Colorado Marriage License | How, when and where?

Step-by-step Guide to Getting a Colorado Marriage License:  its fairly easy if you break it down into this process: 

• Preparation: you can apply for the license as far out as 30 days in advance of securing it.  Most courthouses take online applications and appointments.  You'll need to make sure you have documents like valid IDs, divorce decrees (if applicable), and the $30 fee.
• Application Process: most clerk & recorders offices accept both in-person and online applications, including scheduling appointments and completing forms.
• Timeline: Once you get the license form the courthouse, it is valid for use anywhere in Colorado within 35 days.  In other words, get married the same day or within 35 days and make sure the signed license is to the issuing courthouse within that time.  The courthouse will then record it, and then send it to your home address. 

Quick Reference Points

• You can get a license at any courthouse in Colorado and use it anywhere in Colorado
• You can apply as early as 35-days out from the wedding - this can be online (depending on the courthouse of issuance), but you'll still have to get the physical copy of the license at the courthouse.
• ​Both of you must present a valid government issued identification (such as a driver’s license, passport or military ID). 
  • Sorry - we cannot get the license for you.  You must both appear in person together. 
  • Though, some courthouses may allow one of you to get it by proxy - check with them BEFORE making any plans to do that. 
• There is no wait period or blood test required; it is issued on the spot
• It is $30 payable by cash, check or credit card.  
  • Certified copies (price varies) are also available,  The fee for those can range $3 to $5+/-
  • We do recommend about five certified copies as sometimes your financial institutions, employers, insurance companies, etc. may ask for it.  Heck, United Airlines asked for a copy of my marriage license.  It's good to get a handful of copies. 
• Self-Solemnization:  Yes, you can “marry yourselves” in Colorado.  Meaning, you do not need to have an officiant perform the ceremony.  Though, we certainly recommend it!  
  • Yes, that also means you can have a family member or friend perform the ceremony (they just can “pronounce” you if they are not a clergy or judge).  If you choose that option, the courthouse can instruct you how to fill out the license and how to return it to them. 
• 2024 UPDATES - plan ahead! Many courthouses are allowing online applications and will also schedule appointments for pickup.  However.... many courthouses now are not issuing licenses on FRIDAYS.  So, if you plan to marry on the weekend in Colorado, travel & arrive early on the Thursday morning before the weekend.  That way, you'll have enough time to scheudle an appointment in the afternoon on Thursday to get your license. 
• 🐾 Dog signing update:  formerly many courthouses accepted a paw print in the witness section.  Becaue it is interfering with their scanning machines, some courthouses now are no longer accepting paw prints.  El Paso County (Colorado Springs) is one of these.
  • 🐾  IDEA:  make a copy of the license.  Send the official one back to the county of issuance, and sign the other one with your fur-baby's paw print. 🐶

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What you need to know about the Colorado marriage license

Generally, getting married is everyone’s dream. Marriage is the legal union of two people as partners, who want to make it official.  And yes - Colorado is a very friendly LBGTQ+ state and our license will have "Party One" and "Party Two" for the signatures (the two people who decide to marry).  The entire process of getting legal married may seem to be a disheartening task. However, that is not the case if you know all the requirements of obtaining a Colorado marriage license.  It is actually VERY easy.  

Getting a Marriage License in Colorado

Colorado Issues Colorado Licenses:  Colorado provides a remarkable landscape with natural resources that lure enjoyable memories. Hosting an event in the state can give memorable experiences due to the available recreational opportunities. However, when it comes to getting the Colorado marriage license, things change. The states have a different line of requirements when couples to engage in marriage.  During the marriage, all couples are required to apply for a marriage license. The application is done by the county clerk’s office and requires both parties to bring valid identification.  You cannot use a license from a different state in Colorado. 

Identification.  The approved identification are passport, birth certificate, driver’s license, and military identification card.  You may also use a social security number along with a sworn affidavit.

​Couples Apply Together.  It is recommended that you both go to the courthouse together.  However, during the process, one of the couples may be absent and provide an absentee affidavit with a notarized signature. The absent party’s valid identification should accompany this. Also, the state requires couples to be 18 years and above. However, a person with the age of 16 or 17 can marry with parental consent. They should have an approved court order from a judge along with parental consent. The country requires the couples to complete the marriage certificate within 63 days of the wedding date and return it to the country clerk.
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Residency & International Couples.  To wed in Colorado, the two partners do not have to be residents in the state, or even the country.  So yes, couples from different countries can wed in Colorado. The application and fetching of the marriage license are made at the County Clerk’s office. The partners intending to marry are required to present themselves personally at the county clerk’s office and fill out a license application. The process consumes less than an hour, but you can fill out some paperwork online before availing yourself at the clerk’s office, as this saves some time.
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No Blood Testing.  Colorado State does not require blood tests or any obscure documents during the marriage license. All that is required are the spouse’s valid identification forms, including a passport, state issued driving license, military identification card, or birth certificates. Information about birthplace and names of spouse’s parents may also be required. It is not a must for the two partners to be present at the County clerk’s office provided that there is a complete and duly signed absentee affidavit accompanied by valid identification of the absent party.
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Divorce Decrees or Death Certificates.  During the application process, the two to-be-wed may have to provide some additional documents to acquire a marriage license. In case one of the partners was previously married or widowed, they will have to provide proof: sometimes all that is needed is to submit the month/year/courthouse in which the divorce or death certificates were issues (not the actual paperwork).  Pro Tip:  contact the courthouse that you plan to acquire the license to ask what is needed. 

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Can my dog sign the Colorado marriage license?

A popular trend lately has been for dogs to sign the marriage license with their paw-print as the signature.  Recently though, we've heard that some couthouses (counties) are not allowing this any longer.  If this is something you are plannng, be sure to call the courthouse in advance to see if they are one in which it is permitted.  If so - great!  If not, then keep calling around and make plans to get your marriage license at a courthouse that does recognize paw-prints as a signature/witness.  If you are traveling from out-of-state, plan to arrive a day early in the case you need to travle to a different courthouse from the county in which you plan to marry. 

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A Marriage License

A license from any county in Colorado can be used in any other county in the same state only after being filed either by mail or in-person in the county it was issued in. Taking the license in person to the County Clerk’s office is advantageous because it gets filed immediately compared to mailing, where it might take several weeks to be filed. The couple can solemnize their marriage, meaning that they can legalize the marriage by signing the officiant line. After the couple gets their marriage license, they will have to fill in details such as date, time, location, and other relevant information. The filling out of such information is the responsibility of the officiant. However, the county clerk may offer guidance if the couple does not have an officiant.

County	Link	Phone
Denver	www.DenverGov.Org	720-913-1311
Jefferson ​(Golden)	www.Jeffco.Us	303-271-8186
Boulder	www.BoulderCounty.gov	303-413-7770
Larimer ​(Estes Park)	www.Larimer.Gov	970-498-7860
El Paso ​(Colorado Springs)	www.ElPasoCo.com	719-520-6200
Clear Creek  ​(Georgetown)	www.ClearCreekCounty.us	303-679-2339
Summit ​(Breckenridge)	www.SummitCountyCo.Gov	970-453-3470
Eagle ​(Vail, Beaver Creek)	www.EagleCounty.us	970-328-8710

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