What you need to legally marry in Colorado: a $30 fee, no waiting period, no witnesses and a license that is valid 35 days. You apply at the County Clerk and Recorder.
The eight things the County Clerk and Recorder will ask about or check. County rules can add small extras, so confirm with your local office before you go.
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A marriage license in Colorado costs $30. You pay it at the County Clerk and Recorder when you apply. Extra certified copies of the marriage certificate, which you will want for a name change, a passport or insurance updates, often cost more.
That puts Colorado inside the roughly $30 to $100 range most states charge. Accepted payment methods differ from office to office, so check before the visit.
Both partners need a valid government photo ID. If either of you was married before, bring the final divorce decree or the former spouse's death certificate. Colorado does not require proof of residency.
In most counties both of you go in person, and some offices ask you to fill in the form online or book an appointment first. Check which offices can issue your license before you drive anywhere. Colorado counties can also take the application by live video when both of you are on camera together (C.R.S. 14-2-106.5, made permanent by HB23-1278).
Fill in the application and pay the $30 fee. Have both Social Security numbers ready (non-citizens can usually give a passport or visa number), plus your parents' full names and your places of birth.
Colorado has no waiting period, so you can marry as soon as the license is in your hands. Most couples still apply a few days ahead.
The license is valid for 35 days from the date of issue. Colorado allows self-uniting marriage, so an officiant is optional. See who can officiate below.
The signed license goes back to the County Clerk and Recorder within the time Colorado law allows. Because Colorado allows self-uniting marriage, the couple usually files it instead of an officiant. The county then records your marriage.
A short walkthrough of the documents and the clerk visit. Fees and offices differ by state, so match the details to the Colorado facts above.
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At 18 or older you can marry without anyone's permission.
Applicants who are 16 or 17 need approval from a juvenile court, which appoints a guardian ad litem for the minor before deciding. No one under 16 can marry in Colorado.
Source: Colo. Rev. Stat. 14-2-106 and 14-2-108 (HB19-1316, effective Aug 2, 2019)
Bring the final divorce decree or the former spouse's death certificate to the first visit. Ask the County Clerk and Recorder whether it needs a certified copy.
Colorado has no residency requirement, so couples from other states can apply at the County Clerk and Recorder with valid ID. The license only works for a ceremony inside Colorado.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Colorado, as in every state, since Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). The requirements are the same for every couple.
Foreign nationals can marry in Colorado with a valid passport as photo ID. Marrying does not change immigration status by itself, and documents in another language may need certified translations.
Colorado allows self-uniting marriage, so the two of you can solemnize the marriage without an officiant. The officiant card below has the details.
Colorado recognizes common law marriage: a couple can be legally married by living together as spouses, presenting themselves publicly as married and intending to be married, without a license or ceremony.
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Judges of a court, court magistrates, retired judges, public officials whose powers include solemnization of marriages, ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders recognized by any religious denomination, tribe, or Indian nation. Colorado also allows self-solemnizing marriages, meaning the parties themselves may solemnize the marriage with no officiant present.
Officiant rules in every stateColorado is one of the few states that recognizes common law marriage and allows self-solemnizing (self-uniting) marriages: couples can legally marry themselves without any officiant or witnesses. In In re Marriage of Hogsett and Neale (2021), the Colorado Supreme Court said a common law marriage turns on the couple's mutual agreement to enter a marital relationship, shown through their conduct and judged on the totality of the circumstances; under C.R.S. 14-2-109.5, a common law marriage entered on or after September 1, 2006 is valid only if both parties were at least 18 and otherwise free to marry. Under HB19-1316 (signed May 31, 2019), no one under 16 may obtain a Colorado marriage license, and a 16 or 17 year old may marry only if a juvenile court, after appointing a guardian ad litem, finds the minor capable of assuming the responsibilities of marriage and that the marriage serves the minor's best interests; parental consent alone is not enough. SB26-048, a 2026 bill to end the 16 and 17 year old exception, did not pass. The signed certificate must be completed in Colorado within 35 days of issue.
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Fees, waiting period, validity, ID, witnesses and residency for Colorado.
A Colorado marriage license costs $30. You pay it at the County Clerk and Recorder. Certified copies of the marriage certificate, which you need for a name change, can cost extra. Payment methods differ by office, so call ahead to check whether it takes cash, card or check.
No. Colorado has no waiting period, so you can apply for and use your marriage license on the same day. Many couples still apply a few days ahead to avoid last-minute stress.
A Colorado marriage license is valid for 35 days from the date of issue. The ceremony has to happen inside this window, or you reapply and pay the fee again.
Each partner needs a valid government photo ID, such as a US passport, a driver's license or state ID card, a US military ID, a permanent resident card or a foreign passport. Bring it to the County Clerk and Recorder, and check the office's own list before you go.
No. Colorado does not legally require witnesses for the ceremony, though many couples have them anyway.
No. Colorado does not require residency. Out-of-state couples can apply at the County Clerk and Recorder with the required ID, and the license works for a ceremony anywhere in Colorado.
