Welcome to the La Crosse County Clerk’s Marriage License information web page. If already married and want a certified copy of the marriage license, please contact the Register of Deeds office in the county in which you were married.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE MARRIED IN WISCONSIN,
PLEASE READ ON…….
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
The Bride and Groom must apply together. The completed license and application must be signed by both the Bride and Groom in the office of the County Clerk.
WHERE SHOULD THE BRIDE AND GROOM APPLY?
A Wisconsin resident who will be getting married in Wisconsin must apply for the license at the County Clerk’s office in the county where she or he has been living for the last 30 days. This license will be valid anywhere in the State of Wisconsin. If getting married in Wisconsin, but NEITHER the Bride nor the Groom have lived in Wisconsin for the past 30 days, she or he must apply for the license in the County Clerk’s office in the county where the wedding will take place.
The La Crosse County Clerk’s office is located in the Administrative Center at 400 4th St. North in Room 1210 near downtown La Crosse. Our telephone number is 608-785-9581.
If the Bride and Groom must apply in another county, please contact the appropriate County Clerk’s Office.
WHEN SHOULD THE BRIDE AND GROOM APPLY?
There is a mandatory five-day waiting period, which starts the day AFTER you apply. Therefore, if you applied on the 1st day of the month, the license cannot be issued until the 6th day of the month. If the issuance day falls on a weekend or a holiday when we are not open, it will be issued the following Monday or the first working day after the holiday. Therefore, a license applied for on a Monday would not be valid until the following Monday. The license is valid for 30 days after the issuance date, and the official ceremony must take place during those 30 days. There is a restricted time period in which the license must be applied for. Feel free to call us with the wedding date for the available application period.
AGE REQUIREMENT:
The Bride and/or Groom must be 16 years of age to marry in Wisconsin. Applicants under 18 years of age must have the written consent of both parents, the guardian, the custodian as defined by law, or the parent having the actual care, custody and control of the applicant. The written consent must be given before the county clerk under oath, or certified in writing and verified by affidavit before a notary public or other official authorized to take affidavits.
IDENTIFICATION / BIRTH DATE:
All applicants, regardless of age, are required to furnish an un-expired photo ID and a **CERTIFIED Birth Certificate**. This is the signed copy of the birth certificate which bears the raised County or State Seal issued from the Register of Deeds or Recorder in the County of birth or from the Office of Vital Statistics in the State of birth.
** A birth notification (no raised seal or signature) is not acceptable nor is the one that a hospital issues, even though it may have a decorative hospital seal. These are birth announcements only and cannot be accepted.
VITAL RECORDS:
It is illegal to make a photo-copy of any vital record (birth, death, marriage or divorce certificate). Such violation may be subject to a $10,000 fine. If we are presented with an illegal photo-copy, we are required to confiscate it.
PROOF OF ADDRESS:
Proof of current address is also required. The current address is where the Bride and/or Groom have physically lived 30 days prior to the date of applying. A post office box is not acceptable. If the address on the driver’s license or ID card is not current, a lease, utility statement, phone bill or government notification addressed to that person may also be acceptable.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:
Everyone must furnish his or her Social Security number in order to be issued a marriage license. It is not required that we see the social security card.
PREVIOUS MARRIAGE:
If either the Bride and/or Groom have been married before, and the last marriage ended in death, we must see the certified death certificate. If the last marriage ended in divorce, a 6-month waiting period must have elapsed since the divorce was granted before a marriage license can be issued. We must see a copy of the final divorce judgment. This is sometimes referred to as the divorce decree and it must be signed by the judge. There are no exceptions to this rule.
COST:
The cost of a marriage license in La Crosse County is $90.00, payable at the time of application. This must be paid in cash; we cannot accept checks or credit cards.
REFUND POLICY:
If, for any reason, the marriage does not take place, (i.e. the marriage is postponed or cancelled) a partial refund may be given if ALL of the following criteria are met:
§ Applicant receiving the refund returns the written receipt.
§ The Marriage License has NOT been picked up.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
WEDDING INFO:
1. The date of the wedding
2. The officiant’s name, address & phone number.
(If you are looking for a judge or court commissioner to perform the ceremony, click here for a list of La Crosse Area Officiants.)
3. The County and Municipality where the wedding will take place.
BRIDE & GROOM: The County & Municipality in which each resides. Race, number of previous marriages, and last completed grade of education.
PARENTS: The full legal name of your parents (both Father and Mother of each of you): first, middle and birth surname (maiden name).
FOREIGN LANGUAGE: If any of the required documents are in a foreign language, a notarized English translation must also be provided. Translations from family or friends are not acceptable.
DISCLAIMER: Due to space limitations, this information may not address every possible circumstance. Please contact us for further information, if necessary, by email or phone at 608-785-9581.
We are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 – 4:30 effective October 1,2012.
Thank you for visiting us at the La Crosse County Web Page. We look forward to serving you.
Revised 9/21/12