weddingA $91 to $127 license from the County Clerk or County Recorder, no waiting period, and 90 days to use it. Here is every step, what a courthouse wedding costs, and how a $39,000 California wedding compares.
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The average California wedding costs about 429 times the license. Bars use a log scale so the small fees stay visible.
License fee from California official sources, see our California requirements page. State and US averages: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study.
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From the County Clerk or County Recorder counter to a recorded marriage, in the order you do it.
Both of you must be at least 18 (no set minimum, court order plus parental consent). You do not need to live in California. No blood test.
Bring valid photo ID. If either of you was married before, have the date the last marriage ended. Your county may ask for more, so check its list before you go.
IllustrativeApply together at the County Clerk or County Recorder and pay the license fee ($91 to $127).
There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day the license is issued.
IllustrativeOrdained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy (Family Code Sec. Witnesses: 1 witness. The license is valid for 90 days.
The signed license goes back to the issuing office to be recorded. Order certified copies for name changes, insurance and benefits.
Need the document list and county fees? See California marriage license requirements or the national how to get a marriage license guide.
Apply no more than 90 days before.
| Rule | California (2026) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | County Clerk or County Recorder |
| License fee | $91 (Los Angeles County) to $127 (San Francisco County) |
| Waiting period | None |
| License valid for | 90 days |
| Minimum age | 18 (no set minimum, court order plus parental consent) |
| Witnesses | 1 witness |
| Officiant | Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy (Family Code Sec. 400). Judges, retired judges, commissioners, and assistant commissioners of any court of record. California also allows anyone to become a deputy commissioner of civil marriages for a day to officiate a specific wedding. |
| Common-law marriage | Not recognized |
County Clerk or County Recorder
$91 (Los Angeles County) to $127 (San Francisco County)
None
90 days
18 (no set minimum, court order plus parental consent)
1 witness
Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy (Family Code Sec. 400). Judges, retired judges, commissioners, and assistant commissioners of any court of record. California also allows anyone to become a deputy commissioner of civil marriages for a day to officiate a specific wedding.
Not recognized
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What one California county charges, how booking works and how far ahead to plan, checked against the official page.
Source: LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Ceremonies and Fox News, courthouse weddings booming (July 2026), checked October 2026. Other counties set their own rules and fees.
Courthouse column from the county source above. Wedding cost from The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study; venue and officiant lead times from Zola, 2026 wedding planning checklist. See courthouse wedding costs explained.
A short news report on couples choosing courthouse ceremonies as wedding costs rise. Worth two minutes before you weigh a civil ceremony against a $39,000 California wedding.
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$91 to $127
is the license fee to marry in California. The average wedding there runs $39,000.
Illustrative image, not a specific California venue.California runs $4,800 over the US average. Rank 1 is the most expensive state.
State averages are the same figures as our wedding cost calculator. US average $34,200, per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study.
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The license is the easy part. It only fits a short window before the day, while venues and photographers book many months out. Here is the national advice next to the California license window.
Average engagement for couples who married in 2024
The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study (via The Plumb Club)Of couples began planning about 12 months ahead
The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study (via The Plumb Club)Bars show the advice range from Zola, 2026 wedding planning checklist (updated May 2026), dots the single figure from WeddingWire, vendor booking timeline (2018). These are planning advice, not survey data, and Zola gives two figures for some vendors (venue 11 months in its timeline, 12 to 18 in its FAQ). The license bar comes from California rules.
Apply no more than 90 days before. There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day it is issued.
California license rules
IllustrativeSlots can be hard to get. A July 2026 Fox News report, citing the Los Angeles Times, says California courthouse wedding slots have been filling months in advance, while some couples still catch last-minute openings.
Fox News, courthouse weddings booming (July 2026)
IllustrativeZola puts the venue 12 to 18 months out, photographers and caterers 9 to 12, and save the dates 6 to 8. The license comes last, inside the California window above. Zola's 2026 report also found a few couples now book a venue before they are even engaged (7%, up from 6%).
Zola First Look Report 2026
Illustrative photos: courthouse steps, regional settings and the guest shots couples collect afterwards.
of couples in The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study married in October, the most popular month in the US. Your own state's peak can sit elsewhere, so check the strip.
The Knot Worldwide, 2025 Real Weddings Study releaseCalifornia's coastal and wine country seasons run May through October with peak demand in September and October when wildfire risk drops and the harvest aesthetic kicks in. Southern California venues operate year-round. Joshua Tree and Palm Springs are best November through April. June through August in Big Sur and Mendocino can be persistently foggy in the mornings.
Best month to get marriedWaterfront ceremonies are a big part of the wedding scene here.
Illustrative image, not a specific California venue.
IllustrativeMalibu beaches, Palm Springs resorts, San Diego gardens, and glamorous Los Angeles estates.
IllustrativeNapa and Sonoma vineyards offering barrel rooms, terraced hillsides, and world-class food and wine.
IllustrativeSan Francisco City Hall, Muir Woods, and coastal venues blending urban sophistication with natural beauty.
IllustrativeBig Sur cliffs, Santa Barbara missions, and San Luis Obispo ranch properties with ocean views.
California offers two license types. The standard public license requires a witness and creates a public record. The confidential license, available statewide, requires no witness, keeps the marriage record private, and requires only that the couple be living together at the time of application. Fees range from $91 in Los Angeles County to $127 in San Francisco County. The license is valid for 90 days.
Fall Saturdays at Napa and Sonoma vineyard venues are the most requested dates of the year, so the best-known venues fill early. The harvest look, with vines turning gold and red and the wineries in full swing, drives that demand. Weekday and off-season dates usually have more availability and lower venue fees.
Wildfire season in California tends to run late summer into fall, which overlaps with prime wedding months. Before you sign for a date between July and November, ask each venue about its evacuation plan, indoor backup capacity and what it does when air quality drops. Check whether your event insurance covers cancellation for smoke or evacuation orders.
A public California marriage license requires at least one witness who signs the document, and the marriage record becomes part of the permanent public record searchable at the county clerk. A confidential license requires no witness and the marriage record is sealed, accessible only to the parties or through a court order. The confidential license was originally designed for couples already living together, and the state still requires that cohabitation condition. Fees are similar, ranging from $91 in Los Angeles County to $127 in San Francisco County. The confidential option is popular with couples who value privacy or who prefer a ceremony without an additional signatory.
IllustrativeCalifornia offers two distinct marriage license types. The public license requires 1 witness who signs the license, and the marriage record is part of the public record; the confidential license requires no witness and keeps the marriage record private, accessible only to the couple or by court order. To qualify for a confidential license, both parties must be living together at the time of application. Fees vary by county: Los Angeles County charges $91 for a public license and $85 for a confidential license, while San Francisco charges $127 for either type. California also allows any county clerk to authorize a friend or family member to serve as a deputy commissioner for a single ceremony, making same-day friend-officiated civil weddings possible. No waiting period applies. There is no fixed numeric age floor for minors; anyone under 18 needs an individualized Superior Court order (Family Code Sec. 302, effective since 2019) plus written parental consent, evaluated case by case rather than at a set age.
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Short answers on cost, license, waiting period, courthouse and witnesses in California.
The legal minimum is the marriage license: $91 to $127 in California. A courthouse ceremony adds $35, prepaid in Los Angeles County. The average California wedding runs about $39,000 per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, against a US average of $34,200. That ranks California #7 of 50 states by average cost.
1. Check you can marry. 2. Gather your documents. 3. Apply at the County Clerk or County Recorder. 4. No waiting period. 5. Hold the ceremony. 6. Return the license, order copies. The full step list is above.
A California marriage license costs $91 (Los Angeles County) to $127 (San Francisco County). You apply at the County Clerk or County Recorder.
No. You can marry the day you get the license. The license is valid for 90 days.
Yes. In Los Angeles County, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk performs short civil ceremonies in its chapels in Norwalk and at branch offices for $35, prepaid. By appointment only, and you need the license before you can book. Book when you buy the license or call 1-800-201-8999. Ceremonies last 15 minutes, and you can reschedule once for free. The county can supply a witness for $20. Rules differ by county, so call the office where you plan to marry.
Yes: 1 witness. Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy (Family Code Sec.
