The civil authorities of the United States maintain vital record, and divorce records form a part of them.  Divorce record is one of the vital records that should be compulsorily maintained by individual states. Divorce records are filed in the county where the divorce takes place. Divorce records provide information such as:

• name of husband and wife
• place and date of marriage
• age of husband and wife
• names and date of birth of children
• asset division
• date of divorce
• cause of divorce
• child custody

Divorce records may also contain information such as credit card numbers, tax returns, and alimony paid. 

In United States, divorce records are not confidential.  However, there are cases where divorce records are classified as confidential or closed by court orders.  Generally divorce records can be accessed by any person upon the payment of a fee.  The State Center for Health Statistics is responsible for issuing certified copies of divorce records. The National Center for Health Statistics has information on divorce records for all states.

Time within which divorce records can be accessed; and the amount of fee to be paid to access these records vary by state.  Their details are normally listed with the procedures for application.  Depending upon the state and governmental agency to which the request is made, record/certificates may be collected in person, by mail or through online service.  

Generally, divorce proceedings start with the official filing of a petition for divorce; they run the legal course and end with the divorce decree.  Every step of the proceeding is documented and filed.  Theses records are uploaded to the central state repository.  Both the public and the government can access information from these sources.

In many states, the central statistics or records office can just give information as to whether a divorce decree was granted in a particular state.  They cannot issue certified copies of divorce documents. In such cases, the central statistics or records will redirect requests to the court office where the divorce was granted.

In some states, divorce decree and divorce certificate are obtained from the court office in which they were issued. These records are generally obtained free of charge. However, a nominal search and admin service fee has to be paid.