Nobles County Marriage License Office
Marriage licenses and marriage certificates are Recorder records in Nobles County. They are not District Court case files. The Nobles County Recorder, Traci Gyberg, handles marriage licenses at the Government Center, 315 Tenth Street, PO Box 757, Worthington, MN 56187. The Recorder phone is (507) 295-5268, fax is (507) 372-8235, and the published email is recorder@co.nobles.mn.us. This office also handles land records, titles, vital records, notary registrations, ordination credentials, and DD214 recordings.
The local distinction matters. A couple applying for a marriage license goes to the Recorder at the Government Center. A person looking for a divorce decree goes to District Court records through Court Administration or MCRO. Court Administration is the primary clerk for court case records, but it is not the marriage-license office.
Nobles County Recorder
Recorder: Traci Gyberg
315 Tenth Street, PO Box 757
Worthington, MN 56187
(507) 295-5268
recorder@co.nobles.mn.us
Government Center hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Apply for Nobles County Marriage License
The Recorder page says no appointment is necessary for marriage licenses, but applicants are asked to arrive by 4:00 p.m. Both parties must be present with photo ID unless the supplemental nonappearing-party application is completed before issuance. The Nobles application snippet also states that both parties must be age 18 or older, the ceremony must be performed in Minnesota, and the license is valid for six months.
- Review the Nobles County marriage license application before going to the Recorder.
- Both parties gather photo identification and plan to arrive at the Recorder by 4:00 p.m.
- If one party cannot appear, complete the supplemental application for the party not appearing before the license is issued.
- If using the reduced-fee option, bring the premarital education statement required for that discount.
- Use the license only for a Minnesota ceremony during the six-month validity period.
- After the ceremony, the officiant returns the marriage certificate to the county where the couple applied.
The official Minnesota marriage-fee statute is shown in this source image from Minn. Stat. 517.08.
Use the statute and Recorder instructions together, because local processing steps and current fee handling come from the Nobles County Recorder.
Nobles County Marriage Application Fields
The Nobles marriage license application inventory was captured from the official county PDF and Recorder page. Exact subfields should be checked on the current form before signing, but the research identifies the main required items and the conditions that affect issuance.
| Field or requirement | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant 1 information | Text/date | Yes | Full legal identity details, address, date of birth, birthplace, and prior marriage information may appear on the form. |
| Applicant 2 information | Text/date | Yes | Same general information as Applicant 1. |
| Both parties age 18 or older | Eligibility | Yes | Visible instruction from the official application snippet. |
| Ceremony in Minnesota | Eligibility | Yes | The license must be used within Minnesota borders. |
| Both parties present | Appearance rule | Yes unless supplement used | A supplemental form is needed when one party cannot appear. |
| Photo ID | Document | Yes | Recorder page requirement. |
| Premarital education statement | Attachment | Optional | Needed for reduced-fee treatment under Minn. Stat. 517.08. |
Search Nobles County Marriage Records
The Recorder links to the Minnesota Official Marriage System, often called MOMS. It is the statewide participating-county marriage-certificate search and is the best online starting point for a Nobles County marriage certificate search. The system can be searched by county, name, and date fields, and it includes an option for all participating counties. A successful online search can confirm where the certificate is held, but certified copy handling still follows the Recorder's process.
The MOMS search source is shown below from the official Minnesota Official Marriage System search page.
Use MOMS for online certificate discovery, then contact the Nobles County Recorder when a certified copy or local marriage-license question remains.
Officiant rules also affect the final record. The Nobles officiant brochure says the officiant keeps the license and returns the marriage certificate to the county office where the couple applied. Witnesses must be at least 16 and have ID. Officiants must have recorded credentials; the Recorder page says credentials may be registered in person, by mail, or by email with Certificate of Filing, valid ID, credentials, and a $20 fee.
Nobles County Marriage Fees
The research did not locate a complete current Nobles County marriage-license fee table on the county page. It did locate the statutory reduced-fee framework, Recorder payment notes, and specific Recorder fees for related registrations. Treat amounts as items to verify with the Recorder before applying or ordering copies.
| Item | Amount or method |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | Verify current standard and reduced fees with the Recorder and Minn. Stat. 517.08. |
| Reduced marriage fee | Requires qualifying premarital education statement submitted at application. |
| Certified marriage copy | Confirm current copy fee with the Recorder before ordering. |
| Ordination credential registration | $20 with valid ID, Certificate of Filing, and credentials. |
| Credit card payments | Recorder accepts major credit cards; Point & Pay adds a minimum $2 or 2.5% fee. |
Find Nobles County Divorce Records
Divorce records are District Court family records. A Nobles County divorce records search should start with MCRO Case Search by selecting the Family category and filtering the court location to Nobles County. A divorce case file may include the petition, summons, financial affidavits, custody and parenting-time filings, child-support documents, orders, judgment, and final decree. Sensitive financial, child, victim-address, or sealed material may be redacted or unavailable remotely.
For a certified divorce decree, use Nobles County Court Administration rather than the Recorder. Court Administration is located at the Prairie Justice Center, 1530 Airport Road, PO Box 547, Worthington, MN 56187. The Minnesota Judicial Branch court page lists the court phone as (507) 350-3015, while the county contact page also lists Court Administration, Fifth Judicial District, at (507) 295-5170.
- Open MCRO Case Search and choose Name or Case Number.
- Filter Court Locations to Nobles County.
- Select the Family case category for divorce or dissolution cases.
- Open the matching case and review public register-of-actions, hearings, and documents.
- For a certified decree or nonremote document, contact Court Administration.
Nobles County Certified Copies
Certified copy routing follows the record type. Marriage certificates are Recorder records. Divorce decrees are court records. A marriage certificate may be searched online through MOMS, but the local certified-copy fallback is the Recorder. A divorce decree may be visible as a case event in MCRO, but certification must come from the court that holds the case file.
Copy requests should be specific. For a marriage certificate, give the names used at the time of marriage, the approximate date, and the county where the license was issued. For a divorce decree, give the case number if known, the party names, and the document needed. The Recorder can answer marriage-record copy questions, while Court Administration can confirm whether a divorce document is public, remotely available, courthouse-only, sealed, or restricted.
Nobles County users also need to separate certificates from applications. A marriage license application supports issuance of the license before the ceremony. The certificate is created after the ceremony and return by the officiant. A divorce petition starts a court case, while the decree or judgment is the final court order often requested for remarriage, benefits, name-change proof, or other legal needs.
Note: The Court Administrator handles Nobles County divorce case records, while the County Recorder handles marriage licenses and certificates.