Lubbock County, Texas

REQUIREMENTS FOR A FORMAL MARRIAGE

Office Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. M-F to apply for a Marriage License.

Both applicants must be present
*Submit proof of identity and age
*Valid photo identification issued by any state within the U.S. or Canadian province (example: Drivers license, state ID, or military ID) or a passport that is issued by the United States or a foreign government are acceptable forms of identification. All documents must be current. We will not accept an expired document.
*Both parties must be 18 years or older (17 and under requires court order removing disabilities of minority of the person.) Per Texas Family Code §2.003
*Both parties must provide their social security number or state they have none.
*Both parties must provide all information as required on the application and as requested by the Clerk.
*Both parties must take the oath printed on the application and sign the application in the presence of the Clerk.
*If an applicant is unable to appear personally before the Clerk, any adult person or the other applicant may apply on behalf of the absent applicant. The person applying on behalf of an absent applicant shall provide the clerk a properly executed absent affidavit and present photo ID as required above.

"TWOGETHER IN TEXAS" PROGRAM

Couples completing a State Approved Pre-Marital Education Twogether in Texas Course may have the formal license fee reduced to $21.00 (no checks) and the 72-hour waiting period waived by presenting the state-issued Twogether in Texas course completion certificate when applying for the license. Please visit www.twogetherintexas.com to locate available classes.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DECLARATION AND REGISTRATION OF INFORMAL MARRIAGES

*Both parties must be present, no exceptions.
*Proof of identity and age must be presented.
*Present photo identification issued by this state or another state, the U.S. or a foreign government. (Drivers license, military ID or passport are acceptable forms of identification.) All documents must be current. We will not accept an expired document.
*Both parties must be 18 years or older, a person under 18 may not be party to an informal marriage. The declared date of marriage must be a date in the past that both parties agreed to be married and after that lived together as a married couple and in this state represented to others that they were married. The date can be any prior date the couple could legally marry.
*Both parties must supply all information and take the oath as required on the form prescribed by the Bureau of Vital Statistics and provided by the County Clerk.
*Each party will sign the declaration in the Clerk's presence.
*The Clerk may not issue or record the declaration if either party checks "false" in response to the statement of relationship to the other party.
*The cost of the declaration is $46.00 (no checks) and there is no provision to waive the fee.

Click here to Search Marriage License Index or Begin Application Process Online

Requesting a Certified Copy of a Marriage License by Mail

To submit a request for a marriage license, you will need to search our index for Marriage License (above) for the document number or volume and page number. Should you get an error message after clicking search, your search engine may not be compatible, try another search engine.

Send your request by mail to our office with the License reference number, both parties' names at the time of marriage and the date of marriage. The fee is $21.00 for a certified copy. Payment by cashier's check or money order payable to Lubbock County Clerk. No checks accepted. Include a SASE with the request.

All requests will be returned regular USPS, unless you choose to send a prepaid shipping envelope from an expedited service company. Be sure to check their pick up requirements or pick up fee charges as Lubbock County will not pay those fees.

Marriage license are public record, so if you have a local contact, they are welcome to come into our office and get the copy for you. Our regular business hours are M-F 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., we are located at 904 Broadway Room 207 in Lubbock.

Requesting a Certified Copy of a Marriage License Online and Pay by Credit Card

To submit a request for a marriage license and pay via credit card, you will need to search our index for Marriage License (above) for the document number or volume and page number. Should you get an error message after clicking search, your search engine may not be compatible, try another search engine.

Submit your request and payment by credit card using the following link.

We do not have the ability to take payments over the phone.

Click Here to Request Copy Online

The fee is $21.00 for each certified copy. Payments by credit card will incur an additional fee from the vendor of $2.50 or 2.95% whichever is greater.

All requests will be returned regular USPS.

Requests received after 10:00 a.m. will be mailed the next business day.

PERSONS AUTHORIZED TO CONDUCT CEREMONY

Texas Family Code Sec. 2.202.

(a) The following persons are authorized to conduct a marriage ceremony:

(1) a licensed or ordained Christian minister or priest;

(2) a Jewish rabbi;

(3) a person who is an officer of a religious organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a marriage ceremony;

(4) a justice of the supreme court, judge of the court of criminal appeals, justice of the courts of appeals, judge of the district, county, and probate courts, judge of the county courts at law, judge of the courts of domestic relations, judge of the juvenile courts, retired justice or judge of those courts, justice of the peace, retired justice of the peace, judge of a municipal court, retired judge of a municipal court, associate judge of a statutory probate court, retired associate judge of a statutory probate court, associate judge of a county court at law, retired associate judge of a county court at law, or judge or magistrate of a federal court of this state; and

(5) a retired judge or magistrate of a federal court of this state.

(b) For the purposes of Subsection (a)(4), a retired judge or justice is a former judge or justice who is vested in the Judicial Retirement System of Texas Plan One or the Judicial Retirement System of Texas Plan Two or who has an aggregate of at least 12 years of service as judge or justice of any type listed in Subsection (a)(4).

(b-1) For the purposes of Subsection (a)(5), a retired judge or magistrate is a former judge or magistrate of a federal court of this state who is fully vested in the Federal Employees Retirement System under 28 U.S.C. Section 371 or 377.

(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a person commits an offense if the person knowingly conducts a marriage ceremony without authorization under this section. An offense under this subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.

(d) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly conducts a marriage ceremony of a minor whose marriage is prohibited by law or of a person who by marrying commits an offense under Section 25.01, Penal Code. An offense under this subsection is a felony of the third degree.