Marriage Licenses
Appear in the Auditors Office before 4:00 PM. The marriage license department is closed between noon and 1 p.m. daily.
Both parties should be present to apply for the license. If you are unable to apply in person, you may request an application from the Okanogan County Auditor's Office and your signatures on the completed application must be acknowledged by a notary public.
Waiting period and expiration
There is a three (3) day waiting period beginning the first day after you apply for your license and ending the third day following application. The license is valid for 60 days and may only be used in the State of Washington.
Requirements
There are no blood tests, witnesses, nor birth, nor divorce certificates required to apply for a marriage license. Additionally, there is no residency requirement in the State of Washington. Divorced persons may apply for a marriage license as long as the final decree of divorce has been filed.
Both applicants need to know in what state (or country) their parents were born and their mother's maiden name.
Age Requirements
Persons applying for marriage licenses must be 18 years of age or older.
If either party applying for the license is 17 years of age, consent of the party's parent or guardian is required. If the party's parent or legal guardian is not present at the time of application, a notarized consent statement must be presented.
If either party applying for the license is 16 years of age or younger, both parental/legal guardian consent AND a court waiver are required to apply.
To get a court waiver you will need to do the following:
- Both Applicants must contact Okanogan County Mental Health and Family Counseling Center and complete three separate marriage counseling sessions with one of their counselors. The counseling center is located at 107 West Apple, Omak, and their phone number is (509) 826-6191.
- The Applicants must have paid in full all fees charged by the Okanogan County Counseling Center.
- Okanogan County Mental Health and Family Counseling Center must submit a written report to the Superior Court Judge at the completion of these sessions.
- Both Applicants must submit letters of reference from two separate persons each. References should be from teachers, pastors, or the like who know the applicants and can discuss their maturity, future plans, etc.
- Both applicants must submit statements from any employers verifying their employment, describe their job performance and explain their pay and benefits.
- Both applicants must provide separate written statements neatly typed or printed which explain:
- Why each wants to get married.
- The history of their relationship.
- Concrete steps they have taken to provide food, clothes, shelter, and other needs for themselves and any children they will have.
- Why it is necessary for them to marry at this time.
- Applicants must submit the application for marriage license and all the above in a meeting set with the Superior Court Judge for review and approval.
There is a $59.00 fee for marriage licenses due at the time of application. Cash, and money orders are accepted. Personal checks are not accepted at this time.
Performing the Ceremony
State law prescribes who can perform a marriage ceremony: active and retired Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, Superior Court judges, Superior Court commissioners, and judges of courts of limited jurisdiction, as well as any regularly licensed or ordained minister or priest of any church or religious denomination. See RCW 26.04.050 for a complete list.
Ministers from any state may perform marriage ceremonies. Neither the bride nor the groom may perform the ceremony.
For information about having a District Court judge perform the ceremony, please call the District Court at 509-422-7170.
Public Disclosure
All marriage records are a matter of public record. The one exception to this is for those enrolled in the State's Address Confidentiality program.
Once a license has been recorded, it cannot be "unrecorded".