weddingA $136 to $172 license from the County Auditor, a 3 day wait, and 60 days to use it. Here is every step, what a courthouse wedding costs, and how a $26,000 Washington wedding compares.
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The average Washington wedding costs about 191 times the license. Bars use a log scale so the small fees stay visible.
License fee from Washington official sources, see our Washington requirements page. State and US averages: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study.
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From the County Auditor counter to a recorded marriage, in the order you do it.
Both of you must be at least 18 (no exceptions). You do not need to live in Washington. 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 Auditor and pay the license fee ($136 to $172).
Washington has a waiting period: 3 days.
IllustrativeOrdained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Witnesses: 2 witnesses. The license is valid for 60 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 Washington marriage license requirements or the national how to get a marriage license guide.
Apply no more than 60 days before, at least 3 days before.
| Rule | Washington (2026) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | County Auditor |
| License fee | $136 to $172, varies by county (includes a $100 statewide surcharge added by HB 1498, effective July 27, 2025; King County $169, Snohomish County $170, Spokane County $162, Clark County $172) |
| Waiting period | 3 days |
| License valid for | 60 days |
| Minimum age | 18 (no exceptions) |
| Witnesses | 2 witnesses |
| Officiant | Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Judges and commissioners of courts of limited jurisdiction (district and municipal courts), plus tribal court judges of federally recognized tribes. Any religious organization may authorize someone to officiate according to their customs. |
| Common-law marriage | Not recognized |
County Auditor
$136 to $172, varies by county (includes a $100 statewide surcharge added by HB 1498, effective July 27, 2025; King County $169, Snohomish County $170, Spokane County $162, Clark County $172)
3 days
60 days
18 (no exceptions)
2 witnesses
Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Judges and commissioners of courts of limited jurisdiction (district and municipal courts), plus tribal court judges of federally recognized tribes. Any religious organization may authorize someone to officiate according to their customs.
Not recognized
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What one Washington county charges, how booking works and how far ahead to plan, checked against the official page.
Source: King County District Court, Judges who perform weddings and Seattle Municipal Court, Marriage Ceremony FAQs, 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 $26,000 Washington wedding.
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$136 to $172
is the license fee to marry in Washington. The average wedding there runs $26,000.
Illustrative image, not a specific Washington venue.Washington comes in $8,200 under 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 Washington 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 Washington rules.
Apply no more than 60 days before, at least 3 days before. The 3 days wait runs from when the license is issued.
Washington license rules
IllustrativeSeattle Municipal Court asks for requests no earlier than 8 weeks before the date and replies within a week. Washington's 3 day wait cannot be waived.
Seattle Municipal Court, Marriage Ceremony FAQs
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 Washington 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 releaseSummer is the most dependable stretch for outdoor weddings in western Washington, while spring and fall bring more rain, so island and waterfall venues with covered rooms or a chapel are popular for shoulder season dates. At Roche Harbor Resort, the Sunken Garden blooms from April through October with a peak in May and June, and the resort's shoreline chapel doubles as a rain backup. Eastern Washington, including Walla Walla, sits on the drier side of the Cascades, which makes vineyard lawns and barn patios a good fit for a late spring or early fall weekend. Summer ferry travel to the San Juan Islands takes planning, so share sailing and arrival details with guests early.
Best month to get marriedMountain and forest settings are a common pick here.
Illustrative image, not a specific Washington venue.
IllustrativeThe Emerald City offers skyline views, waterfront venues, and a world-class food and coffee culture.
IllustrativeOver 100 wineries within 30 minutes of Seattle, with tasting rooms and vineyard event spaces.
IllustrativeFerry-accessible islands with orca whale watching, lavender farms, and intimate waterfront venues.
On the day you apply. RCW 26.04.180 says a license may not be used until three days after the date of application, and the county auditor must issue it no later than the third full day after the application. A couple who applies on a Monday can marry on Thursday. King County says the wait cannot be waived for any reason. The license becomes void if the marriage is not solemnized within 60 days of the date it was issued.
Substitute House Bill 1498, passed in 2025, added $100 to the fee for every marriage license. The House bill report says this raised the typical county range from $36 to $72 up to $136 to $172, with the money going to a Domestic Violence Co-Responder Grant Program run by the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy. County pages list the change as effective July 27, 2025. King County now charges $169.
State law does not set an age. RCW 26.04.070 requires at least two attending witnesses at the ceremony but does not specify how old they must be. King County and Snohomish County both note that the law is silent on age and that a witness is usually considered competent at 18. The safest plan is two adults who can sign the certificate clearly.
Washington now requires both partners to be at least 18. RCW 26.04.010, as amended by 2024 c 10, removed the path for younger applicants and makes a marriage involving someone under 18 void. The change applies to marriages on or after June 6, 2024.
IllustrativeWashington marriage licenses come from the county auditor, and the timing rules are set by RCW 26.04.180. The auditor may issue the license the day of application but must issue it by the third full day after, and the license may not be used until three days after the date of application. King County says that wait cannot be waived. A license becomes void if the marriage is not solemnized within 60 days of issuance. Since June 6, 2024, both partners must be at least 18 under RCW 26.04.010 as amended by 2024 c 10, and a marriage involving someone under 18 is void. RCW 26.04.070 requires at least two attending witnesses; state law sets no age, and counties such as King and Snohomish say a witness is usually considered competent at 18. Fees rose in 2025 when Substitute House Bill 1498 added $100 to every license to fund domestic violence co-responder grants, which moved the county range from $36 to $72 up to $136 to $172. King County charges $169. Build the three-day wait and your county's office hours into the schedule, especially for a Friday or Saturday wedding with out-of-town couples.
Substitute House Bill 1498 added $100 to every Washington marriage license in 2025, raising the typical county fee range from $36 to $72 up to $136 to $172, with the money funding a Domestic Violence Co-Responder Grant Program.
Source: Washington State Legislature, House Bill Report SHB 1498
Washington wedding guests often arrive in waves: some on different ferry sailings to San Juan Island, some driving over the mountains to Walla Walla, and some coming straight from Seattle to the falls. That spread means the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony and the late-night toasts are seen by different groups. With a Pix Wedding QR guest album, every guest scans one code and uploads photos and videos from their phone browser without an app, and anyone who loses signal on the water or the pass can upload once they reconnect, so the whole weekend ends up in one shared album.
Courthouse or full reception, guests scan one QR code and add photos and videos from the phone browser. No app and no account, and nothing gets lost in group chats.
Scan to join the album
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Every document, fee and county rule in one place.
Where the $26,000 average goes, line by line.
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Short answers on cost, license, waiting period, courthouse and witnesses in Washington.
The legal minimum is the marriage license: $136 to $172 in Washington. A courthouse ceremony adds Set by each judge in King County (Seattle). The average Washington wedding runs about $26,000 per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, against a US average of $34,200. That ranks Washington #30 of 50 states by average cost.
1. Check you can marry. 2. Gather your documents. 3. Apply at the County Auditor. 4. Wait 3 days. 5. Hold the ceremony. 6. Return the license, order copies. The full step list is above.
A Washington marriage license costs $136 to $172, varies by county (includes a $100 statewide surcharge added by HB 1498, effective July 27, 2025; King County $169, Snohomish County $170, Spokane County $162, Clark County $172). You apply at the County Auditor.
Yes: 3 days. The license is valid for 60 days.
Yes. In King County (Seattle), King County District Court judges marry couples by appointment, and Seattle Municipal Court holds weekday courthouse ceremonies for Set by each judge. District Court judges marry before 8:30 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, or on weekends. Seattle Municipal Court takes online requests, with weekday check-in at 4:30 p.m. Bring two witnesses 18 or older. Rules differ by county, so call the office where you plan to marry.
Yes: 2 witnesses. Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy.
