Florida Marriage License Guide (2026)
Florida marriage licenses are issued by the Clerk of the Circuit Court (Fla. Stat. § 741.01). The statutory charges add to $86.00 — $2 for receiving the application, $25 to the Domestic Violence Trust Fund, $25 to the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund, $4 under § 741.02, and $30 for issuing and recording the license with one certified copy under § 28.24(24). A premarital preparation course of at least four hours reduces it: every clerk that publishes a reduced price publishes $61.00, the $25 reduction of § 741.01(4). Of the counties whose own sites give a figure, 38 publish $86.00 and one, Hardee, publishes $93.50, so check your county's own figure before you go.
The one thing to knowWithout a premarital course certificate the license does not take effect for three days (§ 741.04(5)). The clerk must except non-Florida residents and couples asserting hardship, and a county court judge may waive it for Florida residents who show good cause.
The process
- File the sworn affidavit and statements
Florida's statute requires a written, signed affidavit, sworn before a person authorized to administer an oath, giving each party's social security number (or another identification number) and both ages (§ 741.04(2)), plus a signed statement on whether you took a premarital course and one that you have read the state's marriage handbook (§ 741.04(4)). Ask your clerk what identification it accepts and whether both of you must attend.
- Consider the premarital course
A premarital preparation course of not less than four hours reduces the fee and removes the three-day delay. Clerks charge $61.00 with a course certificate against $86.00 without — the $25 reduction of § 741.01(4); § 741.0305(1) says $32.50, but no clerk publishes that price. There is no residency requirement for the discount.
- Observe the waiting period
Without a course certificate the license's effective date is delayed three days (§ 741.04(5)) — for every couple, not only residents. The clerk shall grant exceptions to non-Florida residents and to couples asserting hardship.
Marriage license fees by county — all 67 Florida counties
Florida-specific details
Anyone who files a certificate for a premarital preparation course of at least four hours, taken within the year before applying, pays less and is not subject to the three-day delay. Two sections set the reduction differently — § 741.01(4) says $25 and § 741.0305(1) says $32.50 — and every one of the sixteen clerks that publishes a reduced price charges $61.00 against $86.00, the $25 reduction.
What to bring
- The sworn affidavit with each party's social security number (or another identification number) and ages, § 741.04(2) — ask your clerk what ID it accepts
- The signed statements on the premarital course and the marriage handbook, § 741.04(4)
- The fee your county publishes — $86.00 at 38 of the counties whose sites give a figure, $93.50 in Hardee
- A premarital preparation course certificate, which brings the fee to $61.00
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Florida marriage license?
The statutory charges add to $86.00, and 38 of the counties whose own sites give a figure publish exactly that; Hardee alone publishes $93.50. With a premarital preparation course certificate, clerks charge $61.00.
Who issues the license?
The Clerk of the Circuit Court issues Florida marriage licenses under FL Stat 741.01.
Is there a waiting period?
Without a course certificate the license does not take effect for three days (§ 741.04(5)). That applies to everyone; the clerk shall except non-Florida residents and couples asserting hardship, and a judge may waive it for residents with good cause.
How do I get the discounted fee?
Complete a premarital preparation course of at least four hours and file the certificate with your application. Clerks then charge $61.00 instead of $86.00 — the $25 reduction of § 741.01(4). § 741.0305(1) says $32.50, but no clerk publishes that price. There is no residency requirement.
Do both applicants have to appear?
Florida's statute does not say. It requires a sworn affidavit from the parties (§ 741.04(2)) and signed statements from both (§ 741.04(4)); ask your clerk whether both of you must attend and what identification it accepts.