Prowers County Marriage License Office
Prowers County marriage licenses are issued by the Prowers County Clerk and Recorder, not by the court clerk. The office is led by Jana Coen and is located in Suite 210 of the county building at 301 South Main in Lamar. The office phone is 719-336-8011, the fax number is 719-336-5306, and the email listed in the county research is jcoen@prowerscounty.net. Public office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but the marriage page states that no licenses are issued after 4:00 p.m.
The county marriage page says each applicant must bring current identification or an original birth certificate, both applicants must be present, and both must sign the application. If one applicant cannot appear, the office requires a completed form that is notarized by the absent person. The notary must verify proof of age. The county also requires Social Security number information, or initials if the person does not have a Social Security number. Prior marriage information matters. A previously married applicant should have the finalized date of the most recent divorce and the court, city, and state where it occurred, or the date and place of a former spouse's death.
Prowers County Clerk and Recorder
Clerk: Jana Coen
301 South Main, Suite 210
Lamar, CO 81052
719-336-8011
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Apply for Prowers County Marriage Records
The Prowers County marriage application process begins before the license is issued. The county page links to a fillable online application, but the license still comes from the Clerk and Recorder. A Colorado marriage license may be issued by any Colorado county clerk regardless of residence, yet the marriage must take place in Colorado for the license to be valid. Applicants must be 18 unless a younger applicant has written consent issued by court order under C.R.S. 14-2-108.
- Complete the online marriage application if that is the preferred start.
- Go to the Clerk and Recorder during business hours, allowing time because licenses are not issued after 4:00 p.m.
- Bring current ID or an original birth certificate for each applicant.
- Bring both applicants, or use the notarized absentee affidavit required by the office.
- Prepare prior divorce or death information when either person has been married before.
- Pay the marriage license fee by cash or credit card.
- Use the license within Colorado before the county validity period ends.
- Return the signed license to Prowers County after the ceremony.
Witnesses are not required to live in Colorado. The key records point is the return. A license may be issued, but the public marriage record is strongest after the completed license has been signed and returned to the issuing county.
Prowers County Marriage Application Fields
The official crawl did not expose every screen of the fillable application, but the county's own requirements identify the core data and documents the office uses to issue a license. Treat these as the practical field inventory for a Prowers County marriage record request or application review.
| Field or Item | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant names | Text | Yes | Both applicants sign the application. |
| Current ID or original birth certificate | Document | Yes | Used to confirm identity and age. |
| Social Security last four digits | Numeric/text | Yes, if SSN exists | If no SSN exists, the applicant initials the application. |
| Prior divorce date | Date | Conditional | Needed for the most recent divorce. |
| Prior divorce location | Text | Conditional | Court, city, and state are requested. |
| Prior spouse death date or place | Text/date | Conditional | Used when a prior marriage ended by death. |
| Absentee affidavit | Notarized form | Conditional | Required when one applicant cannot appear. |
| Court order for under-18 applicant | Court order | Conditional | Required for applicants 17 or younger under the cited Colorado rule. |
Prowers County Marriage and Divorce Fees
The researched county material gives the marriage license fee and late-return penalty, but it does not give Prowers-specific certified copy fees for marriage certificates or divorce decrees. For those copy costs, requesters should use the Clerk and Recorder or court record request channel and ask for the current charge before ordering.
| Item | Amount | Source Note |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license | $30.00 | Prowers County marriage page, cash or credit card. |
| Late return fee | Not less than $20 first day, then $5 per day, maximum $50 | Applies when the signed license is returned late. |
| Certified marriage copy | Fee not located in official Prowers sources | Confirm with the Clerk and Recorder. |
| Certified divorce decree copy | Fee not located in official Prowers sources | Confirm through the court record request process. |
Note: The marriage license is valid for 35 days, and the signed license must be returned within 65 days after solemnization.
Look Up Prowers County Marriage Records
For a Prowers County marriage record, start with the Clerk and Recorder because that office issues the license and receives the returned certificate. The Clerk and Recorder page also links to the county CORA form and to the Tyler real estate self-service site. The Tyler portal is useful for recorded real-estate instruments, but the research specifically warns that it is a recorder index and not a court case search. It should not be treated as a divorce portal or a statewide vital-record database.
When requesting a marriage copy, give the names used at the time of application, the approximate marriage date, and any prior details that can help staff find the returned license. If the record is needed for a legal filing, name the need for a certified copy at the start. A plain informational lookup and a certified copy request are not the same task.
Find Prowers County Divorce Records
Colorado calls divorce a dissolution of marriage. In Prowers County, dissolution case files are District Court domestic-relations records handled through Prowers County Combined Court. That means divorce decrees, permanent orders, parenting plans, and court financial filings are requested from the court side, not from Jana Coen's county recording office. The public docket search includes case class DR, and the researched sample showed a Prowers docket entry for dissolution permanent orders.
Use the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search to find a public hearing or case number when a divorce case appears in public docket results. Then use the Colorado record/document request form or contact Prowers County Combined Court for the document itself. The docket can show hearing date, time, location, case number, hearing type, appearance type, and courtroom. It does not provide a full scanned divorce file.
Important: Divorce files may contain child, address, financial, or protected-party information that is redacted or withheld under Colorado court access rules.
Prowers County Divorce Copy Requests
Divorce copy access follows the court-record path. A requester who only knows the spouses' names may begin with a DR docket search, but the most precise request includes a case number, party names, and the document name, such as decree, permanent orders, or parenting plan. Some suppressed, juvenile-linked, probate, or protected documents may require a U.S. government-issued photo ID through the court request process.
- Search the Prowers docket using DR as the case class if the case number is known.
- Use party name, attorney name, or a date range when the case number is not known.
- Confirm that the result is a Prowers County domestic-relations matter.
- Submit the document request to the Colorado Judicial Branch or contact the local Clerk of Court.
- Ask whether ID, certification, or redaction review applies to the requested document.
Restricted Prowers County Family Records
Marriage records are generally more open than divorce case files, but both can involve data that is not suitable for remote public display. Colorado Chief Justice Directive 05-01 limits remote access to addresses, phone numbers, detailed financial information, victim and witness information, and free-text fields where confidential facts may appear. Adoption records and juvenile records should not be treated as ordinary open domestic-relations records.
The practical rule is simple. Use the Clerk and Recorder for marriage licenses and returned certificates. Use the court for divorce decrees and permanent orders. Use the state docket for hearing and case-number clues, then request the actual document from the court. When a file includes children, protected addresses, financial accounts, or sealed material, expect a narrower public record than the docket title might suggest.