Who Can Legally Perform Marriage in Utah: Clergy, Officials, Couples

In Utah, a wedding can be performed by a religious leader authorized by their denomination or by one of a long list of civil officials, including judges, county clerks, mayors, members of the state legislature, and the governor. That list is set by Utah Code 81-2-305, the statute that replaced the older Title 30 provisions when Utah recodified its domestic relations laws in 2024.¹ Utah does not require officiants to register with the state or any county before performing a ceremony, so the question is simply whether the person fits one of the recognized categories.

Religious Officiants

Any minister, rabbi, priest, or other religious leader who is at least 18 years old and authorized by a religious denomination to perform marriages can solemnize a Utah wedding.¹ The statute does not limit this to any particular faith tradition. If the person holds recognized authority within their denomination to officiate weddings, they qualify.

Native American spiritual advisors have explicit authorization as well. Utah law defines this category to include sweat lodge leaders, medicine people, traditional religious practitioners, and holy men or women, provided they are recognized as spiritual advisors by a federally recognized tribe.²

Online-Ordained Ministers

The statute does not specifically mention online ordination. It uses broad language: anyone 18 or older who is authorized by a religious denomination to solemnize a marriage qualifies. In practice, a person ordained through an online ministry can likely officiate a Utah wedding, as long as the ordaining organization functions as a religious denomination and genuinely authorizes the person to perform marriages. Because Utah has no registration system to confirm this in advance, the risk falls on the couple if the officiant’s authority is later questioned, so it is worth confirming that the ordaining body meets the statute’s standard before the ceremony.

Government Officials Who Can Officiate

Civil officials draw their authority from their office rather than from a religious denomination. The full list of people authorized by the statute includes:¹

The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer, and state auditor.
Mayors of any municipality and county executives.
Justices, judges, or commissioners of a court of record, and judges of courts not of record.
Judges or magistrates of the United States, which includes Supreme Court justices, appellate judges, district judges, bankruptcy judges, tax court judges, and U.S. magistrates.
The county clerk of any Utah county, or an employee or designee the clerk has authorized to solemnize marriages.
Senators and representatives of the Utah Legislature, as well as members of Utah’s congressional delegation.
Judges or magistrates who held office in Utah before retirement, under rules set by the Utah Supreme Court.

County clerks are worth highlighting because many couples do not realize they can officiate. If you are picking up your license at the county clerk’s office and want a quick civil ceremony on the spot, the clerk or a designated staff member can perform it.

Can a Couple Marry Themselves?

Utah was once known for allowing couples to solemnize their own marriage without an officiant present. Under the 2024 recodification, the statute now requires that an officiant pronounce the parties as married as one of the conditions for a valid solemnization.³ A couple cannot simply declare themselves married on their own; the ceremony needs someone from one of the categories above.

What the Officiant Has to Do

Picking an authorized officiant is only part of what makes a marriage legally valid. The ceremony itself must meet five conditions set by Utah law:³

The couple holds a valid marriage license from a Utah county clerk, which expires 32 days after it is issued.
Each person willingly, and without duress, declares their intent to enter into the marriage.
Each party files an affidavit with the issuing county clerk stating there is no lawful reason preventing the marriage.⁴
The officiant pronounces the couple married.
At least two people who are 18 or older witness both the declarations of intent and the pronouncement.⁵

Utah allows the ceremony to happen remotely by live video, but the officiant must be physically present in Utah during the ceremony for the license to count as used within the state.³ If one or both parties are outside Utah, each must file an additional affidavit consenting to the personal jurisdiction of the state and the issuing county for any future divorce or annulment.⁴ All the other requirements still apply, and the two witnesses must be able to see and hear everything as it happens.

Within 30 days of the ceremony, the officiant must return the signed license and a certificate showing the date and place of the ceremony and the names of at least two witnesses to the county clerk that issued the license.¹ The officiant must also give the couple a certificate of marriage showing the issuing county and the license date. If the officiant drops this step, the marriage may not be properly recorded, which can cause problems later when you need to prove your marital status for insurance, taxes, or property matters.

If Your Officiant Turns Out Not to Have Been Authorized

Couples sometimes discover after the fact that the person who married them may not have had proper authority. Utah law provides a safety net. A marriage performed by someone who claimed to have authority to officiate cannot be invalidated solely because that authority was lacking, as long as the couple (or even just one spouse) genuinely believed the person was authorized and that they were lawfully married.⁶

This protection has limits. It will not save a marriage that is otherwise prohibited by law, such as a bigamous or incestuous union, and it does not excuse the absence of a valid license, declarations of intent, and witnesses.⁶ The safer path is to confirm up front that your officiant fits one of the categories the statute recognizes.

1
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-305 – Who May Solemnize Marriages
2
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 30-1-6 – Who May Solemnize Marriages – Certificate
3
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-302 – Marriage Licenses – Use Within State – Expiration
4
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-303 – Marriage License Requirements
5
Utah State Courts. Marriage
6
Utah Legislature. Utah Code 81-2-408 – Validity of Marriage Not Solemnized or Solemnized Before an Unauthorized Individual