Denver's Marriage License Process

Denver’s Clerk and Recorder requires an appointment for every marriage license visit, and adds a 2.5% surcharge if you pay by card. Here’s what to know before you book.

Where to go

200 W. 14th Ave, Denver, CO 80204. Open 8 AM–5 PM, Monday–Friday, closed city holidays. This puts the office directly on the southern edge of Civic Center Park, the National Historic Landmark district that includes the Colorado State Capitol and the Denver City and County Building.

Open in Google Maps ↗ (opens in a new tab)

The office moved here from the long-time Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building in December 2025. If you come across an older address or photo referencing Webb, it’s out of date; use 200 W. 14th Ave instead.

Appointment required

Denver’s marriage services are by appointment only, both in-person and virtual; there’s no walk-in option. Book directly through the appointment scheduler, or see the county’s marriages and civil unions page for the general overview. If the scheduler throws an error in your browser, try opening it in a private or incognito window instead.

The video appointment option

Denver also offers a video appointment over Microsoft Teams as an alternative to the in-person counter visit, similar to Boulder County’s process. It’s not a way to apply remotely from outside Colorado, though: both of you still need to be present together in Colorado, on a computer (it doesn’t work on a mobile device), with video chat capability.

What’s different about this path specifically:

• Payment is by credit card only during the video call, unlike the in-person option’s broader cash/check/card choices.
• Download Microsoft Teams before your appointment and watch for an email confirmation with the meeting link.
• You get a 10-minute window to join. Staff wait 10 minutes, then leave to take other appointments if you haven’t shown up.
• After your ID is verified and payment is confirmed over video, the county mails the blank application and certificate to a Colorado address for you to sign; like Boulder, this option won’t mail documents outside the state. Both documents must be signed in Colorado, then returned to the office within 63 days of the ceremony to avoid additional fees.
• Technical problems during the call: 720-865-8699.

Fill out the pre-application first

Denver runs its application through a county records portal; no account is required. Complete it before your appointment; see how to fill in the license application for the general tips that apply here too.

If you don’t have a Social Security number

Denver requires a notarized “Affidavit to Accompany Marriage License” (available in English and Spanish) for applicants without a Social Security number, and it needs to be notarized before you submit it, not necessarily at the counter. See where to find a notary and the SSN affidavit, explained to plan that step ahead of your appointment rather than assuming the office handles it on the spot.

Returning the signed license after the ceremony

Once your ceremony is complete, you can’t just walk the signed license back into the office and have it processed on the spot: return it either by mail, or by using the drop box in front of the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s office, at the corner of 14th Ave. and Bannock St. The drop box is checked daily during normal business hours, but “checked daily” still isn’t the same as same-day processing, so don’t plan your last day in Colorado around getting a certified copy back immediately after dropping it off.

What it costs

• License fee: $30.
• Certified copy of the certificate: $1.25 each.
• Cash, check, debit, or credit card (Mastercard, Visa, Discover) are all accepted, but a 2.5% card surcharge has applied since May 2025. E-check or cash avoids it.

Contact

• Phone: 311, or (720) 913-1311 from outside Denver
• Marriage-specific questions: [email protected]
• General Clerk and Recorder email: [email protected]
• Free language assistance is available for limited-English-proficiency applicants; request it by phone (720-865-8400), email ([email protected]), or in person.

While you’re in the area

The office sits right on Civic Center Park, worth a short walk if you have time between your appointment and the rest of the day: the State Capitol building, the Greek amphitheater, and the Denver City and County Building are all within the same historic district.