Getting married in Maine starts with a step that surprises many couples: the marriage license comes from a town or city clerk, not from a county office. Maine has 16 counties and hundreds of towns, cities and plantations, so the clerk you need may be a short drive away, whatever county you live in. This page lists the county courthouse offices in our directory, from York County in the south to Aroostook County at the state's northern edge. It also explains how the system works so you can reach the right counter on the first trip.

The county listings are useful starting points. They give you a staffed public building, a published phone number and a street address in each county seat. Use them to ask questions, then confirm where your license will actually be issued.

How Marriage Licenses Work in Maine: Town Clerks and State Records

Maine's marriage law sits in Title 19-A of the Maine Revised Statutes. In practice, two layers of government handle the paperwork.

Municipal clerks take the application and issue the license. The Office of Vital Records, part of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention within the Department of Health and Human Services, keeps the statewide record and issues certified copies after the marriage is filed.

The basic residency rule is simple. If at least one of you lives in Maine, you generally apply to the clerk of the town where either of you lives. If neither of you lives in Maine, you apply to the clerk of the town where the ceremony will take place. Once issued, the license is valid for a ceremony anywhere in Maine, so you can live in Lewiston and marry on a ledge in Acadia.

Maine does not impose a waiting period between getting the license and holding the ceremony, and it does not require a blood test. A license does expire, though. It is valid for a limited window after issue, which has traditionally been 90 days. Confirm the exact period with your clerk, because you do not want to plan a wedding around a lapsed license.

Where the County Courthouse Offices Fit In

Our directory lists one office for each Maine county, such as the York County Marriage License listing at the York County Courthouse, 45 Kennebunk Pond Road, Alfred, phone 207-324-5122. Courthouses are where probate registers, clerks of court and other county officials work. They are also familiar landmarks that people search for when a life event comes up.

Be realistic about what these listings do. Some county offices can point you to the right clerk or answer general questions. The license itself usually comes from a municipal clerk. A two-minute call before you drive saves a wasted trip, especially in a county where the courthouse and your home town are an hour apart.

The county listings also help if you are comparing options. If you are a non-resident marrying in a town with a small clerk's office that opens only a few days a week, a call to the county seat can help you find a larger office with better hours.

Marriage License Offices by Region in Maine

Southern and Coastal Maine: York, Cumberland and Sagadahoc

The southern corner is Maine's busiest wedding country. York County includes beach towns, and its courthouse listing is in Alfred. Cumberland County is home to Portland, and the Cumberland County Marriage License listing is at the Cumberland County Courthouse, 142 Federal Street, Portland, phone 207-871-8389.

Portland is Maine's largest city, so its clerk's office sees heavy demand in summer and early fall. Couples marrying on the coast often come from out of state, which means they apply in the town of the ceremony. Call ahead and ask whether the clerk takes appointments or walk-ins.

Just up the coast, Sagadahoc County is Maine's smallest county by area. Its listing, the Sagadahoc County Marriage License office at 147 New Meadows Road in Bath, phone 207-443-8214, sits near shipbuilding and shoreline venues.

Central Maine: Androscoggin, Kennebec, Waldo and Penobscot

Inland and mid-coast Maine mixes small cities with farm towns. Androscoggin County centers on Auburn and Lewiston, with its courthouse listing at 2 Turner Street, Auburn, phone 207-784-8390. Kennebec County includes Augusta, the state capital, and its listing is at 95 State Street, phone 207-561-2300.

To the east, Waldo County lists its courthouse at 39 Spring Street in Belfast, phone 207-338-3282. Penobscot County, home to Bangor, lists 97 Hammond Street, phone 207-942-8535. Bangor is the regional hub for central and eastern Maine, so couples from several nearby counties may pass through.

Northern, Eastern and Western Maine: Rural Counties With Long Distances

Maine's rural counties are large, and towns can be far apart. Aroostook County, Maine's largest county, lists the courthouse at 26 Court Street in Caribou, phone 207-532-1502. A couple in a northern Aroostook town may live much closer to a local town office than to Caribou, so use your own clerk first.

Piscataquis County lists 159 E Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft, phone 207-564-2411. Hancock County, which covers Ellsworth and the Acadia region, lists 50 State Street, Ellsworth, phone 207-667-7176. Franklin County lists 140 Main Street in Farmington, phone 207-778-6614. Washington County, on the Downeast coast, lists 47 Court Street in Machias, phone 207-255-3127.

Our directory also covers the remaining county courthouses: Knox County at 62 Union Street, Rockland (207-596-2240), Somerset County at 41 Court Street, Skowhegan (207-474-5161), Oxford County at 26 Western Avenue, South Paris (207-743-6359) and Lincoln County at 32 High Street, Wiscasset (207-882-6311).

What to Bring When You Apply for a Maine Marriage License

Requirements vary a little from one clerk to the next, so treat this as a checklist and confirm it with your town office. Both partners normally need to appear together in person.

Fees are set by state law and are modest compared with the cost of a wedding. Confirm the current amount when you call.

Planning Your Timeline Around Maine's Seasons

Maine weddings cluster in summer and early fall, and clerks' offices see the same rush. Small town offices may keep limited hours, and some close for lunch or on certain days. Plan to apply a few weeks before the ceremony, not the week of.

After the ceremony, the officiant completes the license and returns it for recording. Maine allows ministers, judges, justices of the peace and notaries public, among others, to solemnize marriages, so ask your officiant about their authority and filing steps. Once the record is filed, you can order certified copies from the clerk or state Vital Records for name changes, insurance and other paperwork.

If you want help finding the office closest to you, start with the county pages linked above, and call the listed number to confirm hours before you go.

Marriage licenses in Maine 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 16 cities across Maine. They are spread across 16 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Skowhegan, Augusta, Caribou, which serve as county seats with the busiest marriage license offices in the state.

Couples in Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine to find the nearest location.

Marriage License Planning Notes for Maine Couples

Maine's size shapes the marriage license process more than any single rule. The state stretches from the beaches of York County to the potato fields of Aroostook County, and the drive from one end to the other takes most of a day. That is why the system relies on local town and city clerks rather than a few central offices.

If you live in Maine, the simplest path is your own town office. Check its hours online or by phone, because small-town clerks often juggle licenses with vehicle registrations, dog licenses and tax payments. If you are coming from out of state for a coastal or lakeside wedding, apply in the town where you will marry, and build the visit into your travel plans.

The county courthouse listings in this directory, including the offices in Alfred, Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Bath, Belfast and Portland, help you reach a staffed building with a published phone number. They are a good place to start when you are unsure which municipality handles your case. Keep your license in a safe place until the ceremony, and make sure your officiant knows how and where to return it afterward.

In Maine, licenses are issued by municipal clerks in towns and cities, not by county governments. If at least one of you lives in Maine, you generally apply to the clerk in the town where either of you lives. If neither of you is a Maine resident, you apply to the clerk in the town where the ceremony will happen. The county courthouse offices in our directory, such as the Kennebec County Marriage License listing at 95 State Street in Augusta, can help you find the right clerk, but call first to confirm.

Maine does not require a blood test, and it does not make couples wait between receiving the license and holding the ceremony. In many cases you can apply and marry soon after, subject to the clerk's processing. The more important deadline is expiration, since a license is valid only for a limited period after it is issued. Ask your clerk for the exact date printed on your license, and schedule your ceremony well inside that window, especially if you are planning a destination wedding.

Yes. A license issued by one Maine municipality can generally be used for a ceremony anywhere in the state. A couple who apply in Auburn can marry on the Hancock County coast, in Portland or at a lake in Franklin County. The place of issue matters mainly for filing and later record requests. Tell your officiant where the license came from, and make sure the completed license goes back to the issuing clerk for recording.

If neither of you lives in Maine, apply to the clerk of the town where the wedding will take place, not your hometown or a random Maine office. Bring photo ID, details of any prior marriage and the information about your parents that the application asks for. Call the clerk ahead of time because summer hours can be tight in popular coastal towns, such as those in York County and Cumberland County. Ask the clerk how certified copies will reach you after the marriage is recorded.

Once your marriage has been recorded, you can request a certified copy from the clerk who issued the license or from the Office of Vital Records at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. You will need names of both spouses and the date and place of the marriage, plus ID and payment. Copies are needed for Social Security, the driver's license office, banks and insurers. Order more than one if you expect to change names on several accounts.

For northern and eastern Maine, our directory lists the Aroostook County Marriage License office at 26 Court Street in Caribou (207-532-1502), the Piscataquis County Marriage License office at 159 E Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft (207-564-2411) and the Washington County Marriage License office at 47 Court Street in Machias (207-255-3127). Because distances are long in these counties, call your own town office first, and use the courthouse number if you are unsure which clerk handles your situation.