Sherman County Clerk Office
The Sherman County Clerk is the primary local records office for public records outside the Circuit Court case file. Kristi Weis serves as County Clerk, and Audrey Ihrke is Deputy Clerk and Property Value Appeals Board Clerk. The office is elected and acts as the official keeper of public records for Sherman County, including recorded property instruments, County Court minutes, ordinances, resolutions, agreements, licensed-surveyor maps, marriage records, election records, and probate-related County Court records.
A Sherman County County Clerk records search usually starts with the type of record rather than a single database. Marriage licenses, public-record requests, probate and small estate records, domestic partnership filings, historical research, genealogy help, passport acceptance, and notary services all route through the Clerk's Office. Circuit Court case copies are different and should go through Oregon Judicial Department records channels or Sherman Circuit Court.
Sherman County Clerk's Office
Clerk: Kristi Weis
500 Court Street
Moro, OR 97039
541-565-3606
TTY 800-735-2900
Fax 541-565-3771
Mail: PO Box 243, Moro, OR 97039
countyclerk@shermancounty.net
The Clerk fee and recording page provides the local recording and fee context.
That source is important because recording format rules can affect whether a document is accepted.
Sherman County Clerk Records Duties
The Clerk's work is broader than a court counter. The official page says the office maintains official public records, including real property transactions, County Court and Budget Committee minutes, ordinances, resolutions, agreements, miscellaneous county documents, and licensed-surveyor maps. The office also manages elections, voter registration, voter lists, candidate declarations, and Property Value Appeals Board records.
Sherman County has a special probate structure. The Clerk serves as Clerk of the County Court for probate, small estate, and juvenile cases because probate jurisdiction is vested in the County Court. That local rule means probate users should not assume all estate files are held only in the regular Circuit Court division.
- Official public records and recorded-property documents
- County Court minutes, ordinances, resolutions, agreements, and maps
- Marriage licenses and declarations of domestic partnership
- County Court probate, small estate, and related juvenile matters
- Elections, voter registration, candidate declarations, and PVAB records
- Passport acceptance, notary services, genealogy, and historical research assistance
Request Sherman County Clerk Records
Public-record request channels are direct. The county FAQ says to contact the Clerk's Office by email at countyclerk@shermancounty.net, by phone at 541-565-3606, or by using the county public records request form. The direct form document was not fully inspectable in research, so the email and phone route should be treated as reliable when a records request is time-sensitive.
- Identify the record type, such as marriage, recorded document, County Court minute, probate, map, election, or public record.
- Provide names, dates, book or instrument details, case or estate identifiers, and whether a certified copy is needed.
- Ask the Clerk to confirm the current fee and whether the document can be sent by mail, email, or pickup.
- Send payment by the method the Clerk approves for that record type.
- Confirm mailing address and certification needs before relying on the copy for a court, bank, agency, or title matter.
The County Clerk contact form lists the basic message fields used for online contact.
The form supplements direct email and phone contact for general Clerk questions.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Yes | Use a short record type or service description |
| Message | Yes | Include names, dates, record type, and copy needs |
| Name | No | First and last name fields appear on the form |
| No | Needed if reply by email is requested | |
| Phone | No | Useful for fee or pickup questions |
Sherman County Clerk Fees
The Clerk's recording page posts a January 1, 2024 formatting notice based on HB 2029 and ORS 205.232. Recordable documents must use text no smaller than 10-point type on paper not larger than 14 inches by 8.5 inches, with exceptions for out-of-state notarial acts and certified public-record copies. The page also links to the County Clerk Fee Schedule and recording coversheets.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $50 |
| Additional certified marriage copy | $7.75 each |
| Domestic partnership registration | $50 |
| Passport photos | $10 |
| Card payment | Additional processing fee |
| Recorded document format | 10-point text minimum, size limits under ORS 205.232 notice |
ORS Chapter 205 supports Oregon county clerk recording rules.
The statute source explains why local recording format requirements appear on the Clerk's page.
Sherman County Clerk Marriage Probate
Marriage services are handled locally by the Clerk. Both parties must appear together with valid picture ID, and the application asks for legal names, addresses, birth information, Social Security numbers, parents' names and birth states, prior marriage ending dates when applicable, and post-marriage legal names. Sherman County also offers domestic partnership registration and local notary services for that process.
Probate requests should start with the Clerk because County Court has probate jurisdiction in Sherman County. Probate files may include wills, estate petitions, small estate affidavits, fiduciary letters, inventories, accountings, notices, claims, and court orders. Some certified probate documents may need paper certification rather than electronic certification.
Oregon Public Records Law
Oregon Public Records Law, including ORS 192.311 to 192.478, gives the public a broad right to inspect nonexempt public records. ORS 192.314 states the right to inspect public records, while ORS 192.324 and ORS 192.329 address copies, fees, and response procedure. ORS 192.355 lists exempt records, which matters when a request includes private identifiers, safety information, or restricted law-enforcement material.
ORS Chapter 192 is the primary Oregon public-records law source.
The Clerk's public-record work depends on this state-law framework, even when the request is handled by a local office.
The county public records FAQ gives the direct Clerk request route.
The FAQ is the clearest local source for email and phone request channels.
The Clerk also links Sherman County users to the Oregon Secretary of State records inventory for historical record series. That matters for older court, property, county, and sheriff-related records that may not appear in modern OJD search tools. Genealogy and historical research questions should describe the date range and record type so the Clerk can tell whether the record is local, archived, or held by another state source.
Sherman County Public Records Limits
The Oregon DOJ public records manual is useful for request rules, but it does not replace the local custodian. A Clerk record can still be withheld, redacted, or routed to another office when the file belongs to Circuit Court, Justice Court, Sheriff, Oregon DMV, or another agency. Juvenile, adoption, sealed, set-aside, and protected personal information can also limit release.
The Oregon DOJ public records manual gives state-level public-record guidance.
That manual supports the access framework while the Sherman County Clerk remains the practical local custodian for Clerk-held records.