About the Routt County Clerk and Recorder
The Routt County Clerk and Recorder is the elected county records office at 522 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 21, Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The current Clerk and Recorder listed in the research is Jenny Thomas. The office publishes regular hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and says it is open to the public while many services are also available online.
This office should not be confused with the state-court Clerk of Court at Routt County Combined Court. The Clerk of Court handles court case files, court dockets, probate, water, criminal, civil, family, traffic, and jury matters. The Clerk and Recorder handles recording and indexing public documents and plats, marriage and civil union licenses, elections, liquor licenses, motor vehicle titling and registration service channels, and birth/death certificate service channels.
Routt County Clerk and Recorder
Clerk and Recorder: Jenny Thomas
522 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 21
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
970-870-5556
clerks@co.routt.co.us
Fax: 970-870-1329
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Recorded Documents and Official Records Search
Recorded documents are the Clerk and Recorder's core public-records function. The office records documents and plats in the public records and maintains indexes and images for those records. The county's recorded-document page directs users to the GovOS/Neumo Official Records Search at routt.co.publicsearch.us. The county says the search site is mobile-device friendly, faster, has greater search capabilities, and allows a user to see the document before purchase.
Searching and viewing a watermarked image is free. A user who needs an unwatermarked copy or certified copy must register, search for the document, add it to the cart, and pay. Certified copies are delivered by email. If a hardcopy wet-signature certified marriage copy is needed, the county instructs the user to pay online and then email clerks@co.routt.co.us with transaction information and a mailing address.
| GovOS Field | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Department | Select record group | Real Property is visible; marriage instructions say choose Marriage from the dropdown next to Real Property. |
| Search Term | Names, subdivision, type, or number | Marriage copy instructions use last name space first name, such as Doe Jane. |
| Date Range | Narrow by recording date | Quick filters include recent day, week, month, three months, six months, and one year options. |
| Search Scope | Index or full text | The portal shows Search Index Only and Search Index & Full Text OCR options. |
| Register / Sign In / Cart | Purchase workflow | Registration is required for unwatermarked and certified copy purchases. |
Older records may require the archival path. The county says documents recorded before 1983 may be found on Routt County's ArcaSearch archival site. The archival site originally captured document books 232 to 300, covering March 22, 1948 to March 6, 1961, and now includes other items such as ditch maps, mining claims, plats, assorted maps, Board of County Commissioners minutes and resolutions, grantor/grantee indexes, mining claims, and Assessor's tract indexes. The research says archival searches can use words or phrases.
Copy Purchases, Certified Copies, and Subscriptions
The Clerk and Recorder's online document system has different access levels. Casual users can search, view watermarked images, and buy copies as needed. Higher-volume users can use subscription access. The county's recorded-document page explains the subscription costs and the practical copy-price difference.
| Access Type | Cost | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Watermarked viewing | Free | Search and view documents with a watermark before purchase. |
| Standard document print | $2 per document normal purchase | Regular purchase outside the subscription discount described by the county. |
| Single-login subscription | $300 per month | Documents printed for $1 per document and free archival-site access. |
| Multi-login subscription | $500 per month | Unlimited free printing and free archival-site access, intended for entities needing user-level print-job tracking. |
Because the GovOS portal covers recorded instruments, it is not a replacement for Judicial Branch case-file requests. A recorded deed, plat, lien, mining claim, grantor/grantee index entry, or recorded marriage record belongs here. A divorce decree, civil judgment inside a case, criminal disposition, probate order, or water-court order belongs with Routt County Combined Court and the Judicial Branch court-record request process.
Marriage and Civil Union Service Channels
Routt County marriage licenses are issued by the Clerk and Recorder by appointment only. The office is at 522 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 21, and the marriage-license phone line uses the main clerk number, 970-870-5556. The county states that licenses may be obtained from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. except holidays. A Colorado marriage license is valid upon receipt, must be used within 35 days in Colorado, and an out-of-state license cannot be used or signed in Colorado.
The marriage license fee is $30. Cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted, with a credit-card transaction fee. Certified copies are $1.25 per copy. The completed license must be returned to the Clerk and Recorder within 63 days after solemnization. A late return may cost $20 plus $5 per additional day, with a maximum of $50. Unused licenses must still be returned.
| Requirement | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment | Yes | Call 970-870-5556. |
| Both applicants | Usually | In most cases both parties appear at the same appointment. |
| Identification | Yes | Must be current, valid, and in English or accompanied by certified translation. |
| Social Security Number | Yes unless no SSN | If no SSN, an affidavit is signed at the office and the county takes an ID copy. |
| Parent information | Required if known | Father's full name and mother's full or maiden name are requested. |
| Divorce information | If applicable | Exact date of divorce, court name, and court city/state. |
| Transaction number | Yes | Bring the application transaction number to the appointment; no email confirmation is sent. |
Colorado allows self-solemnization under C.R.S. 14-2-109. Witnesses and blood tests are not required. Judges, retired judges, magistrates, authorized public officials, religious officials, and tribal officials may solemnize. A friend or relative cannot solemnize merely because the couple could self-solemnize. Proxy marriage and absentee marriage have narrow rules and extra notarized documents described by the county; self-solemnization is not allowed for proxy marriage.
Marriage copies are searched through the GovOS public search site. The county instructs users to choose Marriage from the dropdown next to Real Property and enter last name space first name, such as Doe Jane. If the record cannot be found, call 970-870-5556 or email clerks@co.routt.co.us.
Elections Records and Clerk Requests
The Clerk and Recorder handles elections functions for Routt County. The research identifies a dedicated elections request channel: elections@co.routt.co.us. Non-election Clerk and Recorder records requests use clerks@co.routt.co.us. The county public-records request page says requests maintained by specific offices should be made directly to those offices, and office-specific policies or fee schedules control when they differ from the county policy.
Election records should therefore be routed to the elections email rather than to the court clerk, sheriff, or general county contact unless the county instructs otherwise for a specific record. Examples may include voter-registration-related public records, election administration records, Board-related materials held through the clerk role, or other election documents maintained by that office. The research does not provide an election-record database field inventory, so the safest request should identify the election date, record type, candidate or issue if applicable, requested format, and requester contact information.
Motor Vehicle and Driver Record Boundaries
The Clerk and Recorder handles motor vehicle titling and registration service channels for Routt County. Motor vehicle questions use 970-870-5557 and motorvehicle@co.routt.co.us. These channels are different from traffic court records and different from Colorado DMV driver-record requests. A county title or registration service question belongs with the Clerk and Recorder motor vehicle channel. A court traffic case belongs with County Court, Steamboat Springs Municipal Court, or the Colorado Judicial Online Payment System depending on the issuing authority. A driver record belongs with the Colorado DMV.
The research identifies Colorado DMV driver-record request routes, forms, fees, mail and in-office submission, plus a DMV driving-record questions webform. Those state DMV tools are not Clerk and Recorder records. They are important because many users ask the county clerk about "driving records" when they actually need a state driver history. For Routt County Clerk and Recorder purposes, focus on county motor vehicle office service channels, not statewide driver-history production.
Vital-Record Service Channels
The Clerk and Recorder page includes birth and death certificate service channels. The research fee table captured the vital-record amounts published for 2026: the first birth or death certificate is $25 starting January 1, 2026, and each additional same-transaction certificate is $20. These are service-channel details for the county clerk office and should not be treated as court records.
Vital-record access can involve identity, relationship, eligibility, and state health-record rules beyond the court-record public access rules. The research did not capture a full birth/death certificate application field inventory, so a requester should confirm current eligibility documents, acceptable ID, payment method, and delivery options with the Clerk and Recorder before appearing or submitting materials.
Public Records Request Routing
Routt County's public-records request page is the general CORA routing source for county records, but it tells users to send requests maintained by specific offices directly to those offices. For Clerk and Recorder records, elections requests go to elections@co.routt.co.us and non-election documents go to clerks@co.routt.co.us. This office-specific routing prevents delays when the requested material is not held by the general county office.
- Recorded documents: search GovOS/Neumo first, then contact clerks@co.routt.co.us if the record cannot be located.
- Marriage records: search the GovOS Marriage department and use the clerk email for wet-signature certified-copy mailing after online payment.
- Elections records: route requests to elections@co.routt.co.us.
- Motor vehicle questions: call 970-870-5557 or email motorvehicle@co.routt.co.us.
- Birth/death certificate channels: confirm current ID, eligibility, and fees with the Clerk and Recorder.