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Recording Division - Marriage License Requirements

Obtaining A Marriage License | Requirements After the Marriage |
Judges & Magistrates Who Perform Ceremonies

Recording the Marriage License:

• The license must be used within 30 days from the date of issue and used only in the State of Colorado.
• Both parties need to sign where it says "Bride & "Groom" at the lower right corner of the marriage license.
• The officiating party is responsible for returning the license to the Clerk & Recorder's Office.
• Once the license has been returned, it will be recorded and imaged in the Recording Division.
• The original license must be kept by the Recording for at least three business days for imaging.

Special Cases:

• If a certified copy of the marriage license is needed immediately, the officiating party may allow you to bring the license to the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder's Office in Boulder, to be recorded.
• Recording can issue a certified copy of the marriage license without the application, as required by most agencies, for $1.25 either the same day or the following business day.
• The original marriage certificate is kept for imaging purposes.
• The cost of a certified copy of a marriage license with an application, as requested by Social Security for name changing purposes, is $1.50.  It requires a notarized request form provided by the Clerk and Recorder's Office signed by either the bride or groom or an immediate family member. 
• Certified copies of a marriage license with the application can only be issued after the marriage application has been received and processed in the Boulder Office, and the marriage license has been received and recorded. The application may not be available until at least two business days after the issuance of the license.

If you have not received your marriage license from us a month after the ceremony, you should call our Boulder office, at 303-413-7770. We may not have received it from the officiating party.

If for some reason the license is not used, it must be returned to our office.  Licenses may be mailed to:

Boulder County Clerk & Recorder
Recording Division
1750 33rd Street, Suite 201
Boulder, CO 80301

Notice to Person Performing Marriage Ceremony:

• The license must be returned to the Clerk & Recorder's Office promptly after the marriage ceremony.
• Be sure the bottom portion of the license is completed, and your signature appears at the bottom.
• Signatures of witnesses are not required in the State of Colorado.

To Obtain a Certified Copy of a Marriage License:

Your license will be recorded in the county in which you applied for the license, not necessarily the county in which the marriage took place.

• If the license was issued and recorded in Boulder County, you may obtain a certified copy either in person or by mail.
• The cost is $1.25 per certified copy of a marriage license without the application.   
• If requesting by mail, submit the names of both bride and groom, the date of the ceremony, the address to which the copy should be mailed, and a check, payable to the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder, for the amount due. 
• The cost is $1.50 for a certified copy of a marriage license with the marriage application, as requested by Social Security for name change purposes, and requires a notarized request form signed by either party to the marriage or an immediate family member. 
   
• Complete and return the Request for a Certified Copy of a Marriage License with a Copy of the Marriage Application.
   
• Either request can be mailed to the following address:
  
  Boulder County Clerk & Recorder
  Recording Division
  1750 33rd Street, Suite 201
  Boulder, CO 80301
   

Name Changes:

A name change may be done any time after the ceremony and is not required to be completed at the time of signing the license. Visit the Social Security and Driver's License Bureau to change your name:

• Boulder: 303-543-9492
  4949 Pearl East Circle, Suite 101; Boulder, CO 80301
   
• Boulder Driver's License Bureau: 303-442-3006
  2850 Iris Avenue, Suite F; Boulder, CO 80301

To change your name at another location visit Social Security Online or Department of Revenue for a driver's license office.

Social Security does not charge a fee for changing your name. You will need the following to change a name:

• Proof of identity under both the old name and the new name.
• A certified copy of the marriage license and application is required by Social Security to change a name.   

To hear the information on this web page, please call 303-413-7776.  To speak with a clerk during business hours, call 303-413-7770 and press 0 after the message begins.