MarriageLicenseCheck

Allegheny County marriage license

Issued by the Allegheny County Department of Court Records, Marriage License Office

To marry in Allegheny County, you apply to the Allegheny County Department of Court Records, Marriage License Office. There, both applicants must appear together.

Fee
$90
Waiting period
3 daysWaiver available
License valid
60 daysFrom issuance
Both must appear
YesTogether, at the same time

Reviewed July 30, 20264 official sourcesSee sources

Where to apply

Allegheny County Department of Court Records, Marriage License Office

Apply online
Yes

Allegheny County publishes a genuinely remote path, which is rare: the application can be filed online and both applicants may complete the interview by video conferencing, after which the license is mailed to the address the applicants provided once the three-day waiting period ends. Online filing requires a valid email address. In-person filing remains available.

Official requirement

Both applicants must appear in person or via video conferencing (complete the application remotely)

Apply in person
Yes

The Marriage License Office is at the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, First Floor, Pittsburgh, open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; no applications are processed after 4:00 p.m. Extended hours: Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. April to September, and Wednesdays until 7:00 p.m. October to March.

Official requirement

Marriage license applications must be submitted online or in-person at the Department of Court Records Marriage License/Passports Office.

When to apply

We will work out when you can apply. We never ask for names, dates of birth or any other personal detail.

Who must appear

Both applicants
Yes

Both applicants must take part together, but the appearance may be in person or through the approved online video-conferencing process — one applicant cannot apply alone either way.

Official requirement

Yes. Both applicants must appear together, either in person or online through the approved application process, to complete the application.

Residency

This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.

The Department publishes no residency requirement either way. Where the license may be used is a separate rule, recorded below.

Not published by this office

Identification and personal information

We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.

Identification
  • A current, valid photo ID for each applicant — one of: driver's license, state-issued photo ID, international driver's license, U.S. or international passport, or military ID
  • If either applicant has been divorced: a certified copy of the final divorce decree

A $10 fee applies per divorce decree, on top of the $90 license fee.

Official requirement

Both applicants must provide a current, valid photo ID. Acceptable forms of ID include: Driver’s licenses. State-issued photo IDs. International driver’s licenses. U.S. or international passports. Military IDs.

Social Security number

This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.

No Social Security number requirement is stated on the Department's marriage pages.

Not published by this office
Age
Both applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply. Persons related by blood up to and including first cousins may not marry in Pennsylvania.
Official requirement

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply for a marriage license.

Applicants under 18
Applicants under 18 may not apply. The Department states that applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply for a marriage license, and publishes no consent or court-approval path for anyone younger.
Official requirement

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply for a marriage license.

Prior-marriage documents

If a marriage ended
A divorced applicant may apply but must provide a certified copy of the final divorce decree, and all prior marriages must be legally ended before a new license can be issued. A $10 fee applies per divorce decree. The Department does not publish what a widowed applicant must bring.
Applies in some cases

Yes. If you have been previously married and are divorced, you may apply for a marriage license. You must provide a certified copy of the final divorce decree. All prior marriages must be legally ended before a new marriage license can be issued.

Fee and payment

Fee
$90

The $90 total includes Pennsylvania taxes and surcharges (computer fee $29, Allegheny County fee $35.50, Pennsylvania writ tax $0.50, court technology fee $5, Act 151 surcharge $10, Act 222 surcharge $10). An additional $10 applies per divorce decree. Both license types are covered by the same published total; no separate self-uniting fee is published.

Official requirement

In Allegheny County, the total fee is $90 (cash or credit card).

Payment methods
  • Cash
  • Credit card
  • Money order

The application page's fees tab says "cash or credit card"; the Department's FAQ adds money order. The fuller FAQ list is recorded.

Official requirement

Acceptable forms of payments for the fees: Cash/Credit Card/Money Order.

Waiting period and expiration

Waiting period
3 days

The three days run between the application date and the date the license is issued — it is the license, not only the ceremony, that waits. Once the period ends the license is mailed to the address the applicants provided, or can be picked up at the Marriage License Office. There is no same-day marriage: the ceremony may not take place until the waiting period has passed. The Department advises applying at least two to three weeks before the ceremony date.

Official requirement

Pennsylvania law requires a three-day waiting period between the application date and the date the license is issued, unless a waiver is granted by the court.

Waiver
A waiver of the three-day waiting period may be granted by the court. The Department does not publish how to request one or on what grounds it is granted.
Applies in some cases

The ceremony may not take place until after the mandatory three-day waiting period has passed, unless a waiver has been granted.

License expires
60 days

The 60 days run from the date of issuance — which, because of the waiting period, is itself at least three days after the application.

Official requirement

A marriage license is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance.

Where it is valid
Valid for a ceremony in any Pennsylvania county, not only Allegheny County. The Department does not state whether the license may be used outside Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is unlike Illinois here: the license is not restricted to the issuing county.

Official requirement

A marriage license issued in Allegheny County can be used in any other Pennsylvania county.

Witness and ceremony notes

Witnesses

This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.

The Department publishes no witness requirement or count for either license type — including the self-uniting license, for which some other Pennsylvania offices publish a two-witness signature rule. Recorded as unpublished rather than as "no witnesses required".

Not published by this office
Officiant
Allegheny County issues two license types. A traditional license requires an officiant to solemnize the marriage. A self-uniting license lets the couple solemnize their own marriage without an officiant, in accordance with Pennsylvania law. The Department of Court Records does not determine who may or may not solemnize a marriage.

The Department's FAQ refers applicants to the legal requirements of 23 Pa.C.S. §1503 but publishes no officiant list of its own.

Official requirement

A traditional license requires an officiant to perform the ceremony, while a self-uniting license allows the couple to solemnize their marriage without an officiant, in accordance with Pennsylvania law.

Returning and recording the license

After the ceremony
The person who solemnized the marriage must complete the bottom portion of the license and file the marriage return, by mail or in person, with the Marriage License Office that issued the license within 10 days of the ceremony. A marriage record will not exist until the return is filed. If the couple provides an email address, the office emails them if the return has not been filed within 60 days of issuance. A copy of the marriage record is never sent automatically — it must be ordered for a fee.
Official requirement

The officiant performing the marriage ceremony must complete the bottom portion of the marriage license and file it with the marriage license office that issued the license, within 10 days of the date of the ceremony. A marriage record will not exist until the officiant who performs the marriage files this document.

Processing
The license is issued after the mandatory three-day waiting period and is then mailed to the address the applicants provided, or can be picked up in person at the Marriage License Office. The Department advises applying at least two to three weeks before the scheduled ceremony date. No applications are processed after 4:00 p.m.
Official requirement

Once the application is processed, there is a mandatory three-day waiting period required by Pennsylvania law. After this period ends, the marriage license will be mailed to the address provided by the applicants.

Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page

Access and language

Published notes

This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.

The Department's marriage pages publish no interpreter or disability-access guidance specific to marriage license services. The county site carries a site-wide accessibility statement and a machine-translation language selector that covers the marriage pages.

Not published by this office

Common questions

How much does a marriage license cost in Allegheny County?
The fee is $90, set by the Allegheny County Department of Court Records, Marriage License Office.
Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Allegheny County?
Yes. A waiting period of 3 days applies between issuance and the ceremony. A waiver is available in some circumstances.
How long is a Allegheny County marriage license valid?
The license is valid for 60 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
Do both partners have to appear in person in Allegheny County?
Yes. Both applicants must appear together to complete the application.

Each answer restates the verified rule above; the official wording and sources are in the numbered sections.

Sources and reviewed date

Every fact above is quoted from one of these pages. Reviewed July 30, 2026.

  1. Marriage License ApplicationAllegheny County Department of Court Records · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
  2. Marriage License and Marriage Records — FAQAllegheny County Department of Court Records · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
  3. Marriage ReturnAllegheny County Department of Court Records · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
  4. Marriage RecordsAllegheny County Department of Court Records · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30

Recorded conflicts

  • The Department describes the three-day waiting period two ways in its own material: the FAQ ties it to issuance ("between the application date and the date the license is issued") while another FAQ answer ties it to the ceremony ("The ceremony may not take place until after the mandatory three-day waiting period has passed"). The statements agree in effect — the license does not exist until the third day, so no earlier ceremony is possible — and the issuance framing is recorded as the clock.
  • Payment methods differ between the Department's own pages: the application page's fees tab says "cash or credit card", while the FAQ lists "Cash/Credit Card/Money Order". The fuller FAQ list is recorded.
  • The waiting-period waiver is published only as "unless a waiver is granted by the court", with no procedure, forum or grounds. It is recorded as conditional without invented detail.
  • No witness requirement is published for either license type — including the self-uniting license, unlike Philadelphia, which publishes a two-witness signature rule for its self-uniting license. Recorded as not published rather than as a rule either way.
  • The office appears under several published names — "Marriage License Office" and "Department of Court Records Marriage License/Passports Office" on the county pages, and "Allegheny County Marriage License Bureau" on the Marriage Return page. They are the same office in the City-County Building; the Department of Court Records name is recorded as primary.

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