Get a Marriage License in Franklin County, MO
In Missouri, this is handled by the Recorder of Deeds — here's what to expect and where to go.
Missouri marriage licenses are issued by the County Recorder of Deeds, not the County Clerk. In the City of St. Louis, contact the City Recorder of Deeds. Contact your local Recorder of Deeds to confirm the exact fee.
How Missouri checks who you are. RSMo 451.040(2) has you sign the application in the presence of the recorder of deeds or a deputy — the signing is the identity check — or electronically, where the recorder must run a two-step identity verification and at least one of you must live in that county (451.040(7)). Every application carries your Social Security number, or a signed statement that you do not have one (451.040(3)).
You do not both have to be there. The section is headed “presence not required, when”. An applicant who cannot appear because they are incarcerated, or called to active military duty outside the state or country, may file a notarized affidavit instead — and it is that applicant, the one who is absent, who must send a copy of a government-issued photo ID (451.040(2)(3)). If the jail issues no photo ID, the notarized application takes its place.
On identification for everyone else: the statute sets no requirement. RSMo 451.040 asks for no ID from an applicant who signs in front of the recorder. The recorder may still ask, and many do — call before you go. The license is void thirty days after it is issued.
⚠️ This office does not process marriage licenses — the Recorder of Deeds does. The office below is your county's County Clerk — useful for other services.
This page shows the best information we have for Franklin County. Fees and hours may vary — call ahead to confirm before visiting.
Getting married somewhere else in Missouri? See the Missouri marriage license guide for statewide requirements and fees.