Kanawha County marriage license
To marry in Kanawha County, you apply to the Kanawha County Clerk. There, there is no residency requirement and the license is valid throughout the state.
Not yet fully reviewedWhat is shown below is verified against the issuing authority, but at least one requirement is not published or not yet confirmed, so treat this page as a starting point.
- Fee
- $55Reduced to $35 if the applicants present a premarital education course completion certificate issued under W.Va
- Waiting period
- NoneMarry the same day
- License valid
- 60 daysFrom issuance
- Both must appear
- Not published
Reviewed July 30, 20267 official sourcesSee sources
Where to apply
- Apply online
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Kanawha County Clerk publishes no online or remote marriage license application. The Clerk's website has no marriage license page at all — its County Clerk page describes the office's duties in general terms and lists contact details only.
Not published by this office- Apply in person
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no marriage license procedure of any kind, so no application channel is recorded. The office it publishes is the Kanawha County Clerk's Office, 409 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, telephone (304) 357-0130. Call before travelling.
Not published by this 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
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no appearance rule, and statute does not settle it. West Virginia Code § 48-2-105 requires both parties to sign the application under oath, but expressly allows the oath to be taken "before the clerk of the county commission or another person authorized to administer oaths" — so the code stops short of requiring both applicants to stand at the counter, even though § 48-2-501(a)(4) makes it unlawful for a clerk to receive an application anywhere other than the clerk's office. Whether this office will take an application without both partners present is its own decision and it publishes nothing on it. Confirm on (304) 357-0130 before travelling.
Not published by this office- Residency
- There is no residency requirement. Applicants may apply to the clerk of the county commission in any county in West Virginia, whatever their state or county of residence.
This is a statewide statutory rule. The Kanawha County Clerk publishes nothing about residency.
Official requirementApplicants, regardless of their state or county residency, may apply for a license to be issued by the clerk of the county commission in any county in this state.
Identification and personal information
We list what the office says it may ask for. We never collect any of it.
- Identification
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no list of acceptable identity documents, and statute cannot stand in for one here. West Virginia Code § 48-2-106 requires the clerk to see evidence of each applicant's age — a certified copy of a birth certificate, a voter's registration certificate, an operator's or chauffeur's license, the affidavit of both parents or the legal guardian — but it closes with "other good and sufficient evidence", which leaves the decision with the office rather than fixing it statewide. That is context, not this office's published procedure. Ask the Clerk on (304) 357-0130 what it accepts before travelling.
Not published by this office- Social Security number
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes nothing about Social Security numbers. For context only: West Virginia Code § 48-2-104 requires the application to state both parties' social security account numbers, and allows a tourist or visitor visa number or equivalent where a legal alien has no social security account number.
Not published by this office- Age
- The age of consent for marriage is 18. A person under 18 lacks the capacity to marry without the consents required by statute.
This is a statewide statutory rule. The Kanawha County Clerk publishes no age rule.
Official requirementThe age of consent for marriage for all persons, both male and female, is 18 years of age. A person under the age of 18 lacks the capacity to marry without the consents required by this section.
- Applicants under 18
- A clerk may issue a license to an applicant who is under 18 but at least 16 only with valid written consent from the applicant and from the applicant's parent or parents or legal guardian or guardians, duly acknowledged before an officer authorized to acknowledge a deed. The applicant must also give a signed and acknowledged affirmation that the choice is free and voluntary and not the product of duress or coercion. No license may be issued to an applicant under 18 and at least 16 if the person they seek to marry is more than four years older. No license route exists below 16.
This is a statewide statutory rule. The Kanawha County Clerk publishes no minor procedure, so an applicant under 18 should contact the office on (304) 357-0130 before applying.
Applies in some casesThe clerk of the county commission may issue a marriage license to an applicant who is under the age of 18 but at least 16 years of age if the clerk obtains valid written consent from the applicant and from the applicant's parent or parents or the applicant's legal guardian or guardians as outlined in this section: Provided , That a marriage license may not be issued to an applicant who is under the age of 18 but who is at least 16 years of age if the person whom the applicant seeks to marry is more than four years older than the applicant.
Prior-marriage documents
- If a marriage ended
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no rule about a previous marriage and no requirement to produce a divorce decree or death certificate.
Not published by this office
Fee and payment
- Fee
- $55Reduced to $35 if the applicants present a premarital education course completion certificate issued under W.Va. Code § 48-2-701 and dated within one year of the application.
West Virginia sets this fee by statute rather than leaving it to each county. W.Va. Code § 59-1-10 is headed "Fees to be charged by clerk of county commission" and its subsection (c) fixes fifty-five dollars for issuing a marriage license, statewide — so this is the law's figure for Kanawha County, not a figure the Clerk chose or published.
The Kanawha County Clerk publishes no fee of its own; this is the statutory amount every West Virginia county clerk charges. The statute bundles the whole job into the one fee — preparing the application, administering the oath, registering and recording the license, and the notices afterwards. The Clerk publishes no accepted payment methods and no card surcharge, so call (304) 357-0130 before travelling.
Official requirementFifty-five dollars for issuance of marriage license and other duties pertaining to the marriage license (including preparation of the application, administrating the oath, registering and recording the license, mailing acknowledgment of minister’s return to one of the licensees, and notification to a licensee after 60 days of the nonreceipt of the minister’s return). This fee is reduced to $35 if the applicants present a premarital education course completion certificate issued pursuant to §48-2-701 of this code and dated within one year of the application for a marriage license.
- Payment methods
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no accepted payment methods for the marriage license fee.
Not published by this office
Waiting period and expiration
- Waiting period
- No waiting period
No such requirement appears in the state statute that governs how a marriage is made here. The office itself publishes nothing either way.
West Virginia Code Chapter 48, Article 2 governs marriage license issuance from application to return, and no section of it now imposes a waiting period. The one section that did — § 48-2-103, "Waiting period before issuance of marriage license; issuance of license in case of emergency or extraordinary circumstances" — was repealed outright by Enrolled Committee Substitute for House Bill 3018, passed 11 March 2023 and in effect ninety days from passage. The live timing provision, § 48-2-102(b), lets the clerk issue whenever the office is open for business. One stale cross-reference survives: the penalty section § 48-2-501(a)(2), last amended in 2001, still makes it unlawful for a clerk to issue a license "prior to the end of the required three-day period (unless a circuit judge dispenses with this requirement by order pursuant to section 2-103)" — but it ties that period expressly to the repealed § 48-2-103, so it penalises a requirement that no longer exists rather than creating one. The Kanawha County Clerk publishes nothing either way; if your date is tight, confirm same-day issuance on (304) 357-0130.
Official requirementApplications for licenses may be received and licenses may be issued by the clerk of the county commission when the office of the clerk is officially open for the conduct of business.
- Waiver
This does not apply here.
There is no waiting period to waive. The repealed § 48-2-103 formerly let a circuit judge dispense with the wait in an emergency; that power was repealed with the section, and the reference to it left behind in § 48-2-501(a)(2) points at nothing.
Not applicable here- License expires
- 60 days
The 60 days run from the date the license is issued, not from the date of application. A ceremony held after that is outside the license. West Virginia Code § 48-2-601 provides that a marriage solemnized after the license has expired is not void on that ground alone where the marriage is lawful in all other respects and at least one party believed in good faith they were lawfully married — that is a repair provision for an accident, not a reason to plan past the 60 days.
Official requirementIn the event that the marriage authorized by the license is not solemnized within sixty days from the date of its issuance, then the license is null and void.
- Where it is valid
- The license may be used anywhere in West Virginia. Every marriage in the state must be solemnized under a license issued by a clerk of a county commission, and the people authorized to celebrate a marriage may do so in any county of the state.
A ceremony performed in West Virginia without a license is void. The statute does not address using a West Virginia license for a ceremony in another state.
Official requirementA religious representative who has complied with the provisions of section 2-402, a family court judge, a circuit judge or a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals, is authorized to celebrate the rites of marriage in any county of this state.
Witness and ceremony notes
- Witnesses
- West Virginia requires no witnesses. Nothing in Chapter 48, Article 2 — including Part 4, which governs the marriage ceremony — asks for a witness or sets a number. The statutory license form is signed by the clerk alone, and after the ceremony only the person who solemnized the marriage endorses the license and returns it.
No such requirement appears in the state statute that governs how a marriage is made here. The office itself publishes nothing either way.
The optional ritual at § 48-2-404 for a ceremony performed by a judge speaks of "these witnesses" being present, but the section is permissive ("may be as follows") and sets no count. Individual officiants may still ask for witnesses of their own accord, and the Kanawha County Clerk publishes nothing on the subject.
Official requirementThe person solemnizing a marriage shall retain the marriage license and place an endorsement on it establishing the fact of the marriage and the time and place it was celebrated.
- Officiant
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes nothing about officiants or ceremonies. For context only: West Virginia Code § 48-2-401 authorizes a religious representative who has registered under § 48-2-402, a family court judge, a circuit judge or a Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals to celebrate a marriage in any county of the state, and § 48-2-402 requires the Secretary of State to keep a central registry of authorized celebrants.
Not published by this office
Returning and recording the license
- After the ceremony
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no return instructions. For context only: West Virginia Code § 48-2-202 requires the person who solemnized the marriage to endorse the license and forward the original to the issuing clerk before the sixth day of the month after the month in which the marriage was celebrated, and requires the clerk to notify both applicants by certified mail if the original has not arrived within 60 days after the license's expiration date.
Not published by this office- Processing
This office does not publish this. Confirm with them directly before relying on it.
The Clerk publishes no issuance timeframe.
Not published by this office
Ordering the certified record afterwards is a separate request: official certified copy page
Access and language
- Published notes
- The Kanawha County Commission states that its website follows Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and has adopted WCAG 2.1
- Reasonable accommodations, including auxiliary aids and services, are provided on request; materials in an alternative format are requested from the responsible personnel on the relevant agency's page
- People with hearing or speech impairments may contact the Commission Office directly on (304) 357-0100
- The Kanawha County Courthouse has accessible entrances, elevators, accessible restrooms and designated accessible parking, reached from Virginia Street or Goshorn Street
No language-access or interpretation policy is published, and the Clerk's pages are published in English only.
Official requirementThe Kanawha County Commission is committed to ensuring that this website is accessible to individuals with disabilities, in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Common questions
- How much does a marriage license cost in Kanawha County?
- The fee is $55, set by the Kanawha County Clerk. Reduced to $35 if the applicants present a premarital education course completion certificate issued under W.Va.
- Is there a waiting period for a marriage license in Kanawha County?
- No. There is no waiting period — the license can be used as soon as it is issued.
- How long is a Kanawha County marriage license valid?
- The license is valid for 60 days from issuance. A ceremony after that date requires a new license.
- Do we have to be residents to marry in Kanawha County?
- There is no residency requirement. Applicants may apply to the clerk of the county commission in any county in West Virginia, whatever their state or county of residence.
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.
- County ClerkKanawha County Clerk · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- AccessibilityKanawha County Commission · issuing authority · retrieved 2026-07-30
- West Virginia Code, Chapter 48, Article 2 - MarriageWest Virginia Legislature, West Virginia Code · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- §48-2-103. Waiting period before issuance of marriage license; issuance of license in case of emergency or extraordinary circumstances.West Virginia Legislature, West Virginia Code · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- §48-2-501. Unlawful acts by clerk of the county commission; penalties.West Virginia Legislature, West Virginia Code · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- §59-1-10. Fees to be charged by clerk of county commission.West Virginia Legislature, West Virginia Code · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
- Enrolled Committee Substitute for House Bill 3018 (2023 Regular Session)West Virginia Legislature · state-level source · retrieved 2026-07-30
Recorded conflicts
- The Kanawha County Clerk publishes no marriage license information at all. The office's single web page describes its duties in general terms and gives contact details; on 2026-07-30 the site's own search for "marriage" returned that one page and nothing else, the Commission's departments index carries no marriage content, and no separate clerk domain exists (kanawhacountyclerk.com/.org, kanawhaclerk.com and kanawha.wv.gov do not resolve). There is no application form, printable instruction sheet, FAQ or fee schedule to read. So the fields this office decides for itself - whether both applicants must appear, what identification it accepts, its payment methods and its processing time - stay recorded as not published. The fee and the waiting period are different: West Virginia fixes both by statute, and they are recorded from the statute with that stated on the field.
- West Virginia's waiting-period provisions do not agree with each other, and the record resolves the conflict rather than reporting it as unknowable. § 48-2-103, the section headed "Waiting period before issuance of marriage license; issuance of license in case of emergency or extraordinary circumstances", was repealed by Enrolled Committee Substitute for House Bill 3018 (2023 Regular Session, passed 11 March 2023, in effect ninety days from passage). The penalty section § 48-2-501(a)(2) still makes it unlawful for a clerk "To issue a marriage license prior to the end of the required three-day period (unless a circuit judge dispenses with this requirement by order pursuant to section 2-103)", but that section was last amended in 2001 and its parenthetical ties the period and the judicial dispensation to § 48-2-103 - the section that no longer exists. A penalty clause cannot supply the duty it references, and the live timing provision, § 48-2-102(b), permits issuance whenever the clerk's office is open for business. Article 2 was read end to end on 2026-07-30 (all 35 pages of the Legislature's own PDF of the article) and contains no other waiting-period provision. The waiting period is therefore recorded as none, by statutory absence, with the unconformed cross-reference disclosed on the field itself.
- Marriage records for Kanawha County are held in two places. The Clerk records and indexes the returned license, and West Virginia Code § 59-1-10(d)(4) sets a $5 fee for a certified copy from the clerk; the state Vital Registration Office in Charleston also holds marriage records and charges $12 per copy. The certified copy link on this record points at the state office because the Clerk publishes no certified copy page. The state office also warns that "The State of West Virginia does not have direct online ordering" and that any site advertising it is a third-party vendor charging extra.
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