Colorado Springs Marriage License

Marriage license applications in Colorado Springs are handled by the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, which serves the city and surrounding areas with multiple convenient office locations.

El Paso County Clerk Offices

Colorado Springs residents obtain marriage licenses through El Paso County. The main office is at 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Road, Suite 2201, Colorado Springs, CO 80907. A north office operates at 8830 N. Union Blvd near Research Parkway. Both locations provide full marriage license services during regular business hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

El Paso County is the only county in Colorado that offers Saturday hours for marriage licenses. The north office opens Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., making it convenient for couples who work during the week. This unique service helps Colorado Springs residents and visitors get married on weekends without taking time off work. The main office does not offer Saturday hours, so you must go to the north location if you need weekend service.

For mailed documents, use P.O. Box 2007, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-2007. The clerk's office handles marriage licenses, recording services, motor vehicle transactions, and elections. You can call the recording division directly at (719) 520-6202 for questions about returning your completed marriage license or ordering certified copies.

Requirements for Applying

Both people must appear at the clerk's office together. Bring a valid photo ID such as a U.S. driver's license, passport, state ID, or military ID. Your birth certificate can serve as identification if it's an original or certified copy. El Paso County does not accept Colorado driver's licenses with a black strip reading "Not valid for federal identification" in all cases, so call ahead if you have this type of license.

You need your Social Security Number, but you only have to provide the last four digits on the application. If you don't have a Social Security Number, you must sign an affidavit explaining why. The clerk's office provides this form, which you can complete in advance or sign in front of a deputy county clerk during your visit. The form is called the Affidavit Concerning Social Security Number, and it's required by state law under C.R.S. 14-2-105.

The application asks for your parents' names and addresses. You must provide this information even if you don't have contact with your parents or don't know where they live. Write "unknown" if you truly don't know. If you were married before, you need details about how that marriage ended. Include the exact date of divorce or death, the name of the court that granted the divorce, and the city and state of that court. All previous marriages must be legally ended before you can apply for a new license.

Cost and Timeline

The license costs $30.00. El Paso County accepts cash, checks, and credit cards. Your license is valid the moment it's issued. You can get married the same day or wait up to 35 days. After 35 days, the license expires and you must apply for a new one.

Colorado law per C.R.S. 14-2-107 sets the 35-day validity period. There is no waiting period, which means you can use your license immediately. If you don't use it within 35 days, it becomes void and you must return it to the clerk's office for cancellation. You won't get a refund of the $30 fee.

After your ceremony, the completed license must be returned within 63 days. Late returns incur a $20.00 minimum fee plus $5.00 per day up to a maximum of $50.00. These late fees are set by C.R.S. 14-2-109 and apply statewide.

Getting Married in Colorado Springs

Colorado law allows three types of marriage ceremonies. Religious ceremonies involve clergy from any recognized denomination. Civil ceremonies are performed by judges, magistrates, retired judges, or other authorized public officials. Self-solemnization means you marry yourselves without an officiant.

Self-solemnization is legal under C.R.S. 14-2-109. You complete the ceremony by signing the marriage certificate in the officiant section. Both parties sign where the officiant would normally sign and write "The Parties to the Marriage" as the title. No witnesses are required, though you can include them if you want. Children can sign as witnesses since Colorado has no age restrictions for witnesses.

Friends or relatives cannot act as officiants unless they are legally authorized to perform marriages in Colorado. Simply getting ordained online does not automatically give someone the right to solemnize marriages here. The officiant must be recognized by a religious denomination, Indian nation, or tribe, or hold a position like judge or magistrate. Out-of-state clergy do not need to register in Colorado, but they must have legitimate credentials from their religious organization.

For civil ceremonies with a judge, contact the Colorado Fourth Judicial District at (719) 452-5000. Judges can perform ceremonies during business hours or by appointment. Some judges charge a fee for this service, while others perform it as part of their public duties. You must arrange this directly with the court; the clerk's office does not schedule judicial ceremonies.

Important Details

Pet paw prints are no longer allowed on El Paso County marriage licenses. The county discontinued this practice because paw prints create problems with copy and scanning machines. If you want your pet to be part of your license, consider applying in Boulder or Larimer County, which still allow paw prints. You can obtain your license from any Colorado county and use it anywhere in the state.

Witnesses are not required in Colorado. If you choose to have witnesses, there's no minimum age. Your children, friends, or family can sign as witnesses regardless of age. The witness section is optional and purely symbolic since Colorado law doesn't require witness signatures for a valid marriage.

Marriage between cousins is legal in Colorado. State law under C.R.S. 14-2-110 prohibits marriages between ancestors and descendants, siblings, aunts and nephews, and uncles and nieces. First cousins do not fall under these prohibitions.

Completing and Recording Your License

The person who performs your ceremony must complete the marriage certificate portion of the license. This includes the date, time, and location of the ceremony, plus the officiant's signature and title. If you self-solemnize, you fill out this section yourselves. The certificate must list the county where the ceremony took place. You can get married in any Colorado county regardless of where you obtained the license.

Return the completed license to any El Paso County Clerk and Recorder office within 63 days. You can mail it to P.O. Box 2007, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-2007, or drop it off at either the main or north office. The clerk records the license and creates an official marriage record. Once recorded, you can order certified copies.

Certified copies cost $1.00 per document at the county level. Regular copies cost $0.25 each. If you request copies by mail, add handling fees of $1.25 for 1-10 pages, $2.00 for 11-20 pages, or $2.50 for over 20 pages. You can also obtain certified copies from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for $17.00, though processing takes 30 business days.

Who Can Marry

You must be 18 or older to get a marriage license without restrictions. If you're 16 or 17, you need a court order from juvenile court. Colorado eliminated parental consent as an option in 2019 with HB19-1316. The same law prohibits anyone under 16 from marrying under any circumstances. Getting a court order at 16 or 17 requires a formal hearing and is rarely granted.

You don't need to be a Colorado resident. Out-of-state couples can get a license in Colorado Springs and use it anywhere in Colorado. However, Colorado licenses are only valid for ceremonies performed in Colorado. If you plan to marry in another state, you must get a license there. Other states recognize Colorado marriages once they're recorded, but you can't use a Colorado license for an out-of-state ceremony.

You cannot be married to anyone else when you apply. All previous marriages must be legally ended through divorce, annulment, or death of the spouse. The application asks about previous marriages and requires specific information about divorces, including the court name and case details. Providing false information on a marriage license application is a crime.

More Information

Visit the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder website for forms, FAQs, and current office information. The website includes a copy request form you can download if you need certified copies of your marriage license. You can also access online services for document searches and other recording division functions.

For legal assistance with family law matters, contact Colorado Legal Services. They offer free or reduced-fee help to qualifying residents. The Colorado Bar Association provides lawyer referral services if you need to hire an attorney for marriage-related legal issues.