Marriage Licenses in California

The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk will close all of its offices to the public effective Monday, March 16 as a precautionary measure to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We apologize for the inconvenience as we are unable to process marriage requests at this time.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, all mail and online orders are experiencing processing delays. Thank you for your patience and please click here for updated information regarding COVID-19.

The L.A. County RR/CC provides marriage licenses to couples getting married in the near future and even performs civil ceremonies for a small fee. Once a couple has obtained their marriage license and participated in a qualified ceremony, the marriage license becomes a marriage certificate that must be sent back to the RR/CC to be recorded.

The L.A. County RR/CC only records marriage certificates for marriage licenses that were obtained in Los Angeles County. If you obtained your marriage license in another state or California county, the RR/CC will not record your marriage certificate, nor will have your marriage record on file.

The L.A. County RR/CC does not maintain any divorce records or information. To obtain divorce record information, visit the Los Angeles Superior Court.

NOTE: The submitting of a marriage license application and/or purchasing of a marriage license DOES NOT constitute being legally married. You must participate in a civil or religious ceremony, after which the marriage license must be completed and returned for recording.