Six categories of people can legally marry someone in Florida: all judicial officers of the state (including retired ones), clerks of the circuit court and their deputies, notaries public, regularly ordained clergy, and members of the Religious Society of Friends following their own customs.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.07 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Matrimony Whichever officiant you choose, they cannot perform the ceremony until the couple hands them a valid Florida marriage license.
Judges and Other Judicial Officers
Every judicial officer in Florida has the authority to perform marriages. That covers circuit court judges, county court judges, and any other state judicial officer, and retired state judicial officers keep the authority as well.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.07 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Matrimony Federal judges qualify too, as long as they serve in a court with jurisdiction over some part of Florida.2Florida Department of State. Marriage Ceremony
Nothing in the statute confines a judge to a courtroom. Judges routinely officiate in parks, backyards, and event venues. The only firm requirement is a valid Florida license in hand before the ceremony starts.
Clerks and Deputy Clerks of the Circuit Court
Every clerk of the circuit court in Florida can perform marriages, and many clerk’s offices offer ceremony services on the spot for couples picking up a license.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.07 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Matrimony Deputy clerks hold the same authority as the clerk who appointed them, so a deputy can officiate as well.2Florida Department of State. Marriage Ceremony If you want a simple civil ceremony the same day you get your license, the clerk’s office is the shortest path.
Notaries Public
Florida is one of only three states that let notaries public perform weddings; South Carolina and Maine are the other two.2Florida Department of State. Marriage Ceremony Any commissioned Florida notary can officiate, and the fee a notary charges for the service cannot exceed what a clerk of the circuit court charges for the same thing.3Online Sunshine. Florida Code 117.045 – Marriages That makes a notary a practical choice when you want a simple secular ceremony without working around a judge’s calendar.
Ordained Ministers and Clergy
The statute reaches “all regularly ordained ministers of the gospel or elders in communion with some church, or other ordained clergy.”1Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.07 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Matrimony That language covers priests, rabbis, imams, and leaders of any denomination or faith tradition. The Florida Department of State adds that the minister or clergy member should be “in good standing” with their affiliated church or denomination.2Florida Department of State. Marriage Ceremony
Florida does not require religious officiants to register with any government office before performing a wedding. No advance paperwork, no approval. Keeping ordination credentials handy is still smart, because a clerk’s office, the couple, or a venue coordinator may ask to see them.
Does Online Ordination Count?
This is the question most people are actually asking, and the honest answer is probably yes, though the statute does not say so in those words. The law requires that a minister be “regularly ordained” and in communion with a church. It does not spell out how the ordination must happen, and it does not demand any particular training, degree, or in-person ritual. Ordinations through organizations like the Universal Life Church and American Marriage Ministries are widely used for Florida weddings without issue.
Florida’s lack of a registration requirement helps. Because clergy never submit credentials to the state for approval, no government office is deciding which ordinations qualify. The statute’s broad wording has not been narrowed by any widely reported Florida court decision rejecting an online ordination. Even so, an online-ordained officiant should carry the ordination certificate and a letter of good standing from the ordaining organization. A couple who wants extra certainty can call the clerk’s office that issued the license and ask whether they accept marriages performed by online-ordained ministers.
Quaker Ceremonies
Florida law carves out a specific allowance for the Religious Society of Friends. A marriage performed among Quakers “in the manner and form used or practiced in their societies, according to their rites and ceremonies” is legally valid without a traditional officiant presiding.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.07 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Matrimony The statute also makes clear that wherever the words “minister” or “elder” appear in the marriage chapter, they include any person connected with the Society of Friends who performs or has charge of the ceremony according to Quaker custom.
The License the Officiant Must See
No officiant in Florida can legally perform a ceremony without first seeing a valid Florida marriage license. A license issued by another state will not work for a Florida wedding.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.08 – Marriage Not to Be Solemnized Without a License The couple applies in person at any county clerk’s office in the state, and the license is good for a ceremony in any Florida county regardless of where it was issued.5Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers. How to Apply for a Marriage License The license expires 60 days from the date of issuance; if the ceremony does not happen in that window, the couple needs a new one.6Online Sunshine. Florida Code 741.041 – Marriage License Application Valid for 60 Days
The statute does not prescribe specific vows or script, and it does not require witnesses to be present. If an officiant fails to complete the marriage certificate, the marriage can later be proved through sworn affidavits from two people who saw the ceremony performed.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.08 – Marriage Not to Be Solemnized Without a License
What the Officiant Does After the Ceremony
The officiant’s job does not end at the kiss. After performing the ceremony, the person who officiated must complete the marriage certificate section on the license and return the signed license to the county court judge or clerk of the circuit court that issued it within 10 days.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 741.08 – Marriage Not to Be Solemnized Without a License This step is what puts the marriage into the official record. Missing the 10-day window does not invalidate the marriage, but it creates a paperwork problem the couple may have to clean up later with affidavits. The safe habit is to fill out the certificate right after the ceremony and get it back to the clerk’s office within a few days.