Getting a Marriage License in Jefferson County, Colorado

Colorado makes this more flexible than most couples expect. You can apply for a marriage license in any Colorado county, no matter where in the state your ceremony takes place. A license issued in Jefferson County can be used anywhere in Colorado, and a license issued in another Colorado county works just as well for a wedding here. It cannot be used outside Colorado.

Jefferson County issues its licenses from the Clerk and Recorder's office in Golden. Here is what the county actually requires.

Start with the online application

Jefferson County asks couples to complete the online application form before arriving. Do this first. It is where you will be asked for most of the information below, and filling it out at the counter is what turns a short errand into a long one.

What to bring, and what you will be asked

Valid, unexpired photo identification. A driver's license, state-issued ID, military ID, passport, or a government-issued foreign ID with a certified translation where needed. Jefferson County requires identification that is valid and not expired — an expired document will not be accepted, so check the date before you drive over. Note that a Colorado ID carrying the black strip reading "Not valid for federal identification" is not accepted.

Information you will need to have ready. The application asks for more than most people arrive prepared for:

• Place of birth for each of you, city and state.
• Your parents' full names and their current addresses. This is the one that sends people out to the parking lot to make a phone call.
• Social Security number. Colorado statute requires it; the county records the last four digits. If you do not have one, an affidavit is available.
• Prior marriage details. Not just the date it ended — the date, the place, and the court where the divorce was granted or the death certificate information.

Both of you are expected to appear. If one of you genuinely cannot be there, Jefferson County provides a Marriage Absentee Affidavit for the absent party.

The rules worth knowing

No waiting period and no blood test. Colorado has neither. You can apply and marry the same day.

The license is valid for 35 days. Time it deliberately. If you apply too early and the date moves, the license expires and you start again.

You have 63 days after the ceremony to return it. The signed license goes back to the county to be recorded. This is the step couples forget in the fortnight after a wedding, and until it is recorded the marriage is not on the record.

You must be 18, or have a court order. Applicants aged 16 or 17 need judicial approval from juvenile court. Under 16, Colorado does not permit marriage at all.

The rule most couples don't know about

Colorado is one of a very small number of states that allows self-solemnization. You can marry each other. No officiant, no minister, no judge, and no witnesses required. The two of you sign the license yourselves and it is a legal marriage.

In practice this means the ceremony can be whatever you want it to be. A trail above Golden with nobody else there. A living room. A table at the top of Lookout Mountain at seven in the morning. Couples who self-solemnize often tell us the ring exchange became the ceremony, because without an officiant it is the moment that carries the weight.

If that is your plan, the rings stop being an accessory to the day and become the whole of it. Worth choosing them accordingly.

Where to go

Jefferson County Records and Licensing, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 2560, Golden. Appointments and walk-ins are both accepted.

One thing worth planning around: the county offices are open Monday to Thursday only. If you were counting on a Friday, you cannot collect a license that day. Mondays are the busiest.

Fees and hours change, so check jeffco.us before you go rather than trusting any figure on a page like this one, including ours. The county's full requirements page is the authority on everything above.

While you are in Golden

We are a bridal shop on Washington Avenue, a few minutes from the county offices, and we work by appointment so the showroom is yours for the hour. Some rings are finished and can be ready within a day or two, pre-designed settings are made to order, and bands can be built from scratch if you have the time for it.

If you are collecting a license this week and still need rings, say so when you book and we will tell you honestly what is achievable before your date. Questions first? Our FAQ covers timelines, appointments, and how choosing a ring here works.

(720) 761-5956