No, you don’t have to be ordained to marry someone in Kansas. Ordination is one route, but Kansas law also authorizes judges, municipal judges, and retired judges to perform ceremonies, and it lets couples in certain religious traditions marry each other without any officiant at all. And when ordination is the route, Kansas doesn’t define the word or require anyone to register with the state.
Who Kansas Law Authorizes to Solemnize a Marriage
K.S.A. 23-2504 lists five categories of people who can legally perform a wedding:
- Any currently ordained member of the clergy or religious authority of any denomination or religious society.
- A licentiate of a denominational body, or someone appointed by a bishop to serve as the regular clergy of a church within that denomination, provided the church’s own rules don’t prohibit it.
- Any active judge or justice of a Kansas court of record.
- Any municipal judge of a Kansas city.
- Any retired judge or justice of a court of record.
The statute does not define “ordained,” “religious denomination,” or “religious authority.” Kansas also has no state registration requirement for officiants, so nobody files paperwork with a government office before performing a ceremony.1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate
Do Online Ordinations Count in Kansas?
Organizations like the Universal Life Church and American Marriage Ministries offer free ordinations that take minutes. Because Kansas law requires only that a person be “currently ordained” without saying how or by whom, these online ordinations are generally accepted for officiating weddings. No Kansas court has ruled them invalid, and the state has no screening process that would filter them out.
Some other states have challenged online ordinations. Kansas is not among them. Thousands of Kansas weddings have been performed by people ordained online, and the absence of a statutory definition works in their favor.1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate
Getting Married Without an Officiant
Kansas is one of the few states that lets couples marry with no officiant at all. Under K.S.A. 23-2504(c), two people can marry by declaring to each other that they take one another as spouses, as long as the ceremony follows the customs, rules, or regulations of a religious society, denomination, or sect to which at least one of them belongs.1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate
This is sometimes called self-solemnization or self-uniting marriage. The religious connection is the key requirement. Quaker meetings, for example, have historically solemnized marriages through the couple’s own declarations before the congregation rather than through a presiding officiant. A couple who doesn’t belong to any religious group can’t use this provision.
Witnesses and the License
Every Kansas marriage ceremony, whether led by an officiant or self-solemnized, must take place in front of at least two competent witnesses over 18. The witnesses can’t be the officiant. Their job is to observe the ceremony and sign the marriage license afterward.1Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2504 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Authorized to Officiate There is no residency requirement, so out-of-state guests can serve.
The couple also needs a valid marriage license before the ceremony. Kansas no longer accepts in-person applications; couples apply electronically through the Kansas Judicial Branch website, and a mandatory three-day waiting period follows before the license is issued.28th Judicial District of Kansas. Marriage License Information The statutory license fee is $59, with additional court charges possible depending on the district.3Kansas Legislature. Kansas Statutes 23-2510 – Marriage License Fee There is no residency requirement for the couple either.
What the Officiant Does After the Ceremony
The officiant’s job doesn’t end at the vows. After the ceremony, the officiant completes the designated sections of the marriage license, prints their name and title, and signs to certify that the marriage was properly solemnized.
The officiant then returns the endorsed license to the clerk of the district court that issued it. The statute says this must happen “immediately after performing the ceremony.”4Justia Law. Kansas Statutes 23-2505 – Issuance of Marriage License; Form In practice, most courts expect the license back within a few business days. Delay holds up the official recording and the couple’s ability to obtain a certified marriage certificate.
If the Officiant Wasn’t Actually Authorized
Two things happen when someone who is not legally authorized performs a wedding. The person who officiated has committed a misdemeanor under K.S.A. 23-2517, punishable by a fine of up to $100, up to six months in county jail, or both.5Kansas Legislature. Kansas Statutes 23-2517 – Solemnizing Marriage; Persons Not Authorized; Penalty
The couple, though, is generally protected. Kansas law preserves the validity of a marriage when the parties genuinely believed the officiant had authority. The burden falls on the unauthorized officiant, not on the couple who relied in good faith. If a friend said they were ordained and it turned out they weren’t, the marriage isn’t automatically void.