Marriage License
You may apply for a marriage license at any County Recorder’s office in Iowa as long as the ceremony is performed in Iowa.
To apply for a Marriage License in the Recorder’s Office:
- The couple and one witness must appear in person.
- All parties must be 18 years or older.
- The witness must know that the couple is not legally married.
- All three must present valid photo identification (driver’s license or government-issued ID). A photocopy will be taken of each person's ID.
- The couple will need to know their Social Security Numbers.
- $35.00 fee for the application, no fee for the certificate, payable at the time of the application. We accept:
- cash
- check or money order (made payable to Clayton County Recorder)
- Credit or debit card (additional fee applies)
- To apply by mail, contact our office at 563-245-2710.
You need to purchase your marriage application at least 5 business days before the ceremony date. We recommend coming in at least a month before your marriage.
Once the Certificate of Marriage is returned to the Recorder’s office. We will mail or you can pick up your Marriage Certificate.
You can request a marriage application in any county in Iowa. Just note that you must return the application to the county from which you requested it. For example, you live in a neighboring county but want to request your application from Clayton; you can, but it must be returned to Clayton (the county you requested the application from).