How to Become a Wedding Officiant in Los Angeles County

To become a wedding officiant in Los Angeles County, you have two practical routes: get ordained online through a recognized religious organization, which lets you perform an unlimited number of weddings anywhere in California, or apply to LA County’s Deputy Commissioner for a Day program to officiate a single specific ceremony for a $75 fee. California Family Code Section 400 also automatically authorizes active and retired judges, court commissioners, current and former state legislators, California-district Members of Congress, and current or former elected city and county officials, so if you already hold one of those positions, you can skip the paperwork entirely.¹

For everyone else, the choice comes down to how often you plan to officiate and how quickly you need to be ready.

Get Ordained Online

Online ordination through a nondenominational organization such as Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries is the fastest path. The process takes minutes and is usually free. California’s statute authorizes any priest, minister, rabbi, or authorized person of any religious denomination who is at least 18, and it does not require a physical congregation or formal theological training.¹

California does not require ordained ministers to register with the state or county before performing a wedding. Once you are ordained and 18 or older, you can officiate anywhere in the state, as many times as you want, with no additional fees or applications.

Some couples and venues still ask to see a physical ordination certificate or letter of good standing. Ordering one from your ordaining organization typically costs $10 to $40. The law does not require it, but it’s worth having on hand.

Apply for Deputy Commissioner for a Day

LA County’s Deputy Commissioner for a Day program lets virtually anyone serve as a one-day deputy commissioner of civil marriages to officiate a specific wedding. It’s the standard choice when a couple wants a friend or family member to perform their ceremony without that person becoming a permanent minister.

Application and Fee

The person who will officiate submits an application to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The fee is $75, paid by check or money order. Mail the application at least two months before the ceremony date. If you submit it less than one month before the ceremony, an additional $13 expediting fee applies.²

Don’t send it too early either. Applications submitted too far in advance get returned. About two months out is the sweet spot.

The Virtual Class and Oath

After your application is accepted, you attend a virtual class held on Thursdays at 10 AM. It takes about an hour. You need a phone, tablet, or computer with audio and camera, and your camera must be on. At the class you present valid photo identification, take an oath, and sign a form for approval.²

Deputizations are coordinated through the headquarters office in Norwalk. District offices do not handle the process.

What the Deputization Covers

The deputization is valid only in California, and only for the ceremony you applied for. You do not need to be an LA County resident, but you do need valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. The $75 fee is non-refundable, but if you are unable to be deputized, the payment can be applied to a different deputy appointment within the same calendar year.²

Which Route Fits You

If you expect to officiate more than one wedding, online ordination is cheaper and faster and imposes no per-ceremony paperwork. If someone has asked you to officiate their wedding as a one-time favor and you’d rather not become an ordained minister, Deputy Commissioner for a Day is designed for exactly that situation.

Confirm the Couple Has a Valid Marriage License

Before any ceremony, the couple must have a valid marriage license in hand. Getting the license is their responsibility, but you should not proceed without seeing it.

Both parties must appear together in person at the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to obtain the license. They can start the application online through the county’s marriage license portal, but the final pickup requires both people present with valid photo identification.³

LA County issues two types. A public license costs $91 and requires at least one witness to sign. A confidential license costs $85, does not require a witness, and the record is not open to public inspection; it is only available to couples who have been living together as spouses.⁴ Both types expire 90 days after issuance, and the expiration date is printed on the license itself.⁵ Check the type and the expiration before the ceremony.

Performing the Ceremony

California does not require any particular script, reading, or ritual. The one legal requirement is that the couple declare, in the physical presence of the officiant and any necessary witnesses, that they take each other as spouses.⁶ That declaration can sit inside a religious ceremony, a secular one, or something entirely personal.

For a public license, at least one adult witness must be present at the ceremony and sign the license. There is space for two witnesses, but only one is legally required.⁷ A confidential license needs no witness.

Sign and Return the License Within 10 Days

After the ceremony, you complete the solemnization section of the marriage license. Print your name, sign, and provide your mailing address. For a public license, make sure at least one witness also prints their name, signs, and provides a mailing address.⁷

You are legally required to return the completed license to the county recorder where it was issued within 10 days after the ceremony. Returned means either delivered in person or postmarked within that window.⁷ For LA County weddings, mail it to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk at P.O. Box 389, Norwalk, CA 90651-0389, or deliver it in person.⁸

Don’t treat the deadline casually. Until the license is returned and recorded, the couple cannot obtain certified copies of their marriage certificate, and they need those copies for name changes, insurance updates, and other legal purposes. Missing the deadline does not invalidate the marriage, but it delays everything downstream.

If the completed license is lost, damaged, or destroyed before you return it, you must obtain a duplicate by filing an affidavit with the county clerk where the license was originally issued. The duplicate must be requested within one year of the marriage date, and you are still responsible for returning it within that same one-year window.⁹ The clerk may charge a fee for the duplicate.

If You’re Being Paid

Any payment you accept for officiating is taxable income, whether the couple calls it a fee, an honorarium, or a gift. Occasional payments get reported as other income on your tax return. If you officiate regularly and earn $2,000 or more from a single payer in a tax year, the payer may be required to report that amount on a 1099 form.¹⁰ The income is taxable below that threshold too; the threshold only affects whether formal reporting paperwork is generated.

1
California Legislative Information. California Family Code Division 3, Part 3, Chapter 1
2
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Deputy Commissioner for a Day Program
3
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Online Marriage License System
4
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Marriage License and Ceremony Fees
5
California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 356
6
California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 420
7
California Legislative Information. California Family Code Division 3, Part 2
8
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Application for Deputy Commissioner of Civil Ceremony for a Day
9
California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 360
10
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 1099 General Instructions for Certain Information Returns 2026