View & Obtain Free Stark County Divorce Records (Resource)

Look up free Stark County divorce records using convenient online search tools linked in this resource.

Official record custodians also maintain databases of all court records, including divorce records, that can be accessed or requested in person, via phone, or by mail. The key is knowing who hosts divorce information and how to submit a request.

The streamlined guidance offered in this brief article enables citizens to acquire divorce records in Stark County, Ohio.

How Do I Find Stark County Divorce Records for Free?

The Stark County Clerk’s Office provides a free online search tool on which any member of the public is able to search court cases.¹

Being that a disunion, otherwise referred to as a dissolution of marriage, is a court proceeding from which divorce papers, also referred to as a court record, are generated and maintained by the county records department. A search can be initiated by entering either a name, case number or social security number.

Once a search term is entered and initiated, a list of court cases is retrieved. Not all the retrieved records resulting from the search are divorce records.

The list can then be sorted according to the database fields along the top row of the list. Divorce records are listed as “Marriage Dissolution” or “Marriage Termination.”

Once the desired record is located, clicking on it will lead to a web page that provides detailed information on the divorce case, including the case number. The specific divorce record provides case information, financials, and docket entries.

The search tool outlined above is known as the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), and is used by all courts at all levels throughout the State of Ohio.

Once the dissolution record is found and the case number is obtained, the divorce certificate can be ordered via the Stark County Recorder’s Office.⁴ Non-certified copies can be ordered by phone by calling 330.451.7755. A case number is required to place the order.

The names of the parties of the marriage, and an approximate date of the divorce filing may be useful. A fee of $.10 per page is charged for a non-certified copy of the divorce paper.⁵ Debit and credit cards are accepted over the phone.

The fee to be charged is not determined until the number of pages is known. This is why orders are done by phone and not by mail. There is no way to send in the fee with a mail order without first knowing the number of pages that are being charged.

That situation can be solved over the phone. The non-certified copies can be delivered by mail or email. Delivery by mail will require shipping charges.

Certified copies of divorce records can be ordered in person by the parties of the marriage or their Attorneys. A valid identification and a case number are required to place the order for a certified copy. The names of the parties of the marriage, and an approximate date of the divorce filing may be useful for the search.

A fee of $1.00 per page is charged for a certified copy of the divorce decree. Debit/credit cards, checks, money orders, or cash are accepted for in-person orders. The fee to be charged is not determined until the number of pages is known.

In-person orders can be made at the Stark County Recorder’s Office located at the following address:

Stark County Recorder’s Office
110 Central Plaza South, Suite 170
Canton, Ohio 44702-1409

Phone: 330-451-7443
Fax: 330-451-7394

Search Cities & Towns in Stark County for Divorce & Dissolution of Marriage Records

The largest cities and towns in Stark County in terms of population include Canton, Massillon, North Canton, Louisville, and Perry Heights.

The City of Canton, the largest city in the county in terms of population, and is also where many of the Stark County Administration Offices are located. The City of Canton’s official website does provide a Public Records Request web page from which requests for any record can be made, including public divorce records.⁶

The Records Custodian for the Clerk of the Courts is listed on the web page along with a phone number and email. To make an online records request a public records request form needs to be filled out and submitted.⁷

The Canton Municipal Court also provides a public website on which a link to the same Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) search tool that is provided by Stark County can be accessed. In-person or phone inquiries can be made using the following information:

Canton Municipal Court
218 Cleveland Avenue, SW
Canton, Ohio, 44702

Phone: 330.489.3203

The City of Massillon is separated from Canton by approximately 11 miles, making access to the Stark County Administration Offices not very burdensome. The Massillon Municipal Court also provides a public website on which a link to the same CJIS Search Tool mentioned above is provided. In-person or phone inquiries can be made using the following information:

Massillon Municipal Court
2 James Duncan Plaza
Massillon, Ohio, 44646

330.830.1730

The City of North Canton is also in close proximity to Canton. North Canton does not have a municipal court system.

It does, however, have a Records & Archives Commission.⁸ Although this commission does not maintain divorce records or any type of vital records, it can be used as a resource to initiate a search from which a reference or direction can be given to the appropriate county agency to find the desired divorce records.

Inquiries can be made by phone or in person using the following information:

Records & Archives Commission
North Canton City Hall
145 North Main Street,
North Canton, OH 44720

330.499.8223; option 1

How To View Divorce Records Throughout All of Ohio via the Department of Health

In the State of Ohio, vital statistics are maintained at the state level by the Department of Health.⁹

However, the department’s public website explicitly states that marriage and divorce records, or divorce certificates, are not maintained by the Ohio Bureau of Vital Statistics. The webpage refers searchers to the County Clerk’s Offices where the divorce took place and provides a link to the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association, on which all county clerks’ websites are listed.

Once the correct county public website is located, the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) search tool that is used by all Ohio counties can be utilized to find the specific divorce record as outlined in the section above entitled “How Do I Find Divorce Records for Free in Stark County”.

For older divorce records prior to 1954, the same health department webpage provides a link to the Ohio History Connection Library & Archives.

Archived records are maintained as far back as prior to 1843. Ohio History Connection provides research and copy services which include requests for searches and copies of indexed vital records, including divorce records.

The Ohio History Connection website indicates that the archives are not 100 percent complete. There are some Ohio counties for which there is no divorce index or indexed vital records of any type in the archives. Stark County is listed as having achieved indexed records maintained by the Ohio History Connection Archives.

There are separate request forms and charges for research services and copies. For a record research request, a research request form must be filled out and sent in along with a payment of $25 per name to be searched. The fee includes a search of one name over a 10-year period.

An indexed vital records copy request form is very similar but has different fees of $18 (plus a 7.5% tax for Ohio residents) per name/record. The fees are non-refundable, even if a record is not found. Fees must be pre-paid with check or money order.

An in-person visit to the Ohio History Connection Library to search for archived divorced records. Visits are by appointment only and can be scheduled online or by phone at 614.297.2510. There are guidelines and preparations to be followed when visiting the archives, including filling out a registration form and a digital camera application if applicable.

The Ohio History Connection Library is located at the following address:

Ohio History Connection Library and Archives
800 E. 17 Avenue
Columbus, Ohio, 43211

Are Divorce Records in Stark County Available for Anyone’s Viewing?

In the State of Ohio, the Open Records Law, which was first enacted in 1963, is contained in Section 149.43 of the Ohio Revised Code.¹⁰

It is titled “Availability of public records for inspection and copying.” The law dictated that public dissolution records, which exist in the form of divorce decrees, for the most part, are considered public records and can be accessed by any member of the public.

There are exceptions for divorce records that have been sealed. Anyone can search and access unsealed divorce records and make copies. However, a certified copy of a dissolution decree can only be obtained by the parties involved in the divorce and their authorized attorneys.

According to Ohio Revised Code Section 3105.12, entitled “Proof of Marriage,” common law marriages are prohibited in the state after October 10, 1991.¹¹ Consequently, common law divorce no longer exists in the State of Ohio.

For anyone that is in search of Stark County Divorce records, the information in this article can be a useful resource.