Getting married in Colorado is simpler than in almost any other state. There is no waiting period, no blood test, no residency rule, no witness requirement, and you do not need an officiant. Most of the problems couples run into come from doing the right things in the wrong order: picking up a license six weeks early, booking a clerk that is closed on Fridays, or forgetting that the signed certificate has to go back to the office that issued it.
Here is the order that works, whether you are two people on a mountain at sunrise or forty people at a lodge.
Step 1: Choose where you will marry
Start with the place, because the place decides whether you need a permit and how far ahead you must plan. A Colorado marriage license works anywhere in the state, but each piece of land has its own rule.
- Private venues handle their own rules; you sign a contract. Our micro wedding venues list is a good start.
- Rocky Mountain National Park requires a special use permit for every ceremony. See the RMNP permit page.
- Reservable Forest Service sites such as Sapphire Point and the Maroon Bells Amphitheater are booked on Recreation.gov months ahead.
- Most other national forest land allows a small, simple ceremony with no permit. See national forest and BLM elopements.
- City and county parks vary. Garden of the Gods is free and first come; Denver and Jefferson County parks have permit systems explained on our Red Rocks and foothills page.
- State parks need a special activity agreement. See state park elopements.
If you have not chosen yet, our best places to elope in Colorado lists twenty spots with the permit status of each.
Step 2: Decide who will solemnize the marriage
Under C.R.S. 14-2-109 a Colorado marriage may be solemnized by a judge, a retired judge, a court magistrate, a public official whose powers include solemnizing marriages, by any mode recognized by a religious denomination or an Indian nation or tribe, or by the parties themselves. That last option is self solemnization, and it is why so many couples elope here: the two of you can sign as your own officiants with nobody else present.
A friend can lead your ceremony, but a friend can only sign the certificate as officiant if a religious body has ordained or recognized them. Jefferson County notes that if the officiant line carries no recognizable title, it records the marriage as self solemnized. Decide this before you pick up the license; Summit County, for one, asks which type you have chosen when you apply. Our self solemnization guide explains how to fill in the form, and if you want help, browse Colorado officiants.
Step 3: Pick your county clerk
Any county clerk and recorder in Colorado can issue your license, and it is valid anywhere in the state. Pick the office that fits your route and schedule, not the county where you are marrying. The three most useful for visitors:
- Denver: appointment only, in person or by video, booked up to seven days ahead.
- Jefferson County, Golden: drop ins Monday through Thursday, appointments up to 21 days ahead, closed Fridays.
- Summit County, Breckenridge: non residents need one of four daily appointment slots, and the price is $39 including three certified copies.
The statewide license guide compares nine offices, including Estes Park, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Eagle, Aspen and Telluride.
Step 4: Get the license, within 35 days of the ceremony
State law, C.R.S. 14-2-107, makes a license void if it is not used within 35 days of issue. Count back from your date and pick a clerk visit inside that window. A day or two after you land usually works.
Most clerks want the online application completed before you arrive. Bring a valid photo ID each, such as a driver’s license or passport. You will be asked for the last four digits of your Social Security number or an affidavit if you do not have one, your parents’ names, your places of birth, and details of any prior marriage. Both of you should appear; if one cannot, a notarized absentee affidavit lets the other apply. The fee is $30 in most counties.
Step 5: Hold the ceremony and sign the certificate
The license and the certificate are one document; do not separate them. On the day, fill in the date, the county and the place of the ceremony, then sign exactly as your names appear on the license. If you used an officiant, they sign with their title. If you self solemnized, follow the instruction sheet the clerk gave you. Witnesses are optional; there is a line for them, but Colorado does not require it.
Photograph the signed certificate before you seal the envelope.
Step 6: Return it within 63 days
The person who solemnized the marriage, or one of you if you self solemnized, sends the certificate back to the clerk who issued it within 63 days of the ceremony. C.R.S. 14-2-109 sets a late fee of at least $20, plus $5 a day up to $50, measured by the postmark. A late return does not undo your marriage; it just costs money. Denver and Jefferson County both accept mail or hand delivery, and Denver has a drop box.
Step 7: Order certified copies and change your name
Once the clerk records the certificate, order certified copies from the same county. Most cost a dollar or two each. You will need one for any name change.
Jefferson County’s advice is the order most people follow: wait until the license is recorded, then start with Social Security, because the Social Security Administration needs your marriage record and ID in your old name. Social Security changes your name by issuing a replacement card, sometimes online and otherwise by appointment. After that, update your driver’s license, passport, bank accounts and employer.
A sample timeline
For a fuller version with clock times for the day itself, see our Colorado elopement timeline.
- Twelve months out: RMNP permit applications open a year ahead of your month; Maroon Bells reservations open on a rolling year.
- Six months out: Sapphire Point reservations open; book the photographer and any planner.
- One month out: confirm the clerk’s hours and appointment rules.
- The week of: apply online, pick up the license, keep it somewhere dry.
- The day: marry, sign, photograph the certificate.
- The week after: mail it back.
Traveling in from another state? Our guide to eloping in Colorado from out of state covers flights, altitude and how to time the license around your trip. The planning checklist turns this into a list you can tick off, and our Colorado marriage laws page covers age, proxy, common law and same sex marriage in more detail.
