Sacramento County Marriage License
This article explains how to obtain a Sacramento County marriage license, including eligibility, identification, the online application, appointments, fees, and ceremony arrangements. It also covers public and confidential licenses, name choices, the license expiration deadline, and how to request a marriage certificate after your wedding.
The Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder issues marriage licenses and conducts civil marriage ceremonies. Its marriage license application instructions describe the process: prepare your information, complete an application, and appear together at a county office. Submitting information online does not replace the required in-person visit.
Eligibility and Required Identification
Both parties must appear together in person when the license is issued. Each person must present valid photo identification showing their name and date of birth. The county accepts the following identification:
Driver’s license.
Passport.
Military identification.
Resident Alien Card.
You do not need to be a United States citizen or a California resident to apply. Blood tests and health certificates are not required. Both parties must be unmarried; you cannot obtain a new marriage license if you are already married to each other or to someone else.
The county’s marriage license eligibility requirements also address previous marriages and State Registered Domestic Partnerships. Review those requirements before your visit, particularly if a previous relationship ended recently.
Previous Marriages and Domestic Partnerships
If either person was previously married or in a State Registered Domestic Partnership, you must provide the exact date that relationship ended and how it ended. The county identifies death, dissolution, divorce, and nullity as the possible ways a previous relationship ended.
If a previous marriage or registered domestic partnership ended by dissolution, divorce, or nullity within the past 90 days, bring a copy of the final judgment issued by the court. An approximate date does not meet the county’s requirement for the exact ending date, so review the relevant records before completing your application.
A State Registered Domestic Partnership does not need to be dissolved before a marriage license is issued when the partners and the people getting married are the same two individuals. This exception concerns the existing domestic partnership between the couple applying for the license.
Public and Confidential Marriage Licenses
Sacramento County offers public and confidential marriage licenses. Couples living together as spouses who meet the required conditions may request a confidential license. Review eligibility before selecting that option; the two license types have different ceremony and record-access rules.
For a county civil ceremony using a public marriage license, you must provide a witness or pay for the county to provide one. A ceremony using a confidential marriage license does not require a witness.
The choice also affects who can obtain the marriage record afterward. Authorized copies of public marriage records are available to the spouses and other people who qualify under the county’s published rules. Authorized copies of confidential marriage records may be issued only to a party to the confidential marriage or by court order. Informational copies of confidential marriage records cannot be issued.
The Online Application and Office Visit
Completing the application online before visiting can save time at the counter. The county stores a completed online application for up to 60 days, and both applicants must appear together in person within 60 days after submitting it.
The online marriage license application page provides access to the county’s application form. Before submitting your information, settle any name choices you intend to make through the marriage license and gather the exact details of any previous marriage or registered domestic partnership.
The online application and the appointment calendar serve different purposes. The application supplies the information needed for the license. The appointment calendar reserves a visit to the office. Completing one should not be treated as completing the other.
At the office, both applicants must present their identification and complete the application requirements. The county issues marriage licenses on the day of the appointment. The license is not issued merely because an online application has been submitted.
Two Different Deadlines
The 60-day online application period and the 90-day license validity period apply at different stages. The first concerns when you must appear after submitting an online application. The second begins when the county issues the marriage license and determines how long you have to get married.
Plan your application, office visit, and wedding date with both periods in mind. Submitting the online form does not begin the license’s 90-day validity period.
Appointments and Available Office Hours
The county encourages appointments. Walk-in applicants may wait as long as two hours, while the appointment calendar describes the average appointment as approximately 30 minutes. Because of occupancy limits, do not arrive more than 20 minutes before your scheduled appointment.
Use the Sacramento County marriage appointment calendar to create an appointment. To view or change an existing reservation, enter the last name and passkey supplied in the confirmation email or printout. Keep that confirmation available if you may need to adjust your plans.
Regular Marriage Appointment Times
Marriage appointment times differ by location. The Main Office offers appointments Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. The Satellite Office–South offers appointments Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. Holidays are excluded.
These are marriage appointment windows, rather than the full hours that each office is open. The Main Office’s regular business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the South office’s are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Select a marriage appointment within the service window shown for your chosen location.
Thursday Evening Marriage Services
Thursday evening marriage appointments are available exclusively at the Main Office. The appointment calendar lists evening appointment times from 5:00 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. These marriage services require an appointment, and licenses issued after regular hours carry a higher fee.
The county’s office locations, hours, and holiday information identifies Thursday extended hours as limited services. Extended hours exclude holidays, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. Review the calendar and office schedule when choosing an evening visit.
Inmate Marriage Appointments
Inmate marriages have specific procedures. If you need a marriage license appointment for a Represa or county jail marriage, contact the Marriage Unit for instructions. The county directs these applicants to call for additional information before scheduling.
Marriage License and Ceremony Fees
License fees depend on the license type and whether it is issued during regular hours or at a Thursday evening appointment. The county’s marriage license and ceremony fee schedule lists these charges:
Public marriage license during regular hours: $97.
Public marriage license issued after regular hours: $106.
Confidential marriage license during regular hours: $98.
Confidential marriage license issued after regular hours: $106.
Civil marriage ceremony: $49.
County-provided witness for a civil ceremony: $27.
The license and civil ceremony are separate charges. If you arrange a ceremony at the county office, account for both services. A county-provided witness is an additional charge when needed; couples using a confidential license do not need a witness.
The fee schedule also lists a $30 charge for a One-Time Deputy Marriage Commissioner. That is a separate service from having a county staff member conduct the office’s civil ceremony.
Name Choices Before License Issuance
California’s Name Equality Act allows each party to choose an eligible middle name, last name, or both when applying for the marriage license. Neither person is required to change their name, and spouses do not have to adopt the same name.
Make this decision before the license is issued. The county states that changing a name on the license after issuance but before marriage requires purchasing a new license. Changing a name after the marriage is solemnized requires a court order and can involve a lengthy, expensive process.
Permitted Last and Middle Names
The county’s information about marriage-related name changes describes the available choices. For a last name, either party may select the other spouse’s current last name, either spouse’s last name at birth, a single name combining all or a segment of those last names, or a hyphenated combination of last names.
Middle-name choices include either spouse’s current last name or last name at birth. They also include a hyphenated combination of the person’s current middle name with the current last name or birth last name of that person or their spouse.
County employees cannot provide legal advice about which name to enter or whether you should retain your existing name. Review the published choices before applying rather than expecting staff to decide for you at the appointment.
Agencies that update records after marriage have their own documentation requirements. Contact the agencies whose records you intend to change to verify what they accept. A name entered on the marriage license does not replace those agencies’ individual record-update procedures.
Civil Ceremonies at County Offices
The Clerk/Recorder conducts civil marriage ceremonies on weekdays at its office locations. A staff Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages performs the ceremony. You must obtain your marriage license before the ceremony can take place.
If you want both a license and a county ceremony, arrange the ceremony as part of your appointment plans. The county allows couples to schedule through its online calendar or contact the Marriage Unit.
Witnesses and Guest Limits
A public-license civil ceremony requires a witness. You may bring your own witness or pay the county’s witness fee. No witness is required when the ceremony uses a confidential marriage license.
Guest limits depend on the location and room. Infants and children count toward the guest total:
Main Office, large ceremony room: 25 guests.
Main Office, small ceremony room: 10 guests.
Satellite Office–South: 20 guests.
The county prohibits throwable items inside and outside its facilities, including rice, confetti, birdseed, and flowers. Keep this restriction in mind when planning anything guests will bring for the ceremony or departure.
Other Authorized Ceremony Officiants
A county civil ceremony is one option. The county’s marriage ceremony information identifies other people authorized under state law to solemnize marriages, including qualifying religious representatives, judges, civil marriage commissioners, and certain current or former public officials. Authorized officiants must be at least 18 years old.
A person’s title alone may not establish authority to perform the ceremony. The county specifically explains that a ship’s captain has no authority to solemnize a California marriage unless the captain also falls within an authorized category.
The 90-Day Marriage License Deadline
A Sacramento County marriage license is valid for 90 days from its issuance date. You must get married within that period. If you do not, the license becomes void and you must apply again and purchase a new one.
Choose the issuance date with your ceremony plans in mind. Obtaining a license well before a wedding can create a problem if the ceremony falls outside its validity period. The same issue applies if wedding plans change after the license has been issued: the original 90-day deadline still controls how long that license remains valid.
Marriage Certificates After the Wedding
The application for a marriage license and a request for a marriage certificate are different services. The license is obtained before the ceremony. A certified copy of the marriage record is requested through the county’s marriage certificate service.
Sacramento County can issue marriage certificates only for licenses issued in Sacramento County, with records dating to 1850. When determining whether this is the correct office for a copy, identify the county that issued the license.
The county’s marriage certificate instructions explain copy types, eligibility, and ordering procedures. The fee is $19 per certified copy.
Authorized and Informational Copies
An authorized copy can establish the identity of a person named on the marriage certificate. For a public marriage record, eligible requesters include the spouses, specified family members, and certain people or agencies acting under legal authority. Requesters must sign a statement under penalty of perjury that they are authorized to receive the copy.
An informational copy of a public record cannot establish identity and carries wording stating that restriction. If you need a certificate for an identity-related purpose, consider that distinction before choosing a copy type.
Confidential marriage records have narrower access rules: an authorized copy may be issued to a party to the marriage or by court order. Informational copies are not available for confidential records.
In-Person Certificate Requests
To request a certificate in person, visit a Clerk/Recorder office and complete an application. For an authorized copy, bring valid government-issued photo identification. The county advises allowing 20 minutes after it receives the completed application and payment to receive the certificate.
Marriage License Offices and Contacts
Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder Main Office: 3636 American River Drive, Suite 110, Sacramento, CA 95864
Satellite Office–South: 8239 E. Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95828 Phone: (916) 874-6334
Sacramento County Clerk/Recorder Marriage Unit Phone: (916) 874-6131