Marriage licenses in Arkansas are handled locally, and the details that matter — the fee, the wait, how long the license lasts — are set by state law. This page collects the statewide rules from Arkansas’s own official sources, then links every county guide we have verified so far.
The statewide rules
- Who issues the license: County Clerk (clerk of the county court) of any county (Ark. Code 9-11-201)
- License fee (statewide): $60
- Waiting period: None for applicants 18+; a 5-business-day waiting period applies to underage applicants
- License validity: 60 days – the license must be returned to the issuing county clerk within 60 days of its date, used or unused (9-11-218)
- Minimum age: 18; a 17-year-old may marry with parental consent (9-11-102); under 17 prohibited
- Residency / where to apply: No residency requirement; license may be obtained from any of the 75 county clerks and used anywhere in Arkansas
- Who can officiate: The Governor, current and former justices and judges, justices of the peace (and former JPs who served at least 2 terms), mayors, and regularly ordained ministers or priests of any religious sect – ministers must first record their credentials with a county clerk (9-11-213, 9-11-214)
- Courthouse ceremonies: No – county clerks issue licenses; judges, justices of the peace and mayors perform ceremonies
Arkansas counties in this directory
We have published 13 verified county guides for Arkansas so far. License fees on the verified county pages currently run from $60 to $60. 0 of them publish a separate ceremony fee. Browse them all: Browse all Arkansas county guides — and use the search on the homepage to jump straight to your county.
Source for the statewide rules: https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT845.pdf (checked 2026-11-09). County figures are checked separately against each county’s own official page and carry their own verified dates. Always confirm with your county clerk before you go — this is not a government site.