How to Get a Marriage License in St. Louis County, MO: Courthouse Guide

Start with the recorder of deeds

In Missouri, marriage licenses are issued by the county, not by a city. In St. Louis County, the office that issues them is the recorder of deeds. Even if you live in a city inside the county, you do not go to city hall for this. You deal with the county recorder.

You are also not limited to your home county. You can apply at any county recorder of deeds in Missouri, and the license can be used anywhere in the state. That means you can pick the office that is easiest for the two of you to reach, and you can marry in a different county from the one that issued your license.

Confirm the details before you go

We do not know this office's street address, phone number, hours, appointment policy, accepted payment methods or exact fee, and we are not going to guess. Before you make the trip, contact the St. Louis County recorder of deeds directly and ask:

•Where the office is and what hours it is open to the public

•Whether you need an appointment or can simply walk in

•What the exact fee is and which payment methods are accepted

•What identification and paperwork each of you needs to bring

•Whether you both need to be there at the same time

Write the answers down and bring the list with you. Asking everything in one call is much easier than discovering a missing item at the counter.

What it costs

Missouri counties set their own fees, and they run about $46 to $62. That is a range across the state, not a quote for St. Louis County. Get the exact figure from the recorder, along with the payment methods the office accepts, so you do not arrive with the wrong kind of payment.

There is no waiting period

Missouri eliminated its three-day waiting period. Some older guides and forum posts still mention it, but it no longer applies. You do not have to build a waiting period into your plans, which makes the process more flexible than it used to be.

That said, "no waiting period" is not the same as "no steps." You still need to visit the recorder of deeds and complete the application, so leave enough time in your schedule to do it properly instead of squeezing it into a lunch break.

Watch the 30-day window

The license is valid for 30 days from the date it is issued. The clock starts on the day the license is issued, not on the day you apply for it in your own mind, and not on the day you decide to get married.

Because there is no waiting period, you have a lot of control over timing. A sensible approach:

1.Choose your ceremony date first.

2.Count back so the license is issued well inside the 30 days before that date.

3.Leave yourselves some cushion in case something delays the ceremony by a few days.

If your ceremony is more than 30 days away, wait to get the license. If you get it too early, you may have to start over. Ask the recorder what happens if a license expires before it is used.

Once you have the license, keep it somewhere safe and flat, and know who is responsible for bringing it to the ceremony. Also ask the recorder what you need to do with the license after the ceremony so the marriage is properly recorded. Do not assume this is handled automatically.

St. Louis County marriage licenses, by the numbers

235 marriage licenses were filed in St. Louis County in the last 30 days and 403 in the last 12 months; the newest filing we hold is dated 2026-09-30. Month-by-month counts and the public record are on the St. Louis County marriage license page.

State rules checked against [Greene County Recorder — Marriage Licenses](https://greenecountymo.gov/recorder/marriage_licenses.php). Fees and procedures change — the recorder of deeds has the final word. General information, not legal advice.