Marriage licenses in Texas 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 Texas’s own official sources, then links every county guide we have verified so far.
The statewide rules
- Who issues the license: County Clerk of any Texas county
- License fee: Unknown from state source
- Waiting period: 72 hours (exceptions apply, Fam. Code 2.204)
- License validity: 90 days (expires if ceremony not conducted before 90th day, Fam. Code 2.201)
- Residency / where to apply: License may be obtained from any county clerk’s office (Fam. Code 2.001)
- Who can officiate: Licensed/ordained Christian ministers or priests, Jewish rabbis, officers of religious organizations authorized to conduct ceremonies, and current/former/retired state or federal judges (Fam. Code 2.202)
- Courthouse ceremonies: Judges are authorized officiants; county clerks issue licenses but are not listed as officiants
Texas counties in this directory
We have published 69 verified county guides for Texas so far. License fees on the verified county pages currently run from $66 to $87. 2 of them publish a separate ceremony fee. Browse them all: Browse all Texas county guides — and use the search on the homepage to jump straight to your county.
Source for the statewide rules: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/marriage-in-texas/conducting-the-ceremony (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.