A courthouse wedding costs $30 to $242 in fees across the 16 big U.S. cities we checked, and the license, not the ceremony, is most of it.
Below is what each city charges for the marriage license, the civil ceremony and the certified copy, the discounts most couples miss, the surcharge for out-of-state couples, how long you wait, and what it costs when the courthouse itself is the venue. Every fee and rule below was checked against the county's or city's own published pages in October 2026.
How Much Does a Courthouse Wedding Cost
In fees alone, $60 to $242 for a license plus a civil ceremony at the courthouse, and as little as $30 in Denver, where you can marry yourselves. The cheapest full courthouse weddings we found are New York City at $60 ($35 license, $25 ceremony) and Atlanta at $68.50, where the ceremony is free on Fridays and a certified copy is included. San Francisco is the most expensive at $242.
Everything else, from the outfit to dinner afterwards, is up to you. The fees are the part you cannot negotiate, and they vary more than fourfold from one county to the next.
What You Pay For at the Courthouse
The marriage license. Always the biggest fee, set by the state or county: $30 in Denver, $35 in New York City, $169 in King County (Seattle)123. You both apply together, in person or by video in some cities, and you pay before the wedding.
The civil ceremony. Where the clerk performs weddings, the fee runs from free to $113: free at Fulton County's Forever Fridays in Atlanta, $10 at Cook County's marriage court in Chicago, $25 at New York's City Hall, $30 with a Miami-Dade deputy clerk, $35 in Los Angeles County, $75 at the Clark County Office of Civil Marriages in Las Vegas and $113 at San Francisco City Hall45678910. In several counties the clerk does not marry anyone and you book a judge instead (more on that below).
The certified copy. You need one to change a name or update insurance, and it is often not included. It costs $3 in King County, $15 in New York City, $19 in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and $20 in Las Vegas31181213. Fulton County is the exception: its $68.50 license includes one certified copy, mailed to you14.
Courthouse Wedding Cost by City
Each figure is the county's own published fee for a license and a basic civil ceremony, without discounts or card fees. Where the clerk does not perform ceremonies, the table says who does; Houston's $100 ceremony is at Probate Court No. 115, Philadelphia's $250 LOVE Park weddings on Wednesdays include an officiant16, and Chicago's license is $6017.
| City (county) | Marriage license | Civil ceremony | Total in fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO | $30 | None needed: self-solemnization | $30 |
| New York City, NY | $35 | $25 at City Hall | $60 |
| Atlanta, GA (Fulton) | $68.50, copy included | Free on Forever Fridays | $68.50 |
| Chicago, IL (Cook) | $60 | $10 at the marriage court | $70 |
| Washington, DC | $45 | Offered; fee not published | $45 plus ceremony |
| Austin, TX (Travis) | $80 | Justices of the peace, own fees | $80 plus judge |
| Philadelphia, PA | $90 | None at the clerk; LOVE Park $250 | $90 plus officiant |
| Nashville, TN (Davidson) | $99.50 cash | Judges, usually no fee | $99.50 |
| Miami, FL (Miami-Dade) | $86 | $30 with a deputy clerk | $116 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $91 ($85 confidential) | $35 | $120 to $126 |
| King County (Seattle), WA | $169 | Judges set their own fee | $169 plus judge |
| Las Vegas, NV (Clark) | $102 | $75 | $177 |
| Houston, TX (Harris) | $81 | $100 at Probate Court No. 1 | $181 |
| Phoenix, AZ (Maricopa) | $98 | Justice court judges, usually $100 to $120 | $198 to $218 |
| Santa Barbara, CA | $100 ($111 confidential) | $104 plus $23 reservation | $227 |
| San Francisco, CA | $129 | $113 at City Hall | $242 |
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The Cheapest Ways to Get Married at the Courthouse
Take the premarital course. Four states cut the license fee for couples who complete one, and the savings beat any coupon. In Nashville the license drops from $99.50 to $39.50 with four hours of premarital preparation; Travis County charges $20 instead of $80 with a counseling certificate; Harris County takes up to $60 off its $81 license with a Twogether in Texas certificate; Fulton County charges $28.50 instead of $68.50; and Miami-Dade charges $61 instead of $86 after a course of at least four hours181920147. In Texas and Florida the course also waives the waiting period.
Pick the free day. Fulton County's Forever Fridays are free group ceremonies at 3 pm at the South Annex in College Park, for couples with a Fulton County license4. Davidson County's General Sessions judges perform weddings and say they do not typically charge for them21.
Marry yourselves, if your state allows it. In Colorado, "neither witnesses nor officiant are required for a valid self-solemnization," so a $30 Denver license is the whole cost1.
Bring your own witness. Los Angeles County charges $20 and Santa Barbara County $51 to supply a witness for a public-license ceremony812. A friend is free.
Look at a confidential license in California. It needs no witness at the ceremony. In Los Angeles it is also $6 cheaper than the public license; in Santa Barbara it costs $11 more812.
If You Are Not a Resident, Check the Surcharge
Texas now charges out-of-state couples more. Harris County's license is $81 with a valid ID showing state residency for at least one of you, and $181 without; Travis County has added $100 when neither of you can prove Texas residency since April 1, 20262022. If neither of you lives in Texas, budget for the higher figure.
Other places make it easy for visitors. Florida's three-day wait applies only to Florida residents7. In Las Vegas there is no waiting period, no appointment for the license, and the license is good for a year, 13.
How Long You Wait, and How Far Ahead to Book
The waiting period runs from none to three days. Denver, Las Vegas, Washington, DC and Phoenix let you marry the day you get the license; New York City makes you wait 24 hours, Cook County one day, Philadelphia until the third day, and Texas 72 hours1132324252520. King County's three-day wait "cannot be waived under any circumstances, including court order"3.
The license expires, so do not get it too early: 30 days in Nashville, 60 in New York City, Chicago, Miami-Dade, Philadelphia and Seattle, 90 in Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, a year in Las Vegas and Phoenix, and never in Atlanta or Washington, DC182572532081013241423.
Appointments are where the calendar really goes. New York City's clerk takes no walk-ins; Los Angeles opens ceremony appointments three weeks out and only once you hold the license; Washington, DC schedules ceremonies about ten business days after the application is complete; Nashville's judges ask for several weeks' notice26272321. In Phoenix most justice court weddings happen after 5 pm, and some courts take walk-ins24.
Getting Married at the Courthouse Before December 31
If the date is flexible, the calendar has one real lever: for federal taxes, "whether you are single or married is determined at the end of your tax year, which is December 31 for most taxpayers," and you are "considered married for the whole year" if you are married on that day28. A courthouse ceremony in late December makes you married for all of 2026. Whether that saves or costs you money depends on your two incomes, so run the numbers both ways before you book, and check holiday closures, because clerks' offices shut on public holidays.
When the Courthouse Is the Venue
Two courthouses are wedding venues in their own right, and both publish their prices.
The Santa Barbara Courthouse, a Spanish Colonial Revival landmark, rents its painted Mural Room for $700, seating 100, in two-hour slots, and its exterior gardens, including the Sunken Garden, for $1,200 for up to 250 people2930. Those are site fees; a county ceremony in the Sunken Garden or the Mural Room adds $116 plus the $23 reservation, on top of the license12. For groups of 15 or fewer there are free walk-up spots in the gardens, but county officiants will not marry you there.
San Francisco City Hall has the $113 ceremony for up to six guests, and two private packages for bigger groups: a one-hour weekday wedding from $1,200 for up to 100 guests on the Mayor's Balcony or in the Fourth Floor Gallery, and a two-hour Saturday wedding from $6,000 on the Grand Staircase of the Rotunda for up to 2003132. You bring your own officiant to both.
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How to Plan a Courthouse Wedding, Step by Step
Step 1: Look up your county clerk's own page, not a directory. Note the license fee, the ceremony fee, the copy fee and how you pay; New York City takes cards or money orders, Philadelphia no cash, and Phoenix's justice courts cash only for the ceremony22524.
Step 2: Check for a premarital-course discount in Tennessee, Texas, Georgia or Florida, and finish the course before you apply.
Step 3: Book the appointment first, then work backwards: the license has to be issued after any waiting period starts and before it expires.
Step 4: Apply together, both with valid photo ID. If neither of you lives in Texas, budget for the surcharge.
Step 5: Line up your witness. New York City needs at least one, Seattle and Phoenix two, Las Vegas requires you to bring one63249.
Step 6: Order the certified copies at the same time if the county lets you; in Philadelphia an extra copy is $15 when you apply and $40 afterwards25.
Step 7: Plan the party separately. The courthouse handles the legal part; the dinner or reception afterwards is where the rest of the budget goes.
The Catch: Guest Limits
The low price comes with a short guest list. New York City's City Hall allows six people in total, San Francisco's clerk ceremony six guests or fewer, Las Vegas's civil ceremony a witness and up to eight guests, and Fulton County's free Friday ceremonies two guests61094. If you want everyone there for the vows, look at the Santa Barbara or San Francisco packages above, or treat the courthouse as the legal step and hold a ceremony with everyone somewhere else.
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If Your City Is Not on the List
The rules above are local, but the questions are the same everywhere: what the license costs, whether the clerk performs ceremonies, what a certified copy costs, how long the license lasts, and whether a premarital course cuts the fee. Search your county clerk's site for "marriage license fees" and you will usually find all five on one page. For the reception afterwards, start with where your guests can easily get to and browse all 141 destinations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a courthouse wedding cost?
In the 16 big cities we checked, the fees for a license and a civil ceremony at the courthouse run from $60 to $242, or $30 in Denver if you marry yourselves. A certified copy usually adds $3 to $20.
How much does a courthouse wedding cost in Texas?
In Houston, $181: an $81 license and $100 for a ceremony at Probate Court No. 115. In Austin the license is $80 and justices of the peace set their own ceremony fees. A premarital course takes up to $60 off, and couples with no Texas residency pay $100 more.
How much is a courthouse wedding in NYC?
$60: $35 for the license and $25 for the ceremony at the City Clerk's office, plus $15 for a certified copy. You need an appointment, a witness, and at least 24 hours between license and ceremony.
How much does a courthouse wedding cost in California?
$120 to $126 in Los Angeles County, $227 in Santa Barbara County and $242 in San Francisco, for the license plus a clerk's ceremony. A confidential license needs no witness.
How much does a courthouse wedding cost in Florida?
In Miami-Dade, $116: an $86 license and a $30 ceremony with a deputy clerk. With a four-hour premarital course the license is $61, and Florida residents skip the three-day wait.
How much is a marriage license?
Between $30 and $169 in the cities we checked: $30 in Denver, $35 in New York City, $60 in Chicago17, $91 in Los Angeles, $102 in Las Vegas, $129 in San Francisco and $169 in Seattle.
Do you need witnesses for a courthouse wedding?
It depends on the state. New York City needs one, Seattle and Phoenix two, while Washington, DC, Nashville and a California confidential license need none, and in Colorado you can marry with no witness or officiant at all.
Can you get married at the courthouse the same day?
Yes in Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix and Washington, DC, where there is no waiting period, though DC schedules its own clerk ceremonies about ten business days out. New York City requires 24 hours, Texas 72 hours and Seattle three days.
Can guests come to a courthouse wedding?
A few. New York City allows six people in total, San Francisco six guests, Las Vegas a witness and eight guests, and Atlanta's free Friday ceremonies two guests. For more, book a courthouse venue such as the Santa Barbara Courthouse Mural Room, which seats 100.
Fees and rules reflect published information as of October 2026. Confirm current fees, waiting periods, witness rules and appointment availability directly with your county clerk or court before you apply.