Yes. Colorado is one of a handful of states where you can legally marry yourselves, and self-solemnization in Colorado produces a fully licensed, state-recorded marriage with no officiant, judge, or clergy involved. Under C.R.S. 14-2-109, “the parties to the marriage” appear right alongside judges and religious figures on the list of people who may solemnize a wedding.1Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109 – Solemnization and Registration of Marriages – Proxy Marriage There is no waiting period, no residency requirement, and no witness requirement. You still need a marriage license and you still need to file the certificate afterward, but the ceremony itself belongs entirely to the two of you.
Who Can Do This
The eligibility rules are the same as for any Colorado marriage. Both parties must be at least 18. A 16- or 17-year-old can marry only with a judicial order, and no one under 16 can marry in Colorado at all.2Judicial Legal Help Center. Child Marriage Both people have to freely consent, neither can already be married or in a civil union with someone else, and Colorado prohibits marriages between ancestors and descendants, siblings and half-siblings, and uncles or aunts with nieces or nephews.3Colorado General Assembly. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 14 – Domestic Matters
You do not have to live in Colorado. Any county clerk will issue a license to non-residents.4El Paso County Clerk and Recorder. Marriage Licenses The one location rule is that the ceremony itself has to happen inside Colorado.
Getting the Marriage License
Both of you go together to any County Clerk and Recorder’s office in the state. Many offices require appointments, and some don’t take walk-ins at all, so call ahead.5Adams County. Marriage and Civil Union License
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID each: driver’s license, passport, state ID, or military ID.6Larimer County. Civil Union and Marriage Licenses The application asks for your full legal name, date and place of birth, current address, and your parents’ names and addresses — the parent information is a state requirement that applies at every age.5Adams County. Marriage and Civil Union License You’ll give the last four digits of your Social Security number, and if you don’t have one, you sign a sworn affidavit saying so and the application proceeds.7FindLaw. Colorado Code 14-2-105 – Marriage License and Marriage Certificate
The license fee is $30, set by state law.8FindLaw. Colorado Code 14-2-106 – Fees There is no waiting period. The license is valid the moment the clerk hands it to you and stays valid for 35 days. If 35 days pass without a ceremony, the license expires and you’ll pay and apply again.6Larimer County. Civil Union and Marriage Licenses
Performing the Ceremony
Within those 35 days, you can marry yourselves anywhere in Colorado. A trailhead, your kitchen, a courthouse steps, a favorite restaurant — as long as it’s inside state lines, it counts.5Adams County. Marriage and Civil Union License Colorado law puts no requirements on what you say or do during the ceremony itself.
The paperwork is what makes it real. On the marriage certificate portion of your license, fill in the date, time, and location of the ceremony. Both of you sign in the spaces for the parties to the marriage. In the officiant section, both of you sign again, and on the line asking for the officiant’s title, write “Self-Solemnize” or “The Parties to the Marriage.” Counties format their forms a bit differently, so follow the specific instructions your clerk gives you with the license.
Witnesses are not required for any marriage in Colorado, including a self-solemnized one.1Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109 – Solemnization and Registration of Marriages – Proxy Marriage If the certificate has a witness line, signing it is optional. Just the two of you is legally sufficient.
Filing the Certificate Within 63 Days
This is the part couples forget. After the ceremony, the completed certificate has to go back to the County Clerk and Recorder within 63 days of the solemnization date. You can drop it off in person or mail it — the postmark counts as the submission date.1Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109 – Solemnization and Registration of Marriages – Proxy Marriage
Miss the deadline and you pay a late fee: at least $20, with an additional $5 for each extra day, capped at $50.1Justia. Colorado Code 14-2-109 – Solemnization and Registration of Marriages – Proxy Marriage Set a calendar reminder for the week after your wedding and mail it in. Once the clerk records the certificate, your marriage is officially registered, and you can order certified copies for around $1.25 apiece to use as proof of marriage for name changes, insurance, benefits, and anything else.9Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder’s Department. Fee Schedule
How This Differs From Common Law Marriage
Colorado is one of the few states that still recognizes common law marriage, and the two get confused. They are not the same thing. Self-solemnization uses the standard marriage license process: you apply, pay $30, hold your ceremony, file the certificate, and you have a clear recorded marriage from a specific date. Common law marriage requires no license, no ceremony, and no paperwork — instead, both parties must mutually agree to be married and show that agreement through their conduct, like using the same last name, filing joint returns, or holding each other out as spouses.3Colorado General Assembly. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 14 – Domestic Matters
The problem with common law marriage shows up later, when you have to prove it. Benefits claims, property disputes, and immigration cases can turn into evidence-gathering exercises. Self-solemnization avoids all of that because you walk away with a recorded certificate. Both partners must be at least 18 to enter a common law marriage in Colorado; the judicial-order exception for 16- and 17-year-olds does not apply there.3Colorado General Assembly. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 14 – Domestic Matters