Getting a Marriage License in Boulder County
Marriage licenses in Boulder County are issued by the Recording Division of the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder. They are not issued by the court. The Recording Division is at 1750 33rd Street, Suite 201, Boulder, CO 80301, and the phone line is 303-413-7770. Hours run 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and the office is closed Friday. Recording is also the office that records the signed license after the wedding, and that holds the public search index for past marriage and civil union licenses.
Boulder is unusual: marriage licenses are only issued online. The counter is closed for this service. Both applicants must be present together in the same room, and both must be inside Colorado, with the wedding planned in Colorado. Witnesses are not required, and a blood test is not required. Applicants must be 18 or older; ages 16 and 17 need judicial approval. The county cannot mail a fresh license outside Colorado, so out-of-state couples must arrange same-day pickup with Recording. Self-solemnization is allowed under state law, so the couple may marry themselves with no officiant. Boulder County also has a notable place in U.S. marriage history: Boulder County Clerk Clela Rorex issued same-sex marriage licenses here in 1975.
How to Apply for a Boulder County Marriage License
The county uses Microsoft Teams for the ID check, so plan a few extra minutes to install it. Both applicants must show ID in the same room. Have a credit card or e-check ready. The lead-in image below is the Recording Division application page, which is the start point.
The image below shows the Boulder County remote marriage-license application page, with the steps, fee, ID checklist, and return instructions for the signed license.
Use the page above to start the application; the rest of the work happens by video.
- Fill out the online marriage license application on the Recording Division site.
- Book a video appointment for ID check; Spanish-language slots are open.
- Install Microsoft Teams on a phone or laptop before the appointment.
- Sit together in the same room, in Colorado, with both IDs and payment on hand; pay the $30 license fee by e-check or credit card.
- Sign on screen during the call: Applicant 1 signs, picks "Next Signer," then Applicant 2 signs.
- Wait for the license to arrive by USPS; the license must be used within 35 days from the issue date and may be used anywhere in Colorado.
- After the wedding, fill in the certificate part and return the signed license to Recording by mail or drop box; the office records it and mails the recorded license back within about two weeks, after which a certified copy can be ordered.
Marriage License Application Fields
The remote application asks for the same data the in-person form once asked for, plus an ID upload and a sworn statement step for foreign applicants with no Social Security number. The table maps the main fields and what to expect.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full legal name (both parties) | Yes | Must match the photo ID shown on the Teams call. |
| Date of birth | Yes | Must be 18 or older; 16 or 17 requires judicial approval. |
| Photo ID upload | Yes | U.S. driver's license, passport, or original/certified birth certificate. A Colorado license with the black strip "Not valid for federal identification" is not accepted. |
| Social Security number | Yes, if applicable | Foreign applicants with no SSN must submit a Sworn Statement Affidavit. |
| Place of residence and intended marriage location | Yes | Marriage must be planned within Colorado; both parties must be in Colorado when applying. |
| Prior marriages or civil unions | Yes | End dates and how each prior union ended (death, divorce, annulment). |
| E-signature of both parties | Yes | Signed live on the Teams video call; Applicant 1 signs first. |
| Payment | Yes | $30 license fee; credit cards add $0.75 plus 2.26% of total; e-check is also accepted. |
| Absentee Affidavit | No (special case) | Applicants needing an Absentee Affidavit cannot use the remote process and must contact Recording. |
Boulder County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Recording fees come from the Boulder County Clerk & Recorder schedule, effective July 1, 2025. Court fees for divorce filings and copies are from the Colorado Judicial Branch fee list. The lead-in image below shows the Recording Division fee table; the divorce filing and copy fees that follow come from the state court schedule.
The image below shows the Boulder County Recording Division fee table effective July 1, 2025, including the marriage license fee and certified copy fee.
The table below pulls the marriage line items from Recording and the divorce/copy lines from the state court schedule. Credit card processing adds a small fee on the Recording side.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license or civil union application and recording | $30 |
| Certified copy of a marriage license | $1.25 |
| Certifying a copy of a recorded document | $1 |
| Non-digital copies of recorded records | $0.25 per page |
| Petition for divorce, separation, annulment/invalidity, or declaratory judgment | $260 |
| Response to a divorce petition | $146 |
| Motion to modify decree or final order after 60 days | $105 |
| Court copy, single-sided | $0.25 per page |
| Court copy, double-sided | $0.50 per page |
| Certifying a court copy (e.g., certified divorce decree) | $20 |
| Exemplification | $20 |
| Name search | $5 |
| Research/redaction after first hour | $30 per hour in 15-minute steps |
How to Look Up Boulder County Marriage Records
Recorded marriage and civil union licenses are public records and can be found through Boulder County Public Search. The Recording site lists marriage licenses and civil union licenses as one of the public document categories on the search index, along with deeds, liens, plats, and UCCs. Free watermarked images are open for view, download, and print. Non-watermarked copies can be ordered from inside the portal for a small per-page fee.
To find a license, search by party name (grantor or grantee field), recording date range, or document type. Boulder County has records back to 1860, well before Colorado statehood, so even old marriage filings are usually online. For certified copies, use the Recording Division's online order tool or call 303-413-7770. The Recording office is closed to the public for the issuance side, but copy orders and recorded-document requests still run through the same site.
How to Find Boulder County Divorce Records
Divorce in Colorado is called dissolution of marriage, and Colorado is a no-fault state. Cases are filed in district court. For Boulder County, that means the Boulder County Combined Court in the 20th Judicial District at 1777 6th Street. Domestic relations case numbers use the case class DR. To find a docket entry, use the statewide Colorado Docket Search; pick Boulder County, Court Type District, and Case Class DR, then add a name or case number. Docket search shows hearings, not the full file.
For the actual decree or other case documents, use the Colorado Judicial record/document request form. Pick Case Type Divorce, set the year filed, choose Boulder County, type the party names, and add a date of birth if known. The form has a Family Matters checkbox group that lists Divorce Decree, Parenting Plan, Separation Agreement, Support Order, and Petition. A divorce file holds the petition, response, decree, parenting plan, support order, and any post-decree motions. Some financial affidavits, child-related records, protected addresses, and sealed materials may be off limits. See Boulder County court records for more on the case file flow.
Getting Certified Copies
Certified copies are the version banks, lawyers, the Social Security office, the DMV, and immigration usually ask for. A certified marriage license copy comes from the Boulder County Recording Division and costs $1.25 plus mailing. A certified divorce decree comes from the Boulder County Combined Court. The court charges $0.25 per single-sided page plus $20 to certify, so a short decree typically lands in the $20 to $25 range. Add $25 for a transcript of judgment if needed.
To order a certified marriage copy, use the Recording public search portal or mail/drop a request to Recording at 1750 33rd Street with a check made out to Boulder County Clerk & Recorder. To order a certified divorce decree, submit the state court record request form and check the "Requested documents/information need to be certified/exemplified" box. The court may bill copy fees, name search, and any research time before sending the file. Processing time varies; allow about two weeks for Recording and longer for court files that need pulled from off-site storage.
Colorado Vital Records Office
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment runs the state Vital Records office. CDPHE holds birth and death records statewide and keeps a marriage and divorce verification index, though the actual license file stays with the county that issued it and the actual divorce file stays with the court. CDPHE is the right office for verification letters or for older marriage and divorce events when the county or court file cannot be found.
Colorado Vital Records (CDPHE)
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246
303-692-2200
For the legal framework, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 14 covers domestic matters, including marriage and dissolution. The text is on the state's official site at CRS Title 14. The Colorado Judicial Branch also keeps self-help divorce forms and a list of court fees for family law cases. To reach the Boulder court records team for a divorce file by email, write 20recordsrequest@judicial.state.co.us.