In most of the US, a marriage needs someone authorized by state law to solemnize it: a judge, a clerk, or a member of the clergy (which includes a friend who got ordained online). A few places let the couple solemnize the marriage themselves. Pennsylvania does it through a self-uniting license, often called a Quaker license because the custom comes from Quaker weddings, which have no clergy. Colorado and the District of Columbia allow self-solemnization on a regular license. California and Wisconsin have narrower rules tied to religious groups.
This guide explains how each one works as of October 2026, what you need on the day, and what happens afterward when you want a certified copy or a name change. It is general information, not legal advice. Marriage rules are set by states and applied by county offices, so confirm the details with the office that will issue your license.
If you'd rather have a friend officiate, see can a friend officiate your wedding. For the cost side of a small ceremony, see how to elope legally.
Quick comparison
| Place | How you marry yourselves | Witnesses | Example fee | Return deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | Self-uniting license (23 Pa.C.S. §1502) | Two sign the certificate | $100 in Philadelphia (regular license $90); Allegheny County lists a single $90 fee | 10 days after the ceremony (Philadelphia, Allegheny) |
| Colorado | Regular license, solemnized "by the parties to the marriage" (C.R.S. 14-2-109) | None required | $30 in Denver | 63 days, then a late fee |
| District of Columbia | List yourselves as officiant on the license application | None, per DC Courts | $45 per the Marriage Bureau | ask the Marriage Bureau |
| California | License and Certificate of Non-Clergy Marriage for members of a religious society without clergy (Fam. Code §307) | Two | set by county | 10 days |
| Wisconsin | mutual declarations under the customs of a religious society one of you belongs to (Wis. Stat. 765.16) | two adult witnesses | set by county | ask the county clerk |
Status: Pennsylvania, Colorado and California are checked against the statute text and county pages. For DC, the statute is checked, but the fee and procedure come only from the court's search listings. Wisconsin is hedged because the official statute page couldn't be loaded for this update. Confirm with the office before you rely on them.
Pennsylvania: the self-uniting license
What the law says
Pennsylvania's marriage law has a separate form for couples who "intend to solemnize their marriage by religious ceremony without officiating clergy" (23 Pa.C.S. §1502). The court issues a declaration certifying there is no legal impediment to "you joining yourselves together in marriage." Instead of the usual officiant's certificate, the declaration comes with two certificates on which both of you sign that you united yourselves in marriage, and two witnesses sign that they were present.
Separately, §1503(b) lets a religious society join people in marriage under its own customs when at least one of them is a member. That is how Quaker meetings marry couples.
Do you have to be Quaker?
In practice, no, at least in the counties checked here. In 2007 the Allegheny County Register of Wills refused a self-uniting license to a couple who weren't Quaker or Bahá'í. The ACLU of Pennsylvania sued, arguing that the policy favored certain religions. On September 27, 2007, Judge Joy Flowers Conti of the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued an emergency injunction ordering the county to issue the license. Today Allegheny County's own marriage page says a self-uniting license "does not require an officiant," without a membership condition.
The statute still talks about a "religious ceremony," and practice can vary between counties. Ask for a self-uniting license by name when you apply.
Two county examples
| Philadelphia | Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | $100 self-uniting, $90 regular; card or money order, no cash | $90 total (cash or card), plus $10 per divorce decree; no separate self-uniting fee listed |
| How to apply | both in person at City Hall, Room 413; walk-ins Mon–Fri | online or in person; both appear in person or by video conference |
| ID | two IDs, one a current photo ID, the other proof of SSN or ITIN (alternatives if you have neither) | photo ID |
| Waiting period | valid from the third day after you apply | three-day waiting period required by state law |
| Valid for | 60 days from issue | 60 days from issue |
| Where you can marry | any county in Pennsylvania, not another state | any county in Pennsylvania |
| Return | within 10 days of the ceremony | within 10 days of the ceremony |
On the day
- Bring the license and two witnesses. They can be anyone you trust, such as a sibling, a friend or your photographer.
- Make your declaration to each other. There is no required wording. Philadelphia notes that someone else may preside, but only "in an unofficial capacity."
- You both sign, then both witnesses sign.
- Return the completed license on time.
Colorado: self-solemnization on a regular license
Colorado law says a marriage may be solemnized by judges and other listed officials, "by the parties to the marriage," or in any way recognized by a religious denomination or an Indian nation or tribe (C.R.S. 14-2-109(1)). There is no special license. You get a regular marriage license and fill in the certificate yourselves.
Denver's Clerk and Recorder lays out the practical rules:
- Fee: $30 for a marriage license, plus a 2.5% service fee on card payments.
- No waiting period and no blood test.
- Sign within 35 days. The certificate must be signed in Colorado within 35 days from the date the license was issued.
- No witnesses and no officiant are required for self-solemnization.
- No proxy self-solemnization. Proxy marriages may not be self-solemnized.
- Colorado only. The license is valid only in Colorado. You don't have to be a resident.
- ID: a US driver's license or state ID, a US military ID, or a passport. Denver doesn't accept birth certificates or foreign consular IDs.
Return the license within 63 days. If no one else solemnized the marriage, the parties complete the certificate and send it to the county clerk and recorder within 63 days. A late fee of at least $20 applies, plus $5 for each further day, up to $50 (C.R.S. 14-2-109(1)).
District of Columbia: self-officiation
D.C. Code §46-406(b)(9) lists "the parties to the marriage" among the people who may solemnize it. DC Superior Court's Marriage Bureau lets you list yourself or your future spouse as the officiant on the license application. According to its FAQ, no witnesses are needed, and both of you must come to the Marriage Bureau in person with a photo ID. The Bureau's page lists a $45 application fee.
The court's website blocks automated reading, so the FAQ details and fee come from its search listings. Before you book a date, confirm the fee, any waiting period and the return process with the Marriage Bureau.
California: the non-clergy marriage license
California has a narrower rule. Family Code §307 exempts members of a religious society or denomination that has no clergy to solemnize marriages from the usual officiant requirement, if:
- you complete the License and Certificate of Non-Clergy Marriage, which records the fact, time and place of the marriage, the printed names, signatures and mailing addresses of two witnesses, and your religious society or denomination with a statement that you married under its rules and customs (that statement is conclusively presumed true); and
- the completed form goes back to the county recorder of the issuing county within 10 days after the ceremony.
This isn't a general "marry yourselves" option like Colorado's. It assumes you belong to a religious group without clergy. Ask your county clerk how it handles these licenses.
Wisconsin: the religious-society route (hedged)
Wis. Stat. 765.16 lists, alongside officiants, the parties themselves "by mutual declarations" made under the customs of a religious society, denomination or sect that either of them belongs to. Two competent adult witnesses are required. We couldn't load the official statute text for this update, and a 2025 bill proposed rewording this part of the law. Check the current conditions with your county clerk before you plan around this route.
Everywhere else
If your state isn't listed here, assume you need an authorized officiant until the county clerk tells you otherwise. Our marriage license requirements guide covers fees, waiting periods and validity windows in other states.
Is a self-uniting marriage recognized in other states?
A marriage that is valid in the state where you entered into it is generally treated as valid when you move. Self-uniting and self-solemnized marriages are licensed and recorded by the state like any other marriage.
- Federal taxes. IRS rules recognize a marriage of two people for federal tax purposes if the state where it was entered into recognizes it, regardless of where the couple lives (26 CFR 301.7701-18(b)(1)).
- Respect for Marriage Act. Since December 13, 2022, federal law bars states from refusing full faith and credit to another state's marriage records on the basis of the couple's sex, race, ethnicity or national origin (28 U.S.C. §1738C). It doesn't address the form of the ceremony. That part rests on the general rule above.
The real risk isn't recognition. It's using the license in the wrong place. A Pennsylvania license works only in Pennsylvania, and a Colorado license only in Colorado. A self-uniting ceremony on a beach in another state isn't a Pennsylvania marriage.
Certified copies and name change
After the license is recorded, your proof of marriage is a certified copy from the issuing office, the same as after any other ceremony. Philadelphia charges $15 per copy if you order at the time of application and $40 per copy if you order later, so it pays to order them when you apply. How and where to order elsewhere is in our guide to getting a certified copy of your marriage certificate.
You'll use that copy for a name change with Social Security, the DMV and your passport. Order and timing are in how to change your name after marriage. Because no officiant files the paperwork for you, returning the license is your job. If it isn't recorded, you won't get a certified copy.
Checklist
- Confirm the office issues a self-uniting license (Pennsylvania) or allows self-solemnization (Colorado, DC)
- Book the appointment; in Pennsylvania, apply at least 3 days before the ceremony
- Bring the required IDs, and divorce decrees if they apply
- Line up two witnesses where required (Pennsylvania, California)
- Hold the ceremony in the issuing state, within the license's validity window
- Sign everything, then return the license by the deadline
- Order certified copies
Need help fitting the paperwork into your schedule? Try the wedding timeline calculator.
FAQ
Can we marry ourselves with no one else there?
In Colorado, yes: no officiant and no witnesses are required. DC Courts also says no witnesses are needed for self-officiation. Pennsylvania's self-uniting license needs two witnesses.
Is a self-uniting license only for Quakers?
Not in the counties checked here. After a 2007 federal court injunction, Allegheny County issued one to a couple who weren't Quaker, and Philadelphia issues them as a standard license type. The statute still describes a religious ceremony, so ask your county about its practice.
Does a friend need to be ordained to lead our self-uniting ceremony?
No. In Philadelphia another person may preside, but only in an unofficial capacity. Legally, you two marry yourselves, and the witnesses sign.
Can we get the license in Pennsylvania and marry in another state?
No. Philadelphia's license is valid in any Pennsylvania county but not in another state or country.
Sources
- Pennsylvania General Assembly, 23 Pa.C.S. §1502 Forms where parties perform ceremony (declaration; certificates signed by both parties and two witnesses): https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=23&div=0&chapter=15§ion=2&subsctn=0
- Pennsylvania General Assembly, 23 Pa.C.S. §1503 Persons qualified to solemnize marriages (religious organizations, subsection (b)): https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=23&div=0&chapter=15§ion=3&subsctn=0
- City of Philadelphia, Get a marriage license ($90 regular, $100 self-uniting; two witnesses; valid from the third day for 60 days; any PA county; 10-day return; copies $15/$40): https://www.phila.gov/services/permits-violations-licenses/get-a-license/get-a-marriage-license/
- Allegheny County, Marriage License Application ($90; three-day wait; valid 60 days; online or in-person application; self-uniting license needs no officiant; 10-day return): https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Government/Records/Marriage-Records/Marriage-License-Application
- ACLU of Pennsylvania, Couple refused self-uniting marriage license (filed Sept. 21, 2007; injunction Sept. 27, 2007, W.D. Pa.): https://www.aclupa.org/?p=3683
- C.R.S. 14-2-109 Solemnization and registration of marriages (parties to the marriage; 63-day return; late fee), read via the public.law mirror of the Colorado Revised Statutes: https://colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_14-2-109
- Denver Clerk and Recorder, Marriages and Civil Unions ($30; no waiting period; sign within 35 days; no witnesses or officiant for self-solemnization; no proxy self-solemnization; Colorado only; ID list): https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Denver-Clerk-and-Recorder/Recording-Division/marriages-and-civil-unions
- DC Superior Court, Marriage Bureau and marriage FAQ (self-officiation, no witnesses, both in person with photo ID; $45 fee), via search listings because the site blocks automated fetching: https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-divisions/family-court-operations-division/marriage
- Code of the District of Columbia §46-406(b)(9) (the parties to the marriage may solemnize it): https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/46-406
- California Family Code §307 (non-clergy marriage; two witnesses; 10-day return), read via the public.law mirror: https://california.public.law/codes/family_code_section_307
- Wisconsin Statutes 765.16 (officiants and mutual declarations; witnesses), official site: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/765/16 (not reachable during this update; wording confirmed only via secondary copies)
- 26 CFR 301.7701-18, Definitions; spouse, husband and wife, marriage (state where entered into; regardless of domicile): https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/301.7701-18
- 28 U.S.C. §1738C, current text added by Pub. L. 117-228 §4 (Dec. 13, 2022), replacing the 1996 DOMA-era section repealed by §3 of the same act: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/1738C
Rules as of October 31, 2026. County fees, hours and procedures change; check with the office that will issue your license. This article is general information, not legal advice.