MARRIAGE LICENSE AND CEREMONY SERVICE UPDATE:
You must schedule an appointment to have your ceremony at our location.
For civil marriage ceremonies performed at our location, you may bring up to 5 guests. Only one witness to the marriage ceremony will be required to sign the license.
A marriage license must be obtained prior to having a ceremony. To complete a marriage license online, and/or schedule a ceremony appointment for December 2021, click HERE.
To schedule a ceremony appointment for January 2022, please contact our office at (925) 335-7900.
The Clerk-Recorder grants Deputy Commissioner status to individuals to conduct a single ceremony. A $50 fee applies. For a Deputy Commissioner Packet, click here.
ceremony fee
We accept cash, credit and debit cards. Credit and debit cards are subject to an additional service fee. Checks are not authorized for marriage licenses and wedding ceremonies.
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER for a specific event
A Deputy Commissioner is granted authority by the Clerk-Recorder to perform a civil ceremony. An individual may apply for, and be granted, a deputy commission for a specific ceremony for a specific couple. In order to obtain a deputy commission, it is required that one of the parties involved (the person performing the ceremony or either spouse to be) must be a resident of Contra Costa County. Only one (1) ceremony (for a specific couple on a specific date) may be performed for each deputy commission granted. The ceremony does not have to take place in Contra Costa County, it may take place anywhere in California. The Deputy Commissioner is responsible for returning the marriage license to the county in which it was purchased within ten (10) days from the date of the ceremony. For information, please call the County Clerk-Recorder’s office at (925) 335-7900 and ask to speak to someone about the Deputy Commissioner program. You may also locate more information in the Deputy Commissioner for a Day packet in the Forms tab under Birth/Death/Marriage. The filing fee to obtain a deputy commission is listed on our fee schedule. Long-term deputy commissions are no longer granted.