Marriage Requirements, California
1. Legal Age to Marry
You must be 18 years old or over to marry in California. Anyone under 18 can marry if they have notarized consent statement from a parent or guardian and a Superior Court Order granting the minor permission to marry.
2. Single, Unmarried: You must be single or unmarried to be married in California. In other words, no polygamy is allowed.
3. Marriage to a First Cousin - In California marriage to a first cousin is legal. There are no restrictions on this allowance.
4. Marriage License Fee: A $70 fee for a marriage license must be paid for either a public record marriage license or a confidential marriage license.
5. Marriage License Application
To apply for and obtain a Los Angeles marriage license both applicants must appear together during business hours at the Office of the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk in Norwalk or at a district office or locate a specialized notary to issue a marriage license.
*The processing time at the county clerk's office to complete the license is at least 2 hours (same day processing cannot be guaranteed so you may have to return another day to pick up your license) - -the wait in line is dependant on the day and can range from 1 to 3 hours- -so it can be a 2-5 hour wait, this does not count the traffic and parking problems. We recommend that you be at the county clerk's office by noon and take the rest of the day off of your work schedule. There is another alternative.
*A commissioned notary can issue your license instead. The license can be filled out online and they can then notarize and verify the information usually within 15 minutes. It can be arranged for the notary to come to you before your wedding ceremony. For a special notary to issue your license it is usually arranged on your schedule.
