A courthouse wedding in Colorado is two separate errands that people often picture as one. The county clerk and recorder issues your marriage license. A judge or magistrate, who works for the court and not the clerk, performs the ceremony. None of the clerk offices we checked marry couples at the counter, and the courts that do offer ceremonies each run them differently.
The good news is that Colorado does not require a judge. If your court does not fit your day, you can marry yourselves on the courthouse steps with the same license.
What a courthouse wedding means here
Under C.R.S. 14-2-109 a marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court, a court magistrate, a retired judge, a public official whose powers include solemnizing marriages, by the parties to the marriage, or by any mode recognized by a religious denomination or an Indian nation or tribe. A courthouse wedding is simply the first option: a judicial officer reads the ceremony and signs your certificate.
The license is $30 at most clerks, works anywhere in Colorado and must be used within 35 days; the signed certificate goes back to the issuing clerk within 63 days. Witnesses are not required. Our Colorado marriage laws page covers age, prior marriages and proxy rules.
Which courts perform ceremonies
| County | Who performs it | When | Fee published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | Denver County Court judges and magistrates | Weekdays 12 to 1:30 p.m.; some evenings and weekends | Not listed |
| Jefferson (Golden) | County judicial officers | Noon walk up or 5 p.m. by appointment, Monday to Friday | $60 or $100, cash |
| El Paso (Colorado Springs) | Fourth Judicial District officers | By appointment only | Not listed |
| Arapahoe | 18th Judicial District officers | By appointment, Monday to Friday | Set by the judge |
| Boulder | Judges and magistrates on a county list | Contact the judge | Varies |
| Larimer | Clerk page lists no ceremony option | n/a | n/a |
Denver: the clerk issues, the County Court marries
The Denver Clerk and Recorder does not perform ceremonies. Its marriage page says you may marry in front of a judge, through a religious ceremony, or by signing the certificate yourselves, and it points couples to a list of Denver County Court judges who perform weddings during the week, on weekends and in the evenings. It also asks you to bring no more than two guests to your license appointment, because it is an office.
The Denver County Court weddings page confirms the court offers marriage and civil union ceremonies for couples who want a judicial officer. Weekday ceremonies run Monday through Friday between 12 and 1:30 p.m., and a second group of judges and magistrates is available for evenings and weekends, several of them in Spanish. You arrange it directly with the judge or magistrate by phone or email. The page does not list a fee or a courtroom, so ask both when you reach out.
Order matters in Denver. License appointments open only seven days ahead, so email a judge first, hold a date, then book the license appointment that week. Our Denver marriage license guide walks through the appointment.
Golden: the easiest walk up ceremony near Denver
Jefferson County runs the most straightforward courthouse wedding in the metro area. Judicial officers perform ceremonies Monday through Friday at noon with no appointment. Arrive at the Magistrate Clerk’s lobby on the second floor of the County Courts and Administration Building by 11:30 a.m. with your license, a return mail envelope and $60 in cash.
There is also a 5 p.m. ceremony by appointment only. Email one of the judicial officers listed on the county page, check in with the duty staff in Courtroom 110 at 4:30 p.m., and bring $100 in cash. Some officers also do evening and weekend ceremonies at a location you choose, but not at the courthouse, and they set their own fees.
One catch: the clerk’s office in Golden is open Monday to Thursday only, while the noon ceremony runs Monday through Friday. For a Friday wedding, pick up the license earlier in the week. The Jefferson County license page has the counter details.
Colorado Springs, Arapahoe and Boulder
El Paso County. The clerk’s page sends couples who want a judge to the Fourth Judicial District. The court says all weddings are by appointment only and that you must buy your license before booking. Its list of judicial officers shows most performing weekday ceremonies at the Judicial Building, several only at noon, a few on weekends, and one who will also marry you in front of the Pioneers Museum. Call the officer directly. The El Paso County license guide covers the counter, which needs no appointment.
Arapahoe County. The 18th Judicial District’s wedding information sheet says ceremonies are by appointment only, at the Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial and the County Court in Littleton, Monday through Friday. You may book before you have the license, but it must be in hand on the day, and a license from any Colorado clerk works. Most officers also do after hours, weekend and offsite ceremonies, and each sets the fee.
Boulder County. The county publishes a list of judges and magistrates who perform ceremonies and asks you to contact them for availability and fees. One county judge listed performs free ceremonies for Boulder County residents at the Justice Center from 12 to 1 p.m. on business days.
Larimer County and anywhere else without a judge
The Larimer County clerk page explains who can solemnize a marriage and gives you self solemnization instructions when you apply, but it does not offer a courthouse ceremony or list judges who perform them. Treat Larimer, and any county whose page is silent, as a place to marry yourselves or bring an officiant.
The alternative: marry yourselves outside the clerk’s office
Self solemnization suits couples who wanted a courthouse wedding mostly for its simplicity. Pick up the license, walk outside, say a few words to each other and sign. Fill in the county, date and place of the ceremony, then each of you signs as the party who solemnized the marriage. A friend can lead the words, but if the officiant line carries no recognizable title, Jefferson County records it as a self solemnization anyway. Our self solemnization guide shows the form line by line.
If you want someone at the front who is not a judge, browse Colorado officiants.
A park or civic setting
Some couples want the civic feel without the courtroom. In Denver, a private, invitation only gathering in a city park is a special occasion that the Parks Permit Office handles, with applications due at least 30 days ahead. For the two of you and a photographer, ask that office whether your plan needs a permit at all. Jefferson County itself suggests Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain. For indoor spaces downtown, see our Denver wedding venues.
Make it feel like an occasion
A courthouse ceremony takes about ten minutes; what turns it into a day is everything around it. Book a photographer for an hour so you have more than phone pictures of a hallway: the steps, a quiet street, the two of you signing. Carry flowers. Reserve a table for dinner afterward and invite the people you would have wanted in the room. Photographers in our directory shoot plenty of these short sessions.
Next steps
Start with the Denver and foothills guide for nearby ceremony spots, browse Denver area vendors, and keep your dates, license window and return deadline in the free planner.
