Larimer County Marriage Licenses
Marriage and civil-union licensing in Larimer County is handled by the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder marriage office, not the Clerk of Court. Applicants may use Fort Collins, Loveland, or Estes Park Clerk and Recorder locations. The county allows appointments and walk-in service in Fort Collins, while Loveland and Estes Park were listed in the research as appointment-only marriage locations. Those two branches also serve vehicle licensing customers, so wait times can be longer at busy points in the month.
Both parties generally appear with valid ID. Acceptable ID includes a valid driver license or temporary license with the voided prior license, passport, state ID, military ID, alien registration card or green card, or a U.S. government-issued ID with photo, birth date, issue date, and expiration date. Birth certificates, voter registration cards, Social Security cards, expired driver licenses, and matricular consular cards were listed as unacceptable IDs in the researched Larimer source.
That office issues and records the license, while the District Court handles divorce decrees and domestic-relations case files.
Apply for a Larimer County Marriage License
Larimer County uses an online pre-application followed by in-person finalization. Colorado residency is not required. No blood test is required. Applicants who are 18 or older do not need parental consent. Applicants who are 16 or 17 need a certified copy of a judicial order allowing marriage. A person who is already married or in a civil union cannot obtain a new license, and Colorado bars some close-relative marriages, though cousins may marry.
- Complete the online marriage or civil-union form fully and submit it before visiting the Clerk and Recorder.
- Bring valid ID for both parties, plus the transaction number if it is available from the online form.
- If one party cannot appear, bring the absentee affidavit completed before a notary and include the absent party's ID copy.
- Pay the license fee and confirm the license issue date before planning the ceremony.
- Use the license within 35 days of issuance and return the certificate/license after the ceremony.
- Return the completed certificate/license within 63 days to avoid the researched late fees.
Colorado permits self-solemnization under C.R.S. 14-2-109. Larimer County explains that a couple may solemnize their own marriage, but a friend or relative may not sign as officiant unless legally authorized.
Larimer County Marriage Application Fields
The marriage application asks for identity and eligibility details, not just names. Larimer requires parental information for all applicants. Prior marriage or civil-union history is also important because the office asks for date, place, and type of court where a divorce or dissolution occurred. Widowed applicants provide the date and place of the former spouse's death.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full legal name | Yes | Use the name shown on the valid identification document. |
| Date of birth | Yes | Used with ID to confirm age and eligibility. |
| Parental information | Yes | Larimer requires parental information for all applicants. |
| Prior marriage or civil union | Conditional | Provide date, place, and court type for divorce or dissolution when applicable. |
| Widow or widower information | Conditional | Provide date and place of former spouse's death. |
| Absentee affidavit | Conditional | Needed when one party cannot appear, with notarization and ID copy. |
| Transaction number | Helpful | Bring it to the appointment or counter visit if generated online. |
Larimer County Marriage Office Locations
Fort Collins is the main recording location. Loveland and Estes Park also provide marriage and civil-union licensing service in researched county materials. Use the branch that fits the appointment and travel plan, but send mail copy requests to the Clerk and Recorder copy address when requesting certified copies by mail.
Fort Collins Clerk and Recorder
Recording Department
200 W. Oak St., 1st Floor
Fort Collins, CO 80521
970-498-7860
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Loveland Clerk and Recorder
Vehicle Licensing Office
200 Peridot Ave., 1st Floor
Loveland, CO 80537
Appointment-only marriage service in the researched source.
Estes Park Clerk and Recorder
Vehicle Licensing Office
1601 Brodie Ave.
Estes Park, CO 80517
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; appointment-only marriage service.
Larimer County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Larimer County published clear marriage and recorded-copy amounts in the researched Clerk and Recorder materials. Divorce filing fees and certified divorce decree copy fees were not located in the reviewed Larimer materials, so they should be confirmed with the Larimer Clerk of Court before filing or ordering. Credit-card payments at county Clerk and Recorder counters may include a third-party administrative fee.
| Item | Amount / Instruction |
|---|---|
| Marriage or civil-union license | $30.00 |
| Certified marriage/civil-union copy | $1.25 each |
| Regular marriage/civil-union copy | $0.25 each |
| Recorded-document copy up to 8.5 x 14 | $0.25 per page |
| Larger image copy, such as 11 x 17 or plats | $2.00 per page |
| Certification for recorded document | $1.00 per document |
| Late return of marriage certificate/license | $20 late fee, plus $5 per day up to $50 if applicable |
| Divorce filing or decree copy | Confirm with Larimer Clerk of Court; not located in reviewed Larimer fee research. |
Look Up Larimer County Marriage Records
Marriage licenses are recorded documents in Larimer County. The Larimer Official Records Search / Landmark Web is the online search path for recorded instruments, including marriage-license recordings. The recording portal is different from the Colorado court docket search. It is used for recorded documents, deeds, mortgages, liens, marriage licenses, and recording activity, not divorce decrees or court pleadings.
Certified copies of recorded documents, including marriage and civil-union licenses, may be requested by mail or phone. Mail marriage copy requests to Larimer County Clerk and Recorder, Attn: Copies, PO Box 1280, Fort Collins, CO 80522. Include a written request, return mailing address, payment, and any known license, reception, or CFN number. Phone requests go through 970-498-7860, and the researched source notes 72-hour processing for phone or mail copy requests.
The Colorado DMV MVR purchase source is not a marriage-record office, but it illustrates how state identity records remain separate from Larimer County marriage records.
Use the DMV source only for driver-record or clearance matters, not for a Larimer County marriage certificate or divorce decree.
Find Larimer County Divorce Records
Divorce, dissolution, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support, and post-decree motions are District Court matters in Larimer County. Docket dates may be checked through the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search, but decree copies and file documents come through 08RecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us or the court Record/Document Request Form. The Larimer County Clerk and Recorder may ask for prior divorce details when issuing a new marriage license, but it does not issue divorce decrees.
Public divorce access is narrower than ordinary civil records when the file contains financial affidavits, child information, protection-order material, or sealed filings. A party may need ID, a case number, party names, document names, and a delivery preference. Domestic-relations forms come from the Colorado Judicial Branch, and a new divorce case is filed in District Court with service, financial disclosures, and court review or hearing as needed.
The Colorado Judicial Branch sealing resource is most relevant where a domestic-relations file intersects with sealed or restricted court information.
Sealing does not create a marriage record or divorce decree, but it helps explain why some court-file content may not be visible to the public.
Note: A divorce decree is a court record; a marriage license is a Clerk and Recorder record.
Larimer County Divorce Access Limits
Colorado public access rules make many court records open for inspection, but domestic-relations files often contain protected material. Financial account numbers, protected addresses, Social Security numbers, child information, victim data, and safety-sensitive filings may be redacted or withheld. A docket entry may show that a filing exists while the document image is not available to the general public.
The 8th Judicial District bias-motivated and hate crime hotline source is not a marriage or divorce record channel, but it is a local Larimer justice-system contact point for crime reporting, not domestic-relations decree access.
Use District Court channels for divorce records and the DA hotline only for the limited public-safety purpose named in that official source.
Larimer County Court Context
Marriage licensing, recorded copies, and divorce decrees often get confused because all three may involve proof of relationship status. The office split is the main point. The county Clerk and Recorder issues marriage and civil-union licenses and records returned certificates. The Clerk of Court maintains divorce cases in District Court. A person applying for a new marriage license after divorce may need the date, place, and court type of the divorce, but that does not make the Clerk and Recorder the custodian of the divorce decree.
A Colorado Supreme Court justice announcement source is a court-system source rather than a marriage-license source, and it confirms the broader Colorado Judicial Branch context that includes Larimer County District Court.
That court-system context supports the distinction between local licensing records and state trial-court divorce records.