Getting a Marriage License in Jefferson County, Colorado

If you are getting married in Jefferson County, the license comes from the Clerk and Recorder here in Golden. The process is more straightforward than most people expect, and Colorado has one rule that surprises nearly everyone. Here is what actually applies.

Both of you usually need to be there. Colorado expects both parties to appear in person to apply. If one of you genuinely cannot make it, that person can complete an absentee affidavit signed in front of a notary, submitted with a copy of their photo ID.

Bring photo identification. A valid driver's license, state ID, military ID, passport (an expired one is accepted), permanent resident card, or another government-issued photo ID showing your date of birth. If you have been married before, know the date your last marriage ended.

There is no waiting period and no blood test. Colorado dropped the blood test requirement in 1989 and has no waiting period at all. 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 Clerk and Recorder to be recorded. This is the step couples forget in the two weeks after a wedding, and until it is recorded the marriage is not on the record.

You are 18 or older, or you need a court order. Applicants aged 16 or 17 need a certified judicial order permitting the marriage.

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

Marriage licenses are issued by Jefferson County Records and Licensing at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 2560, Golden. You can book an appointment or walk in.

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.

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