How Marriage Licenses Work Across Louisiana's 64 Parishes

Louisiana does not have counties. It has 64 parishes, and each one issues marriage licenses through its own local office, usually the parish Clerk of Court. There is no single statewide counter where couples apply. You choose a parish, contact that office, and follow its procedures within the limits set by state law.

The legal framework comes from the Louisiana Civil Code, which treats marriage as a civil contract, and from Title 9 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. Louisiana is the only state whose legal system grows out of French and Spanish civil law rather than English common law. That history explains terms you may not have met elsewhere, such as covenant marriage and community property. The state sets the rules, and the parish office applies them day to day.

In practice, two offices a few parishes apart can differ on opening hours, accepted payment methods, and how far ahead you should book an appointment. A ten-minute phone call before you drive can save a wasted trip. Every listing in our database includes a phone number for exactly that reason.

Why a Louisiana Parish Appears Under a County Label

Our directory uses one URL structure for all fifty states, so Louisiana parishes appear under county labels, for example Orleans County or East Baton Rouge Parish County. They are the same offices. The Ascension County page, for instance, covers Ascension Parish. Its listing names a Donaldsonville office at 300 Houmas Street, phone 225-473-9866, which suggests the parish may serve couples from more than one location. Confirm which site handles marriage licenses before you go.

The Union County page works the same way. Union Parish Marriage License is at 100 East Bayou Street in Farmerville, and the number is 318-368-3055. Farmerville is the parish seat, and in most small Louisiana parishes the license counter is in or beside the courthouse.

What to Bring When You Apply for a Marriage License in Louisiana

Requirements vary slightly by parish, but clerks across the state ask for a similar set of documents. Gather these before your visit:

Louisiana does not require a blood test, and you do not have to live in the state to marry here. Couples from other states regularly apply for destination weddings in New Orleans, along the Mississippi River plantation corridor, or in Acadiana. If you are not a Louisiana resident, say so when you call, since out-of-state and international applicants often need extra documentation.

Most clerks expect both applicants to appear in person with their documents. Do not assume that one partner can apply alone or that the paperwork can be emailed. If one of you cannot travel, ask the clerk what, if anything, the parish allows before you set a wedding date.

The 72-Hour Wait, the 30-Day Window, and Other Louisiana Timing Rules

Louisiana law builds a pause into the process. After the license is issued, couples generally must wait 72 hours before the ceremony can take place. A judge can waive that wait in some circumstances, but you should not plan around a waiver. The license also expires. A Louisiana license is valid for 30 days from issuance, so your ceremony needs to fall inside that window.

Here is how that works in practice. If you pick up a license on a Thursday morning, the earliest ceremony is the following Sunday morning. Weekends count toward the 72 hours, but offices are closed on them, so the license has to be in hand before the weekend. Couples flying in for a Saturday wedding usually need to apply by Wednesday and should check office hours for that day.

Check the calendar for local closures. Many Louisiana offices close for Mardi Gras Day, which is a legal holiday in the state, and often for Good Friday. Hurricane season, which runs June through November, can also close courthouses with little notice, especially in coastal parishes such as Cameron, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard. Call the day before you travel.

Metro Parishes Versus Rural Parishes in Louisiana

The experience differs sharply depending on where you apply. Orleans Parish Marriage License is at 421 Loyola Avenue in New Orleans, phone 504-592-9100, and the Orleans County page covers it. New Orleans handles many out-of-town couples, so expect more traffic and schedule extra time, especially during spring and fall wedding seasons.

In Baton Rouge, the East Baton Rouge Parish listing is 222 Saint Louis Street, phone 225-389-3985, and it appears under East Baton Rouge Parish County. Across Lake Pontchartrain, St. Tammany Parish lists 701 North Columbia Street in Covington at 985-809-8700. Bossier Parish lists 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton at 318-965-2336, serving the Shreveport-Bossier area. Note that this office is in Benton, the parish seat, not in Bossier City.

Rural parishes are quieter. Morehouse Parish in Bastrop (100 West Madison Avenue, 318-281-3343), Caldwell Parish in Columbia (201 Main Street, 318-649-2272), and Red River Parish in Coushatta (615 East Carrol Street, 318-932-6741) are small courthouse offices staffed by a handful of people. Lines are short, but hours can be tighter and a clerk may be away from the counter. Calling ahead matters more here than in a city.

Regional Patterns Worth Knowing

Acadiana parishes such as Vermilion, Acadia, and St. Mary sit in Cajun country. Vermilion County lists 100 North State Street in Abbeville, 337-898-1992, and Acadia Parish lists 500 Northeast Court Circle in Crowley, 337-788-8881. Along the Mississippi River, St. James (Convent), St. John the Baptist (Edgard), and Ascension (Donaldsonville) serve the River Parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Tangipahoa in Amite City, Washington in Franklinton, and East Feliciana in Clinton cover the Florida Parishes east of the river.

In the center of the state, Rapides County lists 701 Murray Street in Alexandria, 318-473-8153, and Grant Parish lists 200 Main Street in Colfax, 318-627-3246. Southwest Louisiana includes Cameron Parish at 119 Smith Circle in Cameron (337-775-5316) and Beauregard Parish in DeRidder (337-463-8595).

Covenant Marriage, Officiants, and Your Louisiana Marriage Certificate

Louisiana offers covenant marriage, an option created by state law in 1997. Couples who choose it sign a declaration of intent, agree to premarital counseling, and accept narrower grounds for divorce. The choice is made at the time of application, so talk it over with your partner before you reach the clerk's counter.

The ceremony must be performed by an authorized officiant, such as a judge, a justice of the peace, or a member of the clergy. The officiant signs the license and returns it for recording. Afterward, order certified copies. Banks, employers, the Social Security Administration, and the motor vehicle office will want them for a name change.

Marriage licenses in Louisiana are issued by county clerks or recorders, with requirements for identification, fees, and waiting periods set by state law. Couples must obtain their license from a county within the state where the ceremony will be performed.

Marriage Licenses locations are available in 62 cities across Louisiana. They are spread across 61 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Farmerville, New Orleans, Donaldsonville, which serve as county seats with the busiest marriage license offices in the state.

Couples in Louisiana should verify current ID and documentation requirements directly with the issuing county clerk before applying, as requirements for previously divorced or widowed applicants may differ from those marrying for the first time.

Marriage Licenses by Counties

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Couples in Louisiana should check whether their county clerk offers online appointment scheduling for marriage license applications, which can reduce wait times significantly compared to walk-in visits, especially during the busy spring and summer wedding season.

Browse Marriage Licenses by county across Louisiana to find the nearest location.

Planning a Wedding Around Louisiana Parish Offices

Before you build a wedding schedule, treat the parish office as your first fixed point. Pick the parish where you will apply, phone the listing, and ask four questions: which documents they accept, what the total fee is, whether appointments are needed, and what hours apply that week. Write down the answers and the name of the person you spoke with.

Treat directory entries as starting points, because two of them need extra care. Vernon Parish Marriage License currently shows the same address and phone number as Union Parish, 100 East Bayou Street in Farmerville. The Vernon Parish seat is Leesville, so verify that entry before you rely on it. Beauregard Parish lists only a post office box, P. O. Box 100 in DeRidder, which works for mail but not for a walk-in visit. Ask for the street address when you call 337-463-8595.

Other listings include a building name or suite number. Plaquemines Parish uses the Government Annex Building at 301 Main St., Suite 108 in Belle Chasse. Saint Mary Parish lists its courthouse at 500 Main St. in Franklin, and Washington Parish lists its courthouse at 908 Washington St. in Franklinton. Saint John the Baptist Parish lists the 40th Judicial District office at 2393 Hwy. 18 in Edgard.

Louisiana Marriage License Questions

Louisiana generally requires a 72-hour waiting period after the license is issued, so you cannot marry the same day you apply. A judge can waive the wait in some situations, but that is a request to a court, not something the clerk grants at the counter. Once issued, the license is valid for 30 days. A couple who picks up a license on Monday morning can marry as early as Thursday morning. Because offices close on weekends and on holidays such as Mardi Gras Day, apply at least a week before your date and confirm the current rule with the clerk.

No. Louisiana does not require residency to obtain a marriage license, and couples from other states and countries marry here regularly, especially in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. Non-residents should still call the parish office first. Out-of-state applicants may be asked for additional documents, and foreign records usually need certified English translations. Both applicants generally must appear in person, so build the 72-hour wait into your travel plans. If you are planning a destination wedding, choose the parish nearest your venue, since the clerk there can tell you exactly what to bring.

Expect to show a government photo ID, a certified birth certificate, and your Social Security number. If either of you was married before, bring the certified divorce judgment or death certificate that ended that marriage. Photocopies are often refused, and requirements differ by parish, so ask what your office accepts. Some clerks take a passport in place of a birth certificate. Bring payment as well, since the fee is set locally and some small offices do not take every type of card. A short call to the number on the listing confirms the details before you travel.

Our directory lists Orleans Parish Marriage License at 421 Loyola Avenue in New Orleans, phone 504-592-9100. Call before your visit to confirm hours, the current fee, and whether appointments are required, since volume is high with visiting couples. Nearby parishes are also options. Saint Bernard Parish lists 9061 West Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette at 504-271-3434, and Plaquemines Parish lists the Government Annex Building in Belle Chasse at 504-297-5180. Ask the clerk whether a license issued in one parish can be used for a ceremony held in another.

Covenant marriage is a Louisiana option, created by state law in 1997, that couples may choose instead of a standard marriage. Both partners sign a declaration of intent, confirm they have received premarital counseling, and accept stricter grounds for divorce than a standard marriage carries. It does change the paperwork, because the choice is recorded when the license is issued. Talk it through together beforehand and ask the parish clerk what counseling documentation they expect to see. A standard marriage remains the default if you make no election.

After your officiant returns the signed license, the marriage is recorded in the parish where the license was issued. Start with that parish clerk of court and ask how to request certified copies, what identification is required, and what each copy costs. For marriages in Orleans Parish, the Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records Registry may also be able to help, so ask which office holds your record. Order several copies at once, because name changes at the Social Security Administration, banks, and the motor vehicle office each typically ask for one.