(As required by Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 765)
1. MARRIAGEABLE AGE: Any person who has attained the age of 18 years may marry. If a person is between the age of 16 years and 18 years, the license will only be issued with the written consent of parents, guardian, or custodian. Consent forms are available in our office. |
2. WHERE TO APPLY: Wisconsin residents apply for the license in the county where one of them has lived for at least 30 days, and may marry in any county in Wisconsin. (If less than 30 days, you apply in the county you just moved from.) Out-of-state applicants apply for the license in the county where the ceremony will be held.
3. DIVORCED PERSON: May not remarry until 6 months after the granting of the Judgment of Divorce, regardless of where the divorce took place. (See 4b below also) |
4. REQUIREMENTS OF EACH APPLICANT: |
a. We will need to see your certified, government-issued Birth Certificate. (Hospital documents and passports are NOT acceptable.) You must also have the correct spelling of your parent’s full names if not listed on the birth certificate. |
b. Driver’s license, photo ID, or other official document that shows your residential address for the last 30 days. If your driver’s license does not have your correct address, we still need to see it but you must also provide something (utility bill, bank statement, rental agreement, statement from post office, etc.) that states where you live – not a PO Box. |
c. If married previously: certified copy of Judgment of Divorce, court annulment papers, or death certificate from each applicant’s last marriage must be presented, regardless of how long ago it’s been. It must be a CERTIFIED copy. |
d. Your Social Security Number. |
e. You need to have your wedding date set before coming in and know the county and municipality where the ceremony will be held (including the township if it’s going to be at a rural location). You must also provide the name, address, and phone number of the person who will perform your ceremony. |
f. Blood tests are not required. |
5. SIGNATURES: Both applicants must sign the forms in our office however you don’t have to come in at the same time. Our office is open from 8:am - 5:pm, Monday through Friday; but you should be here before 4:30 when applying. We are open over the lunch hour unless short-staffed so please call ahead if you plan to come in during that time of day. |
6. WAITING PERIOD: A 5-day waiting period is required by law which means the license is not to be released until 5 days after both applicants have come to our office. This may be waived for special circumstances and an additional $ 10 fee. If you don’t want to come back to pick up your printed documents after the 5 days, we recommend that you apply for the license 3 ~4 weeks prior to your wedding so there is sufficient time for those items to be mailed to you. |
7. APPLICATION FEE: $ 80; paid when you apply ($ 95 if applying less than 5 days prior to your wedding. See # 6 above). This covers only the cost of the application - it does not include any copies of the license after the ceremony. We accept cash, check, or money order; we do not take credit cards. |
8. EXPIRATION: The license is only valid for 30 days after the date of issue. The marriage ceremony must be performed within that time or you will have to apply all over again. |
9. CEREMONY: Any court judge, court commissioner, ordained clergy, or tribal judge may perform the ceremony. Out-of-state clergy need a letter of sponsorship from a Wisconsin clergy-person. |
Prepared by the Pierce County Clerk’s Office 09/16/09
Phone: (715) 273-3531; Ext. 6420 or 6688 |
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