Frequently Asked Questions

In Our Office
 

Instructions on Getting Married at City Hall:

Ceremonies are available Monday-Friday starting at 9:00 am through 3:30 pm every half hour. Two reservation slots are available each half-hour.

Reservations require a payment of $98 at the time of booking. Appointments may be made:

• Online - Reservations can be made with credit card only (Visa or MasterCard): Online Civil Ceremony Reservations.

Rescheduling and No-Refund Policy – Please make sure you make your reservation selection very carefully as there will be ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS  issued once the reservation has been made. Note: If you are also having your ceremony at City Hall, be sure to check both marriage license and marriage ceremony calendars first and schedule your ceremony appointment first as there are fewer ceremony appointments than there are marriage license appointments.

For Ceremonies:

• The ceremony will not be performed unless you present a VALID marriage license to the commissioner at the time of your ceremony. If you are unable to do so, you will be required to make another ceremony reservation and pay the ceremony fee again.
• The office does not perform wedding vow renewal ceremonies.

Marriage licenses are issued by prepaid confirmed marriage license reservation only.

• If a marriage license has already been purchased, check the expiration date of your marriage license prior to making the ceremony reservation. The marriage license is valid for 90 days from the marriage license issuance date.
• If you plan to purchase your marriage license on the same day as your ceremony reservation, you must make and pay for a marriage license reservation for the same day at least 30 minutes PRIOR to your ceremony reservation time. For example, if your ceremony reservation is 10:00 a.m., your marriage license reservation should be scheduled no later than 9:30 a.m.

Both parties to the marriage must be able to speak and understand English. If the commissioner feels that either party does not speak English, he/she may refuse to perform the ceremony unless you provide your own third-party interpreter.  Couples requiring a ceremony performed in American Sign Language (ASL) or any other language, must notify the County Clerk's Office in person or Contact Us to make arrangements, prior to booking an appointment online.  Please allow a minimum of two weeks' advance notice for all sign language bookings.

The couple and no more than 2 witnesses should arrive at the INFORMATION DESK at City Hall, Room 168 for CHECK-IN 15 minutes before your appointment time (other witnesses shall wait in the outer hallway.)

The couple must bring:

• Valid marriage license
• Unexpired government-issued photo identification in English
• For a Public Marriage Ceremony, 1 witness is required to be present. For a Confidential Marriage Ceremony, no ceremony witness is required. There is no age requirement in California for witnesses; however, they must be old enough to know that they are witnessing a marriage ceremony AND be able to sign their name on the official marriage license.
• Couples may invite up to 6 guests. This limit applies to everyone attending the ceremony including photo/videographers and children. 

Due to limited space and time, civil ceremony weddings can have a maximum of 6 guests. If you will be bringing more than 6 guests, you will need to book a private wedding through the San Francisco City Hall Events Department at www.sfgov.org/cityhallevents.

Ceremonies are performed in a location determined by the commissioner (usually our private ceremony room or the rotunda, if available.) Specific requests for the rotunda or any other area will not be accepted as we cannot guarantee availability.

A certified copy of your marriage record will NOT be available for purchase until at least 10 business days AFTER the license is received from the person solemnizing the marriage. Same-day and expedited services for certified copies are not available. Please plan accordingly. For further information, see webpage: http://sfgov.org/countyclerk/how-obtain-copies-marriage-licenses 

No form of litter is permitted to be thrown anywhere inside or outside the building; including exterior steps (flower petals, birdseed, rice, confetti, silly string, etc...).  Helium balloons, alcohol, and knives are not allowed into the building.
Camcorders and cameras are permitted.

Off-Site Weekend Ceremonies (Only Saturdays, Sundays, and Legal Holidays):

Arrangements for off-site weekend ceremonies are only made for marriage licenses purchased through our office. Our office will assign a Deputy Marriage Commissioner to perform a civil ceremony at a San Francisco location of your choice and time (you are responsible for arranging and paying for the venue, permits, etc.). A marriage license must be issued by San Francisco County prior to requesting for arrangements.  We will not accept requests within 7 days or more than sixty (60) days prior to the ceremony date.

To make arrangements, complete and submit an Off-Site Ceremony Request Form and $162.00 non-refundable fee to the SF County Clerk. Arrangements will not be made without receipt of payment.  Upon receiving the request form and payment, you will be provided with your assigned Deputy Marriage Commissioner's name, phone number, and email address (if available).

On the day of the ceremony, $150.00 CASH must be paid to the Deputy Marriage Commissioner. Deputy Marriage Commissioners are volunteers and not City and County of San Francisco employees.

Note: The ceremony must take place in San Francisco. Re-scheduling or rehearsal time is at the discretion of the Deputy Marriage Commissioner.

Deputy Marriage Commissioner for a Day:

Any person age 18+ years may be granted authorization to perform a civil marriage as a Deputy Marriage Commissioner for a specific couple. For further information, see the webpage Deputy Marriage Commissioner for a Day.