Boulder County does things differently from every other clerk near Denver. Its Recording Division does not issue marriage licenses over the counter at all. You apply online, sit for a short video appointment so staff can check your IDs, and the license arrives by mail. For couples who live in Colorado, that is about as easy as it gets. For couples flying in, it needs planning, and sometimes another county is the better answer.
How the remote process works
- Complete the online application. It is linked from the county page.
- Schedule a video appointment for ID verification. Appointments with Spanish speaking staff are available.
- Install Microsoft Teams ahead of time. It is free on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
- Watch for two emails. The first confirms your appointment time automatically. The second comes from a staff member with the Teams invitation. At your appointment time, click “Join the meeting now” in that second email.
- Sit together with IDs and payment ready. Both of you must be in the same room, and both of you must be in Colorado.
- Sign electronically. During the call you each get an emailed invite to sign the application. Applicant 1 signs, chooses “Next Signer,” and Applicant 2 signs.
- Wait for the mail. The license is sent by USPS after the appointment.
You need a computer with internet for the application and a device with video for the call. Your ceremony must be in Colorado.
The rule that matters for out of state couples
Boulder County will not mail a license outside Colorado. If you are coming from out of state, the county asks you to contact the Recording office for pickup options, and it says same day pickup by the applicants themselves is required, to confirm you are actually in Colorado. In practice that means your video appointment happens after you land, and you collect the license in person the same day.
That only works on a day the office is open. The Recording Division keeps hours Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed Fridays. A couple who arrives Friday for a Saturday ceremony cannot use Boulder County. Call 303-413-7770 or email recording@bouldercounty.gov before you book flights, and confirm exactly where pickup happens.
If the timing does not fit, get your license elsewhere. A license from any Colorado county is valid for a ceremony in Boulder. The Jefferson County clerk in Golden takes walk ins Monday through Thursday, and Larimer County’s Fort Collins office takes walk ins on weekdays (Larimer County guide). The Denver clerk works by appointment.
What to have ready on the call
Each of you needs one of these IDs:
- A current U.S. driver’s license. Colorado licenses with the black strip that reads “Not valid for federal identification” are not accepted.
- A passport.
- An original or certified copy of a birth certificate.
You also need your Social Security number. An applicant without one completes a Sworn Statement Affidavit, which is signed virtually along with the application.
If either of you is divorced, have the date, the city and state, and the type of court ready. If either of you is widowed, have the date and place of death.
The fee
The license is $30, paid during the appointment by credit card, debit card or electronic check. Card payments carry a fee of $0.75 plus 2.26% of the total.
If one of you cannot be on the call
This is the main limit of the remote system. Boulder County says applications that need an Absentee Affidavit cannot be done remotely, and asks you to contact the office. If one partner will not be in Colorado until the day before the ceremony, the simplest route may be another county that takes absentee affidavits at the counter, such as Larimer or El Paso.
Filling out the certificate
When the license arrives, you complete the certificate portion on your wedding day. Boulder County publishes a sample for couples who marry themselves, and its steps are worth following exactly:
- Enter the Colorado county where the ceremony takes place.
- Enter the day, month, year, time and location. City and state is enough for the location.
- Under the officiating party, both of you sign your names.
- For the officiant’s title, write exactly: The Parties to the Marriage.
- Party One signs, matching the signature on their ID.
- Party Two signs, matching the signature on their ID.
- Leave the witness lines blank if you like. Witnesses are not required.
Colorado allows self solemnization, so no officiant is needed. If you want one, the county lists judges and magistrates who perform ceremonies in Boulder County, and religious or tribal officials and other authorized public officials can also marry you. Our self solemnization guide covers the ceremony itself.
Returning it
The county is blunt: your license will not be recorded and will not be considered valid if the signed document is not returned. A pre addressed envelope comes with the license. Either add postage and mail it to 1750 33rd St., Suite 201, Boulder, CO 80301, or put it in a 24 hour drop box in an envelope marked “Recording.” Drop boxes are at 1750 33rd St. in Boulder, 1755 S. Public Road in Lafayette, and 529 Coffman St. in Longmont.
State law, C.R.S. 14-2-109, gives you 63 days after the ceremony and sets a late fee of at least $20, rising $5 a day up to $50. The county returns the recorded license within two weeks of receiving it. If an officiant is handling the return and you have not received your license a month after the ceremony, contact the office.
Certified copies
A certified copy of a marriage certificate costs $1.25 each, by mail only, with postage extra. You will want at least one for a name change.
How Boulder compares
Boulder is very convenient for Colorado residents and awkward for visitors who arrive late in the week. Denver is appointment only but issues the license in hand. Jefferson County is the closest walk in counter. Summit County limits non residents to a few appointment slots. The statewide license guide compares them all.
Plan the rest
Before you pick a ceremony spot, read where to elope in Boulder: the city allows ceremonies on its open space only at reservable facilities such as Sunrise Amphitheater.
The Boulder guide covers Chautauqua, Sunrise Amphitheater, Lost Gulch and Eldorado Canyon, with timing and a sample day. For a reception or an indoor backup, see Boulder wedding venues. When you are ready to book, browse Boulder vendors and officiants, and keep your deadlines in the free planner.
