Marriage License Information

Obtaining a License

• One of the parties, to be married, must appear in person at the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court for the county in which the wedding will take place to make an application.
• If your ceremony is occurring in Frederick County, please bring the completed Preliminary Application Form when you come in to apply.  Applications are accepted M-F between 8:30am and 4:00pm (except holidays).
• Upon completion of the application, the Marriage License will be issued to the appearing party. The couple may not be married until after 48 hours has passed. (License becomes valid at 6:00 am on the second day after the license is issued)
• The license is valid for a period of 6 months. (Couple must be married within 6 months or the license will expire)
• The license is valid only in the county in which it was issued. (ceremony must occur in the same county that the license was issued)

Information Needed at Time of Application to Apply for a License

• Fee of $75.00 in Frederick County (fees vary from county to county) payable by cash, Visa, MasterCard or Discover

Required Information for Each Party

• Full Legal Name
• Current Physical Address
• Age
• State or Country of Birth
• Social Security Numbers
• Marital Status (Single, Divorced, Widow or Widower)
• If either party has been previously married, the MM/DD/YYYY, county and state (or Country) must be provided for EACH divorce or death.
• Relationship of Parties (by blood or marriage)
• A copy of an official government-issued birth certificate or other official government-issued document or record demonstrating the age of each party

Marriage of Minors (under age 18)

• Minors under the age of 17 are no longer permitted to get married.
• An individual 17-year-olds may not marry unless:
  • the individual has the consent of each living parent, guardian, or legal custodian of the minor person either in person or through an affidavit signed under the seal of a notary public; OR
  • if the individual does not have the required consent, a certificate from a licensed physician, licensed physician assistant, or certified nurse practitioner that states the woman to be married has been examined by the physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner and is found to be pregnant or has given birth to a child; AND
  • the individual presents a certified copy of an order granting authorization to marry in accordance with the provisions of Title 5, Subtitle 2A of the Family Law Article not earlier than 15 days after the order was issued. To obtain an order granting authorization to marry, a minor who is 17 years old may file a petition in the Circuit Court in the county in which the minor resides, and an evidentiary hearing on the petition must be held to determine if an order of authorization to marry may be granted.
    Read the Law: Md. Code, Family Law §5-2A-01, 5-2A-02, 5-2A-03, 5-2A-04

Civil Ceremonies Performed by the Clerk of the Circuit Court

• $25.00 fee, payable by cash, Visa, MasterCard or Discover, to be collected at the time of the ceremony
• Appointments are required
• Ceremonies are scheduled between the hours of 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday(except holidays)
• Ceremonies will be performed in the Court House, or in the front courtyard (Spring-Fall, weather permitting)
• Cameras are permitted in the courthouse for marriage ceremonies

Non-Resident Applications

If neither party is a resident of the county in which the ceremony will take place, Maryland law allows application for a Marriage License to be made by mail. Either party must take the Non-Resident Application form to the Circuit Court Clerk or comparable official in the county in which they reside. The form must be completed in the presence of that official (not before). The official will sign and seal the application and mail the form and payment to the Circuit Court for the Maryland county in which the ceremony is taking place. Upon receiving the application, the Clerk will then process it and disburse the Marriage License however indicated on the Non-Resident Application.

Methods of payment accepted are bank certified checks or money orders. They must be made payable to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the amount of $75.00 (fees vary from county to county).

Note that this provision is a Maryland law. Clerks of Court in Maryland counties will provide this service. Comparable officials in other states, however, are not required to provide this service and may refuse to do so. Therefore, you are advised to check with the out-of-state official well in advance of your wedding. If this service cannot be provided, one of the parties will have to appear in person to make the application. Comparable official would include: Clerk of a Court; Recorder of Deeds; Prothonotary. A Notary Public is not a comparable official.

Copies of Marriage Records

Copies may be obtained in person, by phone, or by mail using the Marriage License Copy Request Form. To place a copy request by phone, please call 301-600-1957. Please note, certified and non-certified copies can only be obtained from the Clerk of the Circuit Court for the county where the marriage license was issued.

The fee for certified copies of a marriage record is $5.50 per copy. Plain copies (not certified) are $.50 per copy. Mail requests must be paid for with a personal/cashier’s check or money order, payable to "Clerk of Circuit Court".  Credit cards are accepted for phone or in person requests. We currently accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.  You may also pay with cash for in person requests.

Mail requests should be sent to:

Clerk of the Circuit Court for Frederick County
Attn: Records Department
100 West Patrick Street
Frederick, MD 21701

For further information regarding marriage licensing, please call 301-600-1965.