To get married in Colorado, both people go together to any County Clerk and Recorder’s office, show photo ID, pay a $30 fee, and walk out with a marriage license that’s valid the same day. You then have 35 days to hold a ceremony anywhere inside the state. Colorado imposes no waiting period, no blood test, and no residency or citizenship requirement, and it lets couples solemnize their own marriage without an officiant.
Who Can Marry
Both parties must be at least 18 to marry without court involvement. A 16- or 17-year-old can marry only with judicial approval under C.R.S. § 14-2-108, and anyone under 16 cannot marry at all.1Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-106 – License to Marry
Some marriages are prohibited outright. You cannot marry if either party is already in an undissolved marriage or civil union. Marriages between ancestors and descendants, between siblings (full or half-blood), and between an uncle and niece or aunt and nephew are also barred.2Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-110 – Prohibited Marriages Beyond those rules, there are no restrictions based on residency, citizenship, or gender, so visitors and out-of-state couples are welcome to marry here.
What to Bring to the Clerk
Before your visit, both parties should have three things ready:
- A government-issued photo ID such as a current driver’s license, state ID card, valid or expired passport, or military ID. Most Colorado counties do not accept a birth certificate on its own.3Larimer County. Civil Union and Marriage Licenses
- Your Social Security numbers. If one party doesn’t have one, you’ll sign a notarized affidavit at the office confirming that.4Washington County. Marriage/Civil Union Licenses
- Details of any prior marriage, including the date, city, and state where the divorce or annulment was finalized, or the date and place of a former spouse’s death.
No blood test is required. Applications are available at every clerk’s office, and many counties post the form online so you can fill it out before you arrive.
Applying for the License
Both people should appear at the clerk’s office together. If one party truly cannot attend, the other can apply alone by bringing a completed and notarized absentee affidavit along with the absent party’s original identification.5Jefferson County, CO. Marriage Licenses and Civil Unions The absentee process covers only the application, not the ceremony.
The fee is $30, payable by cash, check, or card (some offices add a small card processing fee).6Routt County, CO. Marriage Licenses You can apply in any Colorado county, regardless of where you plan to hold the ceremony. Once the clerk verifies your paperwork and takes payment, the license is issued on the spot. There is no waiting period.
The license is valid for 35 days from the date of issuance, and the ceremony must take place inside Colorado during that window.6Routt County, CO. Marriage Licenses If those 35 days pass with no ceremony, the license is void. You’d need to return it to the clerk for cancellation, then reapply and pay again.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Colorado gives couples unusually broad choices here. Under C.R.S. § 14-2-109, a marriage can be solemnized by any of the following:
- Any judge, court magistrate, or retired judge.
- Any public official whose duties include performing marriages, such as a mayor.
- Any person in good standing with a recognized religious denomination, Indian nation, or tribe, including ministers, priests, rabbis, and imams.
- The couple themselves, through self-solemnization.
Self-Solemnization
Self-solemnization is what sets Colorado apart from most states. If you choose this route, both of you simply sign the marriage certificate and mark on the license that you solemnized your own marriage. No officiant, no audience, and no set script are required. The certificate has the same legal force as one signed by a judge, which is why so many elopements happen here.
Witnesses
Colorado does not require witnesses, and no one else needs to sign the certificate for it to be valid.3Larimer County. Civil Union and Marriage Licenses You can add signatures for sentimental reasons if you like, and there’s no age limit on who can sign.
If Your Officiant Wasn’t Actually Authorized
If your officiant turns out not to have been legally qualified but you reasonably believed they were, Colorado’s good-faith rule keeps the marriage valid. A credentialing problem doesn’t undo the union.
Proxy Marriage Is Narrow
Colorado allows proxy marriages, where a third person stands in for an absent party, only when the absent party is a U.S. armed forces member stationed out of state or abroad in support of military operations, or a government contractor working in a similar role. At least one party must be a Colorado resident, and the absent party must authorize the proxy in writing.7Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109 – Solemnization and Registration of Marriages – Proxy Marriage Ordinary couples cannot use proxy marriage for convenience.
Filing the Certificate After the Ceremony
The completed marriage certificate must be returned to the County Clerk and Recorder within 63 days. If an officiant performed the ceremony, that person is responsible for filing it. If you self-solemnized, filing is on you.7Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109 – Solemnization and Registration of Marriages – Proxy Marriage
Missing that 63-day deadline doesn’t void the marriage, but it does trigger a late fee of at least $20, plus $5 for each additional day up to a $50 maximum.7Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109 – Solemnization and Registration of Marriages – Proxy Marriage An unrecorded certificate can also create headaches later when you need to prove the marriage for insurance, property, or benefits. Mail it promptly using a method that produces a postmark; the postmark date is what counts.
After the clerk processes the certificate, the recorded original is typically mailed back within a few weeks. Certified copies run about $1.25 each.8San Miguel County, CO. Marriage Licenses Order several at once. You’ll use them for name changes, insurance enrollment, and any other update that requires proof of marriage.
Common-Law Marriage in Colorado
Colorado is one of the few states that still recognizes common-law marriage, so a license and ceremony aren’t the only path. Two people can form a common-law marriage by agreeing to be married, holding themselves out publicly as a married couple, and living together. The resulting marriage carries the same legal force as a licensed one.
For any common-law marriage entered on or after September 1, 2006, both parties must be at least 18, and the marriage cannot violate the prohibitions in C.R.S. § 14-2-110.9Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109.5 – Common Law Marriage There is no minimum period of cohabitation. Proving a common-law marriage later, particularly in a divorce or benefits dispute, is much harder than producing a recorded certificate, so if you want clean legal proof, getting a license is the safer choice.
Whether the Marriage Is Valid in Other States
A marriage properly performed in Colorado is recognized in every other U.S. state. The controlling principle is that a marriage valid where celebrated is valid everywhere, and most states have codified that rule. Your Colorado license, your ceremony (including a self-solemnized one), and your recorded certificate will be treated as fully valid if you move away or need to prove the marriage for federal purposes.