What a county clerk does
What a county clerk keeps: deeds, marriage licenses, probate, elections, by state.
What the office does
"County clerk" means different jobs in different states. In Texas the county clerk records deeds, issues marriage licenses and keeps probate and county court files. In California the county clerk issues marriage licenses and files business names, while deeds go to the recorder, often the same elected official. In many other states the county clerk runs elections and keeps the board's minutes but holds no land records. The table shows, for each state, whether deeds, marriage records and probate files sit with the county clerk or with another office.
Search for the record, not the title: the finder takes a state and a record and names the office.
The office in each state
| State | Deeds | Marriage | Probate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Judge of Probate | Judge of Probate | Judge of Probate (Probate Court) |
| Alaska | State Recorder's Office, Department of Natural Resources (34 recording districts; Anchorage and Fairbanks offices) | Health Analytics & Vital Records, Department of Health (licenses also at most court locations) | Superior Court (Alaska Court System) |
| Arizona | County Recorder | Clerk of the Superior Court | Clerk of the Superior Court |
| Arkansas | Circuit Clerk (ex officio Recorder) | County Clerk | County Clerk (clerk for probate court) in many counties; Circuit Court, probate division |
| California | County Recorder (titles vary: Clerk-Recorder, Assessor-Recorder, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk) | County Recorder (public marriages); County Clerk (licenses and confidential marriages) | Superior Court (probate) |
| Colorado | County Clerk and Recorder (Denver: Denver Clerk and Recorder) | County Clerk and Recorder | District Court; Denver Probate Court in Denver |
| Connecticut | Town Clerk | — | Probate Court (54 regional districts) |
| Delaware | Recorder of Deeds (county) | Clerk of the Peace (county); DHSS Office of Vital Statistics | Register of Wills (county; clerk of the Court of Chancery) |
| District of Columbia | Recorder of Deeds | Marriage Bureau, Superior Court | Register of Wills |
| Florida | Clerk of the Circuit Court (county recorder); some clerks use a longer title, e.g. Hillsborough: 'Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller' | — | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Georgia | Clerk of Superior Court | — | Probate Court (Probate Judge) |
| Hawaii | Bureau of Conveyances (Registrar of Conveyances), DLNR — statewide | Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring (Vital Records); licenses via DOH marriage license agents | Circuit Court |
| Idaho | County Recorder (Clerk of the District Court, ex officio Recorder) | County Recorder (license); DHW Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (certificates) | Magistrate Division of the District Court |
| Illinois | Recorder of Deeds or County Clerk (recorder functions vary by county; Cook: County Clerk) | — | — |
| Indiana | County Recorder | Clerk of the Circuit Court | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Iowa | County Recorder | County Recorder (county registrar) | Clerk of District Court (district court sitting in probate) |
| Kansas | Register of Deeds | Clerk (or judge) of the District Court | District Court (probate docket) |
| Kentucky | County Clerk | County Clerk | District Court (Circuit Court Clerk); wills recorded by County Clerk |
| Louisiana | Clerk of Court (ex officio Recorder); Orleans: Clerk of Civil District Court, Land Records Division | Clerk of Court; Orleans: State Registrar of Vital Records (LDH) | Clerk of Court (district court successions) |
| Maine | Register of Deeds (county; Aroostook has North and South registries) | Municipal Clerk | Register of Probate (county Probate Court) |
| Maryland | Clerk of the Circuit Court (Department of Land Records) | Clerk of the Circuit Court | Register of Wills (clerk to the Orphans' Court) |
| Massachusetts | Register of Deeds (Registry of Deeds district) | City/Town Clerk | Register of Probate (Probate and Family Court) |
| Michigan | Register of Deeds | — | Probate Register |
| Minnesota | County Recorder; Registrar of Titles for registered land | — | Court Administrator (district court) |
| Mississippi | Chancery Clerk | Circuit Clerk | Chancery Clerk (Chancery Court) |
| Missouri | Recorder of Deeds (circuit clerk as ex officio recorder in combined counties) | Recorder of Deeds | Probate Division of the Circuit Court (clerk) |
| Montana | County Clerk and Recorder | Clerk of District Court | Clerk of the District Court |
| Nebraska | Register of Deeds (County Clerk ex officio in smaller counties) | County Clerk | County Court |
| Nevada | County Recorder (Carson City: Clerk-Recorder) | County Clerk (license); County Recorder (certificate copies) - Clark County: County Clerk | District Court (clerk of the district court) |
| New Hampshire | Register of Deeds (County Registry of Deeds) | City/Town Clerk | Circuit Court - Probate Division |
| New Jersey | County Clerk | — | County Surrogate |
| New Mexico | County Clerk | County Clerk | Clerk of the Probate Court (county clerk) or District Court Clerk |
| New York | County Clerk (NYC: City Register, NYC Department of Finance; Staten Island: Richmond County Clerk) | — | Surrogate's Court |
| North Carolina | Register of Deeds | — | — |
| North Dakota | County Recorder | County Recorder unless the county commission designates another official | Clerk of District Court |
| Ohio | County Recorder (Cuyahoga: Fiscal Officer; Summit: Fiscal Office – Recorder division) | Probate Court (Probate Division of the Court of Common Pleas) | Probate Court |
| Oklahoma | County Clerk | Court Clerk (clerk of the district court) | District Court / Court Clerk |
| Oregon | County Clerk (recording); Multnomah: Recording office, Division of Assessment, Recording and Taxation | County Clerk (license); Oregon Health Authority Center for Health Statistics (certificates) | Circuit Court (probate); County Court in Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Sherman, Wheeler |
| Pennsylvania | Recorder of Deeds (Philadelphia: Department of Records) | Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court | Register of Wills |
| Rhode Island | City/Town Clerk or Recorder of Deeds (land evidence records) | — | Municipal Probate Court (city/town clerk) |
| South Carolina | Register of Deeds (RoD, older name RMC); Clerk of Court in 23 counties | — | Probate Judge / Probate Court |
| South Dakota | Register of Deeds | Register of Deeds | Clerk of Courts (circuit court) |
| Tennessee | Register of Deeds | County Clerk | Clerk and Master (Chancery Court) or Probate Court clerk where one exists |
| Texas | County Clerk | County Clerk | County Clerk |
| Utah | County Recorder | County Clerk | District Court |
| Vermont | Town Clerk / City Clerk | Town Clerk / City Clerk | Probate Division, Vermont Superior Court (county unit) |
| Virginia | Clerk of the Circuit Court | Clerk of the Circuit Court | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Washington | County Auditor (Recorder's Office in King County) | County Auditor | County Clerk (superior court) |
| West Virginia | County Clerk (Clerk of the County Commission) | County Clerk (Clerk of the County Commission) | County Clerk (Clerk of the County Commission) |
| Wisconsin | Register of Deeds | County Clerk (license); Register of Deeds (certificates) | Register in Probate |
| Wyoming | County Clerk (register of deeds) | County Clerk (license); WDH Vital Statistics Services (certified copies) | District Court (Clerk of District Court) |
Each state links to its guide, where every office and fee carries its official source and check date. Fees shown are the state’s fee for a copy; the state guide lists the others.