MarriageLicenseCheck

Harris County marriage license

Issued by the Harris County Clerk's Office, Personal Records Department

To marry in Harris County, you apply to the Harris County Clerk's Office, Personal Records Department. There, both applicants must appear together and the license is valid throughout the state.

Fee
$81Applicants who complete a Twogether in Texas premarital education course and present the completion certificate when they apply receive up to $60 off the license fee
Waiting period
72 hoursWaiver available
License valid
90 daysFrom issuance
Both must appear
YesTogether, at the same time

Reviewed July 26, 20264 official sourcesSee sources

Where to apply

Harris County Clerk's Office, Personal Records Department

Apply online

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

The Clerk publishes only in-person routes: apply at one of 11 locations, or file a notarised Affidavit of Absent Applicant if one applicant cannot attend. No online or remote application is published either way.

Not published by this office
Apply in person
Yes

The 11 locations are the downtown Personal Records Department at 201 Caroline, Suite 330, plus ten annex offices.

Official requirement

Marriage Licenses can be obtained in person at anyone of our 11 locations

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 normally appear together. If one cannot attend, that applicant may complete a notarised Affidavit of Absent Applicant and supply a copy of valid identification; the other applicant then purchases the license. Both applicants must still attend the ceremony unless the absent applicant is a member of the U.S. armed forces stationed abroad in support of combat or another military operation, in which case a proxy may be appointed.

Applies in some cases

Both applicants can apply for a Marriage License in person at one of our 11 locations

Residency

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

The Clerk publishes no residency requirement for eligibility. Residency affects only the price: the fee rises to $181 when neither applicant presents proof of Texas residency on a valid form of identification. That is recorded under the fee, not as an eligibility rule.

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 valid driver's license
  • An ID card issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
  • A valid passport
  • A resident alien card
  • Or other U.S. government issued identification

At least one applicant should present identification showing Texas residency, or the fee rises from $81 to $181. Texas Family Code Sec. 2.005(b) sets out a longer statewide list of documents that establish identity and age, including a current or recently expired driver's license or ID card from any state or a Canadian province, a foreign passport or consular document, U.S. Department of Homeland Security or State Department documents, military identification, and a certified birth certificate. The Clerk's own published list is shorter; confirm any unusual document with the office before you travel.

Official requirement

You must have a valid ID such as a driver's license, ID card issued by DPS, valid passport, resident alien card, or other U.S. government issued identification.

Social Security number

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

The Clerk does not publish a Social Security number requirement for a marriage license.

Not published by this office
Age
Both applicants must be 18 or older. A county clerk may not issue a license if either applicant is under 18 unless that applicant presents a court order removing the disabilities of minority for general purposes.

Texas abolished marriage by parental consent in 2017. There is no age at which a parent's permission alone is enough.

Official requirement

A county clerk may not issue a marriage license if either applicant is under 18 years of age, unless each underage applicant shows that the applicant has been granted by this state or another state a court order removing the disabilities of minority of the applicant for general purposes.

Applicants under 18
An applicant under 18 may marry only after being granted a court order removing the disabilities of minority for general purposes, and must give that order to the county clerk. A Texas resident presents an order granted under Family Code Chapter 31; a non-resident minor presents a certified copy of an order filed with Texas under Section 31.007. A person under 18 may not be a party to an informal (common-law) marriage at all.

Parental consent, notarised or in person, is not a route to a license in Texas.

Applies in some cases

A person under 18 years of age may not marry unless the person has been granted by this state or another state a court order removing the disabilities of minority of the person for general purposes.

Prior-marriage documents

If a marriage ended
An applicant divorced within the last 30 days cannot be issued a license, unless the two applicants were divorced from each other or a court has waived the prohibition against remarriage under Family Code Section 6.802. The application asks each applicant to state whether they have divorced in the last 30 days.

The Clerk does not publish a requirement to produce the divorce decree itself, only the 30-day wait. If your divorce was granted in Harris County and you need a copy of the decree, the Clerk directs you to the Harris County District Clerk's Office.

Applies in some cases

Both applicants must have been divorced 30 days before applying for a Marriage License.

Fee and payment

Fee
$81Applicants who complete a Twogether in Texas premarital education course and present the completion certificate when they apply receive up to $60 off the license fee.

The fee is $181 if neither applicant presents proof of Texas residency on a valid form of identification. A Declaration of Informal (common-law) Marriage is a separate filing and costs $46, with certified copies at $6 each. A Keepsake Certification of Marriage is a separate $25 souvenir document and is not part of the license.

Official requirement

Valid I.D. is required and the fee is $81.00. Without proof of state residency on a valid form of identification from at least one applicant the fee will be $181.00.

Payment methods
  • Cash — U.S. currency only
  • Money orders
  • Cashier's checks
  • Business checks
  • Personal checks (require a local street address, proper identification and supervisor approval)
  • Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express

The Clerk publishes these as office-wide payment options for in-person transactions; the page does not single out the marriage license fee. Checks and money orders must be payable to the Harris County Clerk and drawn on a U.S. bank. A 4% credit-card surcharge applies to mail, phone, fax, email and internet requests, not to in-person transactions.

Official requirement

In person transactions

Waiting period and expiration

Waiting period
72 hours

The clock runs in hours from the moment the license is issued, not in calendar days, and the Clerk records the time of issuance on the license. Several waivers exist — see the waiver entry.

Official requirement

There is a 72 hour waiting period and the license should be signed by the officiant no more than 90 days from the date of issuance.

Waiver
The 72-hour wait does not apply to an applicant who is a member of the U.S. armed forces on active duty; who is not a service member but works for the U.S. Department of Defense as an employee or under contract; who obtains a written waiver signed by a judge or justice listed in Family Code Section 2.204(c) on a finding of good cause; or who completes a premarital education course under Section 2.013 and gives the clerk a completion certificate dated not more than one year before the application is filed. Harris County states that an active military applicant must present an active military ID when purchasing the license, and that a Twogether in Texas completion certificate presented at application both waives the 72-hour period and takes up to $60 off the fee.

The waiver applies to the applicant who qualifies. Twogether in Texas is the state-approved premarital education programme and is the only route here that also reduces the fee.

Applies in some cases

The 72 hour waiting period is automatically waived for active military personnel; however you will need to present your active military ID upon the purchase of the marriage license.

License expires
90 days

Texas states this as expiry if no ceremony has been conducted before the 90th day after the date the license is issued, so do not plan a ceremony for the final day without checking with the Clerk. Conducting a ceremony on an expired license is a criminal offence for the officiant, who is required to check the Clerk's endorsement first.

Official requirement

If a marriage ceremony has not been conducted before the 90th day after the date the license is issued, the marriage license expires.

Where it is valid
Valid for a ceremony anywhere in Texas. Texas law lets a couple obtain a license from the county clerk of any county in the state, and the application records separately the county in which the ceremony is performed, so the ceremony is not tied to Harris County.

The Clerk's FAQ goes further and states the license is valid in every county in the United States, and advises confirming with your officiant before you buy. Whether another state recognises a Texas license is that state's decision, not the Clerk's; if you are marrying outside Texas, confirm with the authority where the ceremony will take place. See the source conflict notes.

Official requirement

The Marriage License is valid in every county in the United States.

Witness and ceremony notes

Witnesses
No witnesses are required, either to obtain the license or at the ceremony.
Official requirement

Witnesses are not required to purchase the Marriage License nor are they required to attend the marriage ceremony.

Officiant
Under Texas Family Code Sec. 2.202 as amended in 2023, a ceremony may be conducted by a licensed or ordained Christian minister or priest; a Jewish rabbi; a person who is an officer of a religious organization and is authorized by that organization to conduct a marriage ceremony; or a current, former or retired federal judge or state judge. A person may assent to the marriage through a proxy appointed in the absent-applicant affidavit only if they are a member of the U.S. armed forces stationed in another country in support of combat or another military operation and cannot attend.

No blood test is required anywhere in Texas.

Official requirement

The following persons are authorized to conduct a marriage ceremony: (1) a licensed or ordained Christian minister or priest; (2) a Jewish rabbi; (3) a person who is an officer of a religious organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a marriage ceremony; and (4) a current, former, or retired federal judge or state judge.

Returning and recording the license

After the ceremony
The officiant must record the date and county of the ceremony on the license, sign it, and return it to the Harris County Clerk not later than the 30th day after the ceremony. It may be returned in person to any of the 11 locations or by mail to Harris County Clerk's Office, ATTN: Personal Records, P.O. Box 1525, Houston, Texas 77251-1525.

Failure to return the license on time is a misdemeanour for the officiant, punishable by a fine of $200 to $500. Harris County can only file or register a license that was originally purchased from the Harris County Clerk.

Official requirement

Harris County Marriage Licenses must be signed and completed by the officiant before recording.

Processing
After the ceremony the completed license is returned to the Clerk for recording, and the recorded original is sent back to you. The Clerk's FAQ states this can take up to thirty days.

The Clerk does not publish how long issuance itself takes at the counter. The marriage license page gives a shorter figure of 1-2 weeks for the same step; see the source conflict notes. If nothing arrives after that period, the Clerk asks you to call the Personal Records Department on 713-274-8686.

Official requirement

Upon being returned to our office, original Marriage Licenses can take anywhere up to thirty (30) days to be returned to you.

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 Clerk's site carries an automated page-translation widget but publishes no accessibility statement, ADA accommodation procedure or language-services policy of its own.

Not published by this office

Common questions

How much does a marriage license cost in Harris County?
The fee is $81, set by the Harris County Clerk's Office, Personal Records Department. Applicants who complete a Twogether in Texas premarital education course and present the completion certificate when they apply receive up to $60 off the license fee.
Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Harris County?
Yes. A waiting period of 72 hours applies between issuance and the ceremony. A waiver is available in some circumstances.
How long is a Harris County marriage license valid?
The license is valid for 90 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
Do both partners have to appear in person in Harris 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 26, 2026.

  1. Personal Records — Marriage LicenseHarris County Clerk's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  2. Personal Records — Marriage License FAQHarris County Clerk's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  3. Harris County Clerk's Office Payment OptionsHarris County Clerk's Office · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-26
  4. Texas Family Code, Title 1, Chapter 2 — The Marriage RelationshipTexas Legislative Council — Texas Constitution and Statutes · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-26

Recorded conflicts

  • The Clerk's FAQ list of who may conduct a ceremony is out of date. It still reproduces the pre-2023 version of Texas Family Code Sec. 2.202, naming justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of criminal appeals, courts of appeals, district, county and probate courts, county courts at law, courts of domestic relations, juvenile courts, retired justices and judges of those courts, justices of the peace and retired justices of the peace, municipal court judges, and federal judges and magistrates of this state. H.B. 907 (88th Legislature, effective 1 September 2023) replaced that entire list with the single category 'a current, former, or retired federal judge or state judge'. The current statutory wording is recorded here.
  • The Clerk publishes two different figures for how long the recorded original license takes to come back after the ceremony. The marriage license section says 1-2 weeks; the FAQ on the same page says up to thirty (30) days. The longer, more conservative figure is recorded.
  • The Clerk's FAQ states 'The Marriage License is valid in every county in the United States.' Texas statute establishes only that a license obtained from any Texas county clerk authorises a ceremony anywhere in Texas; recognition of a Texas license by another state is governed by that state's law, not by the Harris County Clerk. The statewide claim is recorded as the verified value and the Clerk's broader claim is quoted and flagged.
  • Texas Family Code Sec. 2.001(b) still carries the text 'A license may not be issued for the marriage of persons of the same sex.' That provision has been unenforceable since Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) and is not applied by the Clerk. It is not reproduced as a rule anywhere in this record.

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