Marriage licenses in Mississippi are handled locally, and the details that matter — the fee, the wait, how long the license lasts — are set by a mix of state law and local practice. This page collects the statewide rules from Mississippi’s own official sources, then links every county guide we have verified so far.
The statewide rules
- Who issues the license: Circuit Clerk of any county (Miss. Code 93-1-5)
- License fee: County-set
- Waiting period: None – waiting period and blood test eliminated effective July 1, 2012
- License validity: No expiration – once issued, the license does not expire
- Minimum age: 21 to marry without parental consent; with parent/guardian consent the statutory floors are 17 for males and 15 for females, and a license below those ages requires a court order from a circuit, county or chancery judge (93-1-5)
- Residency / where to apply: Application may be made to the circuit clerk of any county, except a female applicant under 21 who is a Mississippi resident applies in her county of residence (93-1-5)
- Who can officiate: Ministers of the gospel in regular communion with a religious society, judges of courts of record (circuit, chancery, county court), justice court judges, and mayors (93-1-17); marriages may also be solemnized according to religious-society customs (93-1-19)
- Courthouse ceremonies: No – circuit clerks issue licenses; judges and other 93-1-17 officiants perform ceremonies
Mississippi counties in this directory
We have published 15 verified county guides for Mississippi so far. License fees on the verified county pages currently run from $36 to $38. 1 of them publish a separate ceremony fee. Browse them all: Browse all Mississippi county guides — and use the search on the homepage to jump straight to your county.
Source for the statewide rules: https://www.rankincounty.org/department/index.php?structureid=3 (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.