Brooklyn Park Marriage License

Brooklyn Park residents apply for a marriage license at a Hennepin County service center, not at Brooklyn Park city hall. Minnesota routes marriage licensing through counties, and Brooklyn Park is part of Hennepin County. The nearest Hennepin County location for Brooklyn Park residents is the service center at 5600 85th Ave N, which is close to Brooklyn Park City Hall. This page explains where to go, what to bring, how much you will pay, and how to search for marriage records after a license has been used.

Marriage License Office for Brooklyn Park

The Hennepin County Service Center near Brooklyn Park is at 5600 85th Ave N, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443. The county service line is 612-348-8240. This location is the most convenient option for residents of Brooklyn Park and neighboring communities in the north part of Hennepin County. Full information on the process is at hennepincounty.gov/services/licenses-certificates/marriage/marriage-license. All Hennepin County service centers that handle marriage licenses follow the same rules and charge the same fees.

Brooklyn Park City Hall is at 5200 85th Ave N, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443, just down the street from the county service center. The Brooklyn Park city government site at brooklynpark.org covers city services and general information. The city clerk's page at brooklynpark.org/city-clerk handles municipal records, but it does not have the authority to issue marriage licenses. Those are issued exclusively by Hennepin County on behalf of the state.

Brooklyn Park is a large suburban city on the northwest edge of Hennepin County. It sits just north of Brooklyn Center and west of Coon Rapids. The county service center in the area serves Brooklyn Park alongside neighboring communities. If for some reason this location is not available, you can visit any other Hennepin County service center, including the Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. A full list of locations is at hennepincounty.gov/locations.

Below is a screenshot from the Brooklyn Park city government site at brooklynpark.org, showing city services. Marriage licenses come from the county, not from city hall.

The Brooklyn Park city portal at brooklynpark.org handles city matters. For a marriage license, the Hennepin County service center at 5600 85th Ave N is the right place to go.

What You Need to Bring

Both people who plan to marry must appear in person at the Hennepin County service center. You cannot apply by mail, online only, or through a proxy. Each applicant must have a valid government-issued photo ID. A driver's license, state ID card, or passport all qualify. You will also need to provide your Social Security number.

Minnesota requires both parties to be at least 18 years old to apply without parental involvement, per Minn. Stat. § 517.08. Applicants who are 16 or 17 may apply with written consent from a parent or guardian under Minn. Stat. § 517.04. No one under 16 can get a marriage license in Minnesota.

If you were previously married, you must provide documentation that the earlier marriage ended. A certified copy of your divorce decree works, as does a death certificate for a former spouse who has died. The clerk needs to see the certified version of the document, not a photocopy. Out-of-state divorce decrees are generally accepted if they are certified copies from the issuing court.

You do not need to be a Minnesota resident to apply. There is no residency requirement statewide. The license is valid for six months. There is no waiting period, so you can legally marry the same day you get the license. The ceremony must take place somewhere in Minnesota under Minnesota law.

Note: The MDH county directory at health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/registrars.html has contact information for the Hennepin County registrar and every other county in Minnesota.

Fees for Brooklyn Park Applicants

Hennepin County charges $125 for a standard marriage license. This fee is due at the time you apply. It is not refundable. Call 612-348-8240 before going to confirm the current amount and to ask what forms of payment the service center takes.

The fee drops to $50 if both applicants have finished at least 12 hours of premarital education. To claim the reduced rate, bring a certificate from your educator to your appointment. The certificate must be on official letterhead and must confirm that you both completed 12 hours covering communication and conflict resolution topics. The person who provided the instruction must be a licensed therapist or an ordained minister. Depending on the format, the certificate may need to be notarized or carry a church seal. Ask Hennepin County what they need when you call to confirm the exact requirements.

Searching Brooklyn Park Marriage Records

Brooklyn Park marriage records fall under Hennepin County's jurisdiction, and Hennepin County participates in MOMS. The Minnesota Official Marriage System at moms.mn.gov is the main tool for searching these records. It is free to use. The Hennepin County index in MOMS goes back to 1858, so marriages going back to the county's earliest days are searchable. You can look up records by name and see basic details like the parties involved and the date of the marriage.

The MOMS index tells you whether a record exists. If you need an actual certified copy of the marriage certificate, you order that separately through the Minnesota Department of Health. Certified copies cost $9 each. The ordering process is explained at health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords. You can also contact Hennepin County at 612-348-8240 to ask about records and copy requests at the county level.

For older records that may not be fully indexed in MOMS, the Minnesota Historical Society has marriage records going back to the territorial era. Their guide at libguides.mnhs.org/vital/marriage explains what is available and how to find it. MNHS holds original documents, church records, and other sources that go beyond what MOMS contains.

If you need a Minnesota marriage certificate authenticated for use in another country, apostilles are handled by the Secretary of State at sos.mn.gov/notary-apostille for $5 per document.

Minnesota Marriage Statutes

Marriage law in Minnesota comes from Chapter 517 of the state statutes. For Brooklyn Park residents, the rules are the same as for anyone else in the state. Prohibited marriages are described in Minn. Stat. § 517.03. Who is authorized to perform a ceremony is covered by Minn. Stat. § 517.07. After the ceremony, the officiant must return the completed license to Hennepin County within five days as required by Minn. Stat. § 517.13. The application process itself is governed by Minn. Stat. § 517.08.

Hennepin County applies these statutes uniformly across all service center locations, including the one in Brooklyn Park. There are no local Brooklyn Park rules that differ from state law on this topic.

Nearby Cities

Other major Minnesota cities also route marriage licenses through their county recorders.

Hennepin County Marriage License Office

All marriage license applications for Brooklyn Park residents go through Hennepin County. Visit the county page for full service center addresses, hours, and additional records resources.