County Marriage Records
The County Clerk's historical documents work adds a local path for older Lincoln County marriage records and related court documents. The county says the clerk's office, with grants, developed a preservation, indexing, and access plan for historical documents dating back to 1869. The historical collection includes marriages, divorces, probate documents, court records, land deeds, and materials tied to the Lincoln County War from 1877 to 1879.
The Lincoln County historical documents source describes preservation of old clerk records.
The historical-documents image connects modern marriage and divorce searches with archived county records that may predate current online systems.
The Lincoln County marriage license source gives the current license fee, age rules, copy fee, and office process.
The marriage-license image reinforces the current local requirements that should be checked before applying or ordering certified copies.