The Office of Vital Statistics, Ohio Health Department is in-charge of the safe-keeping of public records, including Ohio Divorce Records. Public records are filed at the county clerk of courts and not at the Health Department. But all records are forwarded to the Health Department because they maintain the state’s central repository. The department keeps divorce records dating back from 1954 up until today.
The State Health Department cannot issue certified copies of divorce documents because they do not have the approval of the court. They can only issue a basic copy of the documents which contains the names of the couple, when and where the divorce was granted, and more. The details mentioned are very basic but they are enough to verify the validity of a divorce. There are more details that can be found in a divorce document but they are not available for just anyone to view or obtain because they are confidential. They are given exclusively to the couple, their attorneys, and other individuals or organizations that are authorized by the court.
There are certain fees in accessing the records at the Health Department or at the Clerk of Courts which are payable by check or money order. The fees vary depending on which county the records are from, what kind of request is chosen, and how much information you provide. If you can provide more information about a record, it will be retrieved faster and you will pay less. If you are unable to provide more information, expect that the retrieval process will be longer and will cost more. It usually takes around 2 to 3 weeks to process any request, and in some cases, it may take longer than that.
Public agencies, including the Office of Vital Statistics, Ohio Health Department, maintain their respective official websites. There is a downloadable application form on the website for those who want to request for divorce files. The divorce section of the form should be completed appropriately like the fields that ask for the names of the bride and the groom, and when and where the divorce occurred. There are certain rules and guidelines that need to be followed when requesting for the files at the Health Department or at the clerk of court. Failure to follow any of the rules and guidelines will result to a request to be denied.
Divorce records can also be retrieved through private websites. You do not need to worry about any legality issues because these websites have the authorization from the court to provide such records to the public. Some sites provide the records for free while others render a certain amount of fee. Before choosing which website to use, make sure that you run a background check on them so that you will know if they have a good track record or not.
If you do not have a clue as to which state the Records of Divorce are kept, find a search tool that lets you do a nationwide search and sustains a database that is linked with the database of other states. Follow directions by the detail and you will get results in no time at all.
If you find Divorce Records missing certain information, it may be found in Public Divorce Records. Click on and learn all about it.