Search Loveland Marriage License

Loveland has a branch office of the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder where you can apply for a marriage license. Wait times may be longer here than at the Fort Collins main office since this location also handles vehicle licensing.

Getting a License in Loveland

Couples in Loveland apply through Larimer County. The county runs three offices where you can get a license. Fort Collins has the main clerk office at 200 W. Oak Street. Loveland and Estes Park each have a branch location. All three offices issue licenses under the same rules, but the Loveland and Estes Park branches also handle vehicle licensing. That means they get busier than the Fort Collins office, especially on the first and last day of any month when car registrations are due.

The Loveland office stays open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both people must come in together. Bring valid ID for each person. The clerk accepts driver licenses, passports, military IDs, or any government-issued photo ID that shows your birth date. If your ID is expired, they will not accept it. Get a current ID before you go to the clerk office or you will have to come back another day.

You pay thirty dollars when you apply. The fee is the same across all of Colorado under state law. Some counties take credit cards, but Larimer County prefers cash or checks. Call ahead to confirm what payment methods they accept at the Loveland branch. If you show up with only a card and they do not take it, you will leave without a license.

What the Application Covers

The state application form asks for basic information. Your full legal name, current address, date and place of birth. It also wants your parents' full names. C.R.S. 14-2-105 requires this information for vital records purposes. If you do not know a parent's name or never met them, you can say that on the form. The clerk cannot skip the field entirely.

Bring the last four digits of your Social Security number. The form does not ask for the full number, just the last four. If you do not have a Social Security number, you need an affidavit that explains why. This affidavit must be signed and notarized before you come to the clerk office. Some counties let you sign it in front of their staff instead of getting it notarized elsewhere. Check with the Loveland office to see if they allow that.

The form also asks about previous marriages. If either of you was married before, write down the date your last marriage ended. This could be a divorce date or the date your spouse passed away. You do not have to prove it with documents. The state just needs the information on file. All prior marriages must be legally dissolved before the clerk will issue a new license. Trying to get a license while still married to someone else is bigamy, which is a crime under Colorado law even though few cases are ever prosecuted.

How Long the License Lasts

Your license becomes valid the moment the clerk hands it to you. There is no waiting period in Colorado. You can get married the same day if you want. The license stays valid for thirty-five days from the date of issue. That time limit comes from C.R.S. 14-2-107, which says all licenses expire after thirty-five days no matter what. If you do not use it within that window, it becomes void. You have to apply again and pay another thirty dollars.

Some couples order a license months before their wedding. Then they forget about the thirty-five-day rule and the license expires. Plan ahead so the license is still good on your wedding day. Most people apply two to three weeks before the ceremony. That gives you a buffer in case something unexpected happens, like bad weather or a family emergency that pushes the date back a few days.

The license is only valid in Colorado. You cannot use it in another state. If you plan to get married outside this state, apply for a license where the ceremony will take place. Do not waste time and money on a Colorado license you cannot legally use.

Completing the Certificate

After your ceremony, someone must complete the certificate portion of the license. This is what makes the marriage official in state records. If you have an officiant, they sign it. If you self-solemnize under C.R.S. 14-2-109, you sign it yourselves. Self-solemnization means you marry each other without needing a judge, minister, or anyone else. Colorado allows this, which makes it easy for couples who want a private ceremony or do not want to deal with finding an officiant.

Return the completed certificate to Larimer County within sixty-three days of the ceremony. You can mail it or drop it off at any of the three county offices. If you go to the Fort Collins office, they will give you a certified copy right away. If you go to Loveland or Estes Park, it takes about three days to get your copy because those branches send the paperwork to Fort Collins for processing. Plan accordingly if you need a certified copy in a hurry.

Late returns cost money. If the certificate arrives after sixty-three days, the county charges a twenty-dollar fee immediately. They add five dollars for each additional day up to a total of fifty dollars. These fees are not optional. The statute requires the county to assess them. Some people think the sixty-three days starts from when they got the license. It does not. It starts from the date of the ceremony, which is written on the certificate. Do the math carefully so you do not miss the deadline.

• Loveland branch handles vehicle licensing and marriage licenses
• Expect longer waits on first and last day of month
• Fort Collins office processes faster
• Certified copies available in three days from Loveland branch
• Witnesses not required in Colorado
• Pet paw prints allowed in Larimer County

Who Can Get Married in Colorado

Both people must be at least eighteen years old. If someone is sixteen or seventeen, they need a juvenile court order under C.R.S. 14-2-108. No one under sixteen can marry in this state. That rule went into effect a few years ago when the legislature raised the minimum age. Parents cannot give consent anymore. The only way around the age limit is a court order, and judges rarely issue those.

You do not have to be a Colorado resident. People from other states can apply as long as they hold the ceremony in Colorado. There is no residency requirement and no waiting period. You also do not need a blood test. Those requirements disappeared decades ago and have never come back.

Witnesses are optional. The law does not require them. Some couples want witnesses for personal or religious reasons. If you choose to have them, they can be any age. Larimer County even allows pet paw prints as witness signatures, though some other counties have stopped that practice because it jams their scanning machines.

Common law marriage is recognized in Colorado, but there is no formal process for proving it exists. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment does not issue certificates for common law marriages. If you want legal documentation, go through the regular license process even if you have been living together for years and consider yourselves married already.

Where to Get More Information

Call the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder at 970-498-7860 if you have questions. They can tell you what documents to bring and how long the process takes. They cannot give legal advice. If you have complex issues like a court-ordered name change or questions about a foreign birth certificate, talk to a family law attorney before you apply. The clerk staff will not process your application if your paperwork does not meet state requirements.

For certified copies after your marriage is recorded, contact the county office where you filed. Larimer County charges a small fee for copies. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment also keeps copies of all marriage records, but they charge more and take longer to process orders. Start with the county office if you need copies quickly.

Nearby Colorado Cities

Other cities in the region follow the same county-based system:

• Fort Collins
• Greeley
• Boulder
• Longmont
• Thornton
• Westminster
• Arvada