Jefferson Parish Marriage License: Requirements, Fees, and Waiting Period

A Jefferson Parish marriage license costs $27.50 and is issued by the Clerk of Court at one of two offices, one on the West Bank in Gretna and one on the East Bank in Jefferson. Both applicants generally need to appear in person with a certified birth certificate, a government-issued photo ID, and Social Security information. Louisiana requires a 24-hour wait between issuance and the ceremony, and the license expires 30 days after it is issued.¹²

What to Bring

Arrive with every document in hand. Missing one piece sends you home.

A certified copy of each applicant’s birth certificate from the issuing vital records office. A photocopy or a hospital souvenir certificate will not be accepted.³
A valid, unexpired photo ID: driver’s license, state ID card, or passport. Applicants who are not U.S. citizens may present a passport from their country of birth or an unexpired visa with a Form I-94.³
A Social Security number for anyone born in a U.S. state or territory, or who is a naturalized citizen. Non-citizens and non-permanent residents provide a passport or visa instead.⁴
Documentation of any prior marriage. The application asks how many previous marriages each party has had and how each ended. Bring a certified copy of the final divorce judgment, or a death certificate if a former spouse is deceased.

If You Have No Birth Certificate

When a birth certificate was never issued or cannot be found, two extra steps apply. First, get a letter from the registration authority where you were born, signed and stamped under official seal, confirming that a search was conducted and no record was found.⁵ Take that letter to a judge and obtain a court order waiving the birth certificate requirement. The judge will usually ask for other evidence of your birth facts before signing.⁶

Age and Eligibility

Both applicants must be at least 16. Louisiana prohibits issuing a license to anyone under 16, with no exception.⁷ If either applicant is 16 or 17, the age gap between the two parties cannot be three years or more, and the minor needs written parental consent or a court order before the Clerk will process the application.³

Each applicant signs the application in front of a deputy clerk or notary, swearing that the information is accurate and that they are legally free to marry.⁴

Where to Apply and What It Costs

The Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court issues marriage licenses at two locations:

General Government Building (West Bank): 200 Derbigny St., Suite 2200, Gretna, LA
Joseph S. Yenni Building (East Bank): 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., Suite 603, Jefferson, LA 70123

Both offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on legal holidays.⁸ The Yenni Building is in the city of Jefferson, not Metairie, which matters if you are following GPS.

The license fee is $27.50. Certified copies of the marriage certificate, which you will need later for name changes, insurance, and taxes, cost $10.00 each.² Plan to pay with cash, credit card, or money order. Personal checks are generally not accepted.

If One of You Cannot Appear

Both applicants are expected in person, but the Clerk’s office allows three alternatives:

The absent party signs the application in front of a notary, and the party who appears brings the notarized form to the Clerk’s office.
A judge or justice of the peace in Jefferson Parish issues a court order allowing the license to be issued with only one signature.
If the absent party is in the military, the appearing party attaches a copy of their military ID to the application and signs alone.²

The 24-Hour Wait and the 30-Day Window

Louisiana prohibits an officiant from performing the ceremony until at least 24 hours have passed since the license was issued.⁹ Couples who need to marry sooner, such as before a military deployment or in a medical emergency, can apply to a judge for a waiver.¹

Once issued, the license is valid for 30 days.¹ If the ceremony does not take place within that window, the license expires and you start over, paying the fee again. This catches couples who apply too early for a destination wedding.

Who Can Perform the Ceremony

Louisiana authorizes two groups to officiate: clergy, meaning a priest, minister, rabbi, clerk of the Religious Society of Friends, or clergyman of any religious denomination who has reached the age of majority and is authorized by their religious body to perform marriages; and judicial officials, meaning any state judge or justice of the peace.¹⁰ Clergy must also be registered with the state to perform marriages. An ordained minister who skipped registration may not be legally authorized to solemnize the marriage, which can create validity problems later. Confirm your officiant’s registration before the ceremony, not after.

Judges and justices of the peace are limited to their territorial jurisdiction.¹¹

After the Wedding

The ceremony takes place in front of two adult witnesses, who sign the marriage certificate along with the officiant.¹²

The officiant then has 10 days to file two copies of the signed certificate with the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. The couple keeps a third copy.¹³ The deadline is the officiant’s legal responsibility, but couples should follow up rather than assume it was handled. A marriage performed but never filed creates problems when you need proof of the union for insurance, taxes, or a name change.

Once the Clerk records the certificate, the marriage becomes a permanent public record, and certified copies are available for $10.00 each.²

A Note on Covenant Marriage

Louisiana is one of three states that offers a covenant marriage, a legally distinct form of marriage that requires premarital counseling, a notarized affidavit, and a signed Declaration of Intent to enter, and that limits the grounds on which it can later be dissolved.¹⁴ The Clerk’s application includes space to declare that intent. Most couples choose a standard marriage; if a covenant marriage is what you want, the counseling and affidavit need to be arranged before you come in.

1
Louisiana Department of Health. Application for Waiver of 24 Hour Waiting Period
2
Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. Marriage Licenses
3
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-225 – Documents Required Attachments
4
FindLaw. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 9 Section 224
5
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-227 – Certified Copy Unavailable
6
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-228 – Court Order Waiving Birth Certificate
7
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-221 – Authority to Issue Marriage Licenses
8
Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. Hours and Locations
9
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 9-241 – Premature Ceremony Prohibited
10
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-202 – Authority to Perform Marriage Ceremonies
11
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-203 – Officiant Judges and Justices of the Peace
12
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-244 – Witnesses Required
13
Justia. Louisiana Code RS 9-253 – Disposition and Recordation
14
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 9-273 – Declaration of Intent