What public records are searchable to confirm past marriages in Arizona and New York?

1. Arizona — county clerks and superior courts are the starting points

Arizona marriage records are created and filed at the county level, and requesters are directed to contact the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the marriage license was filed to obtain records or copies; many counties host online indexes or offer online request forms but procedures and fees vary by county ^{[1] [6] [7]}. The Arizona State Archives and Research Library also hold marriage and divorce holdings for older ranges (notably roughly 1864–1972, varying by county), which can be useful for historical or genealogical searches where the county office has limited digital access ^[1]. The Arizona judicial branch provides portals and dockets where case histories and some limited records can be looked up by name or case number, and Maricopa County explicitly offers online records request and public access terminals for many court records ^[8].

2. Arizona — what’s public and what’s restricted

Arizona treats marriage licenses as part of the public record system, and many informational copies or indexes are publicly available, but certified copies and certain personal records are restricted or require eligibility; statewide guidance directs requesters to the specific agency holding the records and to Title 39 of the Arizona Revised Statutes for access rules ^{[5] [9]}. Third‑party aggregators and “free” search sites commonly advertise access to Arizona marriage files, but these sites often charge or provide limited extracts; official county clerk or state archive requests remain the primary authoritative path ^{[10] [5]}.

3. New York — state and local split in record custody

In New York, marriage records are managed both locally and at the state level: city or town clerks maintain the marriage license where it was filed, while the New York State Department of Health’s Vital Records Section maintains statewide records from about 1881 to the present and issues certified copies under statutory rules ^{[3] [4]}. For older or missing municipal records, the New York State Archives and town/city repositories are recommended resources to locate historical marriage entries that predate continuous statewide recording ^[4].

4. New York — access rules and who gets certified copies

Certified marriage records in New York are generally limited to the bride, groom, certain legally entitled parties, or those demonstrating a proper legal or judicial purpose; non‑certified informational copies may be publicly available in limited circumstances—commonly where both parties are deceased and the record has been filed for at least 50 years ^[3]. This creates a two‑track reality: researchers and genealogists can often find indexes or informational images through archives and some municipal offices, while legal or identity uses require certified copies and proof of eligibility ^{[3] [4]}.

5. Practical tips, pitfalls and the third‑party landscape

Search strategies that work across both states include: start with the county or city clerk where the marriage likely occurred, check county superior court dockets or state vital records indexes for statewide copies, and consult state archives for older historical holdings ^{[1] [8] [11]}. Beware of third‑party sites that aggregate records: they may be useful as leads but can charge fees and are not substitutes for official certified copies; official custodian rules and statutory restrictions ultimately determine access ^{[5] [10]}. Where records aren’t found, substitutes such as newspaper notices, church registers, or probate entries are recommended by archival guides ^{[1] [4]}.