How to Apply For a Marriage or Civil Union License
To apply for a license, both you and your partner must appear in person at the Office of the Clerk and Recorder, located on the first floor of the Webb Municipal Office Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Denver.
Save time by applying online. Check out this guide(PDF, 500KB) (en español(PDF, 475KB)) to help you sail through the application process.
Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our office is closed on municipal holidays.
Questions you will be asked
- The date that you are getting married
- Where you are marrying (license only valid in Colorado)
- The exact date and location of your divorce or previous spouse's death. Both parties must be able to provide this information. If you were previously in a civil union and are marrying someone else, you must provide the name of your partner in the civil union.
- Know your relationship if related by blood
- The city and state where parents of both parties were born
Things to know
- The marriage license fee is $30, payable by cash, check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Discover). A list of fees can be found here.
- You may marry in front of a judge, through a religious ceremony, or by self-solemnizing (this means you marry by signing the certificate yourselves)
- The certificate must be signed in Colorado within 35 days from the date the license was issued
- The completed marriage certificate (and attached license) must be returned to the Clerk and Recorder for recording within 63 days after solemnization. After that date, late fees will apply
- Blood tests are not required in Colorado, and there is no waiting period
- Applicants need not be Colorado residents
You and your intended spouse each must present one of these valid forms of identification
- U.S. state-issued driver's license or permit
- U.S. state-issued ID
- U.S. military ID
- Passport that is bilingual or multilingual and includes English or passport with a certified English language translation if non-English
The name on the license will appear exactly as it is on the IDs provided to us.
You are required to provide a Social Security number if you have one. If one of the parties does not have a Social Security number (they are from another country or they are in the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship), they are not required to have one to get married.
Please Note: Birth certificates, baptismal certificates and Foreign Consular IDs are not acceptable forms of identification for marriage or civil union licenses. A birth certificate may be used to confirm date of birth when presented along with one of the valid forms of identification listed above.
Minors and those remarrying have additional requirements. See the accompanying section for information on remarriages.