How to Have a Courthouse Wedding in Jacksonville, FL

A courthouse wedding in Jacksonville, FL starts and ends at the Duval County Clerk of Courts, which issues the marriage license and has legal authority to perform the ceremony. Both partners have to appear together with photo ID, the license costs $86 (or $61 if you complete a premarital course), and Florida residents wait three days between getting the license and holding the ceremony unless that course waives the delay.

What to Bring

Both partners need a valid government-issued photo ID showing the correct legal name, date of birth, and signature. The Clerk accepts a U.S. driver’s license, state ID card, valid passport, U.S. military ID, or alien registration card.¹

You’ll give your Social Security number on the application, but you don’t need the physical card. A non-citizen without an SSN can provide an alien registration number instead, and Florida law won’t deny the license to an applicant who has neither.²

Florida law requires both applicants to read the Family Law Handbook before the license is issued. The Clerk’s office provides copies.¹

If either partner has been married before, you need to state the exact date and method the prior marriage ended, whether by divorce, annulment, or death. You do not need to bring the decree or death certificate itself.¹

One item catches people off guard: if the two of you already have children together who were born in Florida, you’ll fill out an Affirmation of Children Born in Florida (Form DH743A) at the time of application.¹

Where to Apply in Duval County

Two Clerk locations handle marriage licenses:

Duval County Courthouse, 501 West Adams Street, Room 2403, downtown Jacksonville. Walk-in only. You join the line using a QR code in the lobby. Open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, but you must arrive by 4:30 p.m. to allow time for processing.
Beaches Branch, 1543 Atlantic Boulevard, Neptune Beach. Walk-ins and scheduled appointments both. Open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments are booked through the online eMarriage Pre-Application on the Clerk’s website.

Both offices close on holidays. If you want a guaranteed time slot instead of a walk-in wait, the Beaches Branch is the only option.¹

The online pre-application lets you enter names, dates of birth, and contact information ahead of time. Filling it out before your visit shortens the time spent at the counter, and it’s required if you want an appointment at the Beaches Branch.¹

Fees and Payment

The standard marriage license fee in Duval County is $86. Couples who complete an approved premarital preparation course of at least four hours and present a certificate of completion pay $61 instead.¹ That $25 discount comes from a statutory fee reduction built into the base license cost.³

The Clerk accepts cash, money orders, and cashier’s checks made payable to the Duval County Clerk of Courts. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted with a 3.5% surcharge. Personal checks are not accepted.¹

The Three-Day Waiting Period

Florida residents cannot use their license for three days after it’s issued. The effective date is printed on the license in bold, and no ceremony held before that date is valid. The waiting period lives inside the license application statute itself.⁴

Two situations remove the wait entirely. If both partners present certificates of completion from an approved premarital course, the license is issued with no delayed effective date. And couples who are not Florida residents have no waiting period at all and can hold the ceremony the same day they receive the license.

A Florida judge may also waive the waiting period for a resident who shows good cause, and clerks can grant exceptions for hardship.⁴

Once issued, a Florida marriage license is valid for 60 days. Miss that window and the license expires; you start over with a new application and full fee.⁵

The Ceremony Itself

The Duval County Clerk has statutory authority to solemnize marriages, which is what makes a courthouse wedding possible. Florida also authorizes any judge (including retired judges), any regularly ordained minister or elder affiliated with a church, and any Florida notary public to perform a ceremony. Members of the Society of Friends may marry according to their own rites.⁶ Florida does not require witnesses, so the only people who must be present are the two of you and the officiant.⁷

The Duval County Clerk’s website focuses on the license application and does not prominently publish ceremony scheduling or a ceremony fee. Other Florida county clerks typically charge $30 for a deputy clerk to officiate. Call the Duval County Clerk directly at (904) 255-2000 to confirm current availability, scheduling, and cost before you go in.

Clerk ceremonies are brief and functional. Vows take roughly five to ten minutes. Bring your valid, unexpired marriage license and present it to the officiating official before the ceremony begins. Afterward, the official signs the license to certify that the marriage was performed.

The completed, signed license must be returned to the Clerk’s office within 10 days of the wedding. The Clerk then records the marriage in the official public records of Duval County.¹ Processing takes several business days. For a certified copy of the marriage certificate afterward, contact the Official Records and Research Department at the Duval County Courthouse, Room 1253, or call (904) 255-2025.

The Premarital Course

The four-hour premarital preparation course is optional, but it does two things at once: it drops the license fee from $86 to $61 and removes the three-day waiting period for Florida residents. The partners can take the course separately. It has to be taught by a provider registered with the Clerk’s office, and you have to present the certificate of completion when you apply for the license, not later.³ If you’re a Florida resident and want the ceremony the same day you get the license, this course is the only way.

If Either Applicant Is 17

Florida does not issue marriage licenses to anyone under 17. Applicants who are 17 need written consent from both parents or a legal guardian, acknowledged before an authorized officer, and the other partner cannot be more than two years older than the minor.⁴ The Duval County Clerk charges a $7 notarization fee for the parental consent documents.¹

If One Applicant Is Not a U.S. Citizen

U.S. citizenship is not required to marry in Florida. A non-citizen applicant provides either a Social Security number, if one has been issued, or an alien registration number. If the applicant has neither, the Clerk still cannot deny the license on that basis alone.⁴ An alien registration card also counts as a valid photo ID for the application.¹

1
Duval County Clerk of Courts. Marriage License
2
Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.04 – Issuance of Marriage License
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 741.0305 – Marriage Fee Reduction for Completion of Premarital Preparation Course
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 741.04 – Issuance of Marriage License
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.041 – Term of Validity for Marriage Licenses
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 741.07 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Matrimony
7
Escambia County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller. Frequently Asked Questions – Marriage License