Getting married at the Civic Center
How a civil ceremony works at the Marin County Civic Center. License, appointment, garden or room, and what it costs.
The Civic Center in San Rafael is Frank Lloyd Wright's big government building. People get married here because it is simple, cheap, and it looks like Marin. The Clerk will do a short civil ceremony if you book a slot. That is not the same thing as renting the building for a wedding.
County Clerk — getting married at the Civic Center
License first, ceremony second
California makes you buy the license before anyone can marry you.
Both of you go together to the County Clerk, Room 234, 3501 Civic Center Drive. No appointment for the license. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm. Finish by 3:30pm. They will not process you after that.
Start the application online if you can. It is faster. Bring a valid, unexpired photo ID. They take U.S. or foreign passports, green cards, U.S. driver's licenses, state IDs, and consular IDs. They do not take foreign driver's licenses.
If you were divorced in the last 3 to 6 months, bring paper proof. They do not take electronic copies.
The license is good for 90 days. Use it on or before the expiration date.
A public license is a public record and needs at least one witness at the ceremony. A confidential license costs more, stays private, and needs no witness. For a confidential license, the couple must already live together when they apply.
What it costs
These are the Clerk's posted fees:
- Public marriage license: $85
- Confidential marriage license: $93
- Clerk ceremony at the Civic Center: $56
- Friend or family member deputized for one ceremony: $60
- Certified copy of the marriage record: $19
Cash or check payable to “Marin County Clerk.” Debit and credit cards work for the license, with a $2.50 card fee. Confirm with the Clerk how they take the $56 ceremony fee.
A public license plus the Clerk's ceremony is $141 before any card fee or extra copies.
How to book the Clerk's ceremony
You do need an appointment for the ceremony. Call 415-473-6772, Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm.
Slots are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only, at 10am, 11am, 1pm, or 2pm. There is no Friday, Saturday, or Sunday Clerk ceremony.
The person who marries you is a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages from the Clerk's office.
The appointment is not a venue reservation. You are booking the Clerk for a short civil ceremony, not the building, the steps, or the lawn for the afternoon.
Garden or the wedding room
Two places:
- The wedding room in the Clerk's office. Holds 6 people, including the couple.
- The garden area. Limit of 18 guests.
Cameras are allowed. Nothing may be thrown in or around the Civic Center. If you want a big guest list, a Saturday, or the steps as your backdrop for an hour, that is a different conversation (your own officiant, or a Marin Center rental). Confirm with the Clerk before you plan a crowd.
Who officiates
Three paths:
- The Clerk's deputy, at the Civic Center, on a booked Tuesday through Thursday slot.
- A priest, rabbi, minister, or other person already authorized to marry people in California. After you have the license, that ceremony can be anywhere in the state. No Clerk appointment needed.
- A friend or family member, 18 or older, deputized for one event. They apply in person at Room 234. The license has to have been bought from the Marin Clerk. Deputizing hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm. Fee is $60.
Whoever performs the ceremony has 10 days to return the license. Public licenses go to the Recorder, Room 232. Confidential licenses go back to the Clerk, Room 234.
What to bring
- Both people
- Valid photo ID for each of you
- The marriage license, if you already bought it
- At least one witness if the license is public
- Payment
- Paper divorce proof if it was recent
- A translator if neither of you speaks English or Spanish
The Clerk's list does not mention a blood test.
Parking
The Civic Center sits next to the Marin Center campus. County pages say parking in the Marin Center lots is free except during the County Fair, first come first served, and tight during big events. Street parking is on Civic Center Drive. Accessible spaces serve the Administration Building at the south and middle arches. If the fair or a large event is on, give yourself extra time or confirm with the Clerk.
Weekends
The Clerk does not marry people on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The license desk is closed those days too.
If you want a Saturday, buy the license on a weekday, then use your own officiant or a deputized friend, anywhere in California, within 90 days.
What people get wrong
- They treat the $56 slot as a venue booking. It is not.
- They show up for a ceremony without calling first.
- They bring a public license and no witness.
- They plan a weekend Clerk ceremony.
- They bring a foreign driver's license and no passport.
- They arrive after 3:30pm for the license.
- They expect the garden to hold a big wedding. Official cap is 18 guests.
- They throw rice or petals. The Clerk says nothing may be thrown.
How to do it
- Decide public or confidential.
- Start the application online, or print the paper form.
- If you want the Clerk to marry you at the Civic Center, call 415-473-6772 and book Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 10, 11, 1, or 2.
- Both of you go to Room 234 with IDs. Finish the license by 3:30pm.
- Pay $85 or $93 for the license, plus $56 if the Clerk is officiating.
- Garden or wedding room. Witness if the license is public.
- The officiant returns the license within 10 days.
- Buy a certified copy ($19) if you need one for a name change or benefits.
County Clerk: 415-473-6772. Room 234, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael.