Castle Rock Marriage License Lookup

Castle Rock is the county seat of Douglas County, making the clerk office convenient for local residents who need a marriage license. You can complete the entire process in one appointment if you choose to self-solemnize.

How to Apply at the Castle Rock Office

The Douglas County Clerk and Recorder office sits at 301 Wilcox Street in Castle Rock. This is the main county building where all marriage licenses are processed for Douglas County residents. The office handles licenses, recordings, and certified copies all in one location. Hours and specific policies can change, so call ahead at 303-660-7446 to confirm they are open and what documents you need to bring.

Start by completing an online application before you visit. The application link is on the Douglas County website. Fill in all required fields, including your parents' names. C.R.S. 14-2-105 makes parent information mandatory for vital records. If you do not know a parent's name, type "unknown" in that field. The system will not let you submit the form with blank parent fields.

Both people must appear in person at the Castle Rock office. Bring valid photo ID for each of you. The clerk accepts driver licenses, passports, military IDs, or any government-issued ID that shows your full name and date of birth. If your ID is expired, renew it before you go. The clerk will not accept an expired ID even if it expired just a few days ago.

Douglas County gives you two options when you apply. You can take the license home and use it for a ceremony later. Or you can self-solemnize, sign, and record the license during your office appointment. Self-solemnization means you marry yourselves without an officiant, which is allowed under C.R.S. 14-2-109. If you pick this option, you walk out married and the county records your marriage that same day. This saves you from having to return the completed certificate later.

What It Costs

The license fee is thirty dollars. This is the same across all of Colorado. The state sets the fee and counties cannot charge more or less. Pay at the time you apply. Douglas County accepts cash, checks, and credit cards. If you pay by credit card, there may be a small processing fee on top of the thirty-dollar license cost.

Certified copies cost $1.25 each. Order extra copies when you file your completed certificate. You will need them for name changes, insurance updates, and other legal purposes. It is easier to get several copies at once than to go back to the clerk office later.

If you return your certificate late, the county charges a twenty-dollar late fee. They add five dollars per day after that up to a maximum of fifty dollars. These fees are required by state statute. The clerk has no discretion to waive them. Return your certificate within sixty-three days of the ceremony to avoid late fees altogether.

Information You Must Provide

The application asks for basic details about both people. Your current legal name, not a nickname or shortened version. Date of birth and place of birth. Current mailing address. Last four digits of your Social Security number. If one of you does not have a Social Security number, you need a notarized affidavit that explains why. This form must be completed before you go to the clerk office.

You must list your parents' full names. For mothers, include their maiden name. This information goes into the state vital records system. It helps prevent identity fraud and ensures records can be matched correctly if someone orders a certified copy years from now. If you were adopted and do not know your birth parents, list your adoptive parents. If a parent is unknown, say so on the form. The clerk cannot skip these fields.

If either person was married before, provide the date that marriage ended. Write down the divorce date or the date your spouse died. You do not need to show a divorce decree or death certificate. The county takes your word for it. But all previous marriages must be legally dissolved before the clerk will issue a new license. Trying to get a license while still married is bigamy, which remains a crime in Colorado even though prosecutions are rare.

• Both people must be eighteen or older
• Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds need a court order
• No one under sixteen can marry
• No residency requirement
• No waiting period
• No blood test required

Ways to Complete Your Marriage

Colorado allows three types of solemnization under C.R.S. 14-2-109. You can have a religious ceremony with a minister, priest, rabbi, or other clergy. You can have a civil ceremony with a judge or magistrate. Or you can self-solemnize, which means you marry yourselves without anyone else signing as officiant. Douglas County lets you self-solemnize right at the counter during your appointment if you want. This is the fastest way to get married in Castle Rock.

If you choose a religious ceremony, your officiant must be recognized by the organization that ordained them. The state does not register clergy. Out-of-state clergy can perform marriages in Colorado without any special paperwork. The officiant signs the certificate after the ceremony and you return it to Douglas County within sixty-three days.

For a civil ceremony, contact a judge or magistrate who performs marriages. Douglas County does not provide officiants. You have to find one on your own. Some judges charge a fee for this service. Others do it for free. Ask about fees when you schedule the ceremony so there are no surprises.

Friends and relatives cannot act as officiants unless they are legally authorized to conduct religious or civil ceremonies in Colorado. Just getting ordained online does not necessarily make someone qualified under state law. If you want a friend to sign your certificate, make sure they meet the legal requirements first. Otherwise, the county may refuse to record your marriage.

Recording Your Marriage

Return the completed certificate to the Douglas County Recording office within sixty-three days of your ceremony. You can mail it or drop it off in person at 301 Wilcox Street in Castle Rock. If you self-solemnized at the clerk office, this step is already done. You do not need to return anything because the county recorded your marriage during your appointment.

The certificate must be fully completed. It needs the date and location of the ceremony, both of your signatures, and the officiant's signature if you had one. If any information is missing or illegible, the county will send it back and ask you to fix it. That delays the recording process and can push you past the sixty-three-day deadline, which triggers late fees.

Once the county records your certificate, they send you a certified copy. This copy proves your marriage is legal. Keep it somewhere safe. You will need it for things like changing your name at the Social Security office or updating your driver license. If you lose it, you can order replacement copies from Douglas County for $1.25 each, or from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for more money and a longer wait.

Where to Get Help

Call the Douglas County Clerk and Recorder at 303-660-7446 with questions about the application process. They can tell you what to bring and how long it takes. They cannot give legal advice. If you have complicated issues like a previous marriage that was never formally dissolved, or questions about a foreign birth certificate, talk to a family law attorney before you apply.

For information about name changes after marriage, contact the Social Security Administration and the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles. Social Security must update your name first. Then you can change it on your driver license. Bring your certified marriage certificate to both offices.

Other Douglas County Cities

Nearby cities in Douglas County use the same clerk office:

• Parker
• Highlands Ranch
• Lone Tree
• Littleton
• Centennial
• Aurora
• Lakewood