Choose a column heading to sort the comparison. The full table is available with JavaScript disabled. Charges retain the service described by their source, including separate state verification services. The state pages preserve both source dates and any observed fee difference.
| State or DC | CDC service charge | Current state service charge | License charge | Waiting period | SSA common-law entry | IRS community property |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $15.00. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $6.00 each.. (County) Varies | $15 search, including one certified copy if found | Recording fee set by each county probate court | Uncollected | Beginning January 1, 2017, no common-law marriages may be entered into in Alabama. See Ala. Code § 30-1-20(a) (2016). However, common-law marriages entered into before January 1, 2017 are recognized and continue to be valid. | Outside IRS list |
| Alaska | $30.00. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $25.00. | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized from 03/07/1939 through 12/31/1963, a marriage license was required, but solemnization was not mandatory, however, there must have been a marriage contract. Not recognized after 12/31/1963. | Outside IRS list |
| Arizona | $20 | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. For the possibility that a putative marriage may have been created, see GN 00305.085B. | Listed |
| Arkansas | $10.00. Additional copies of the same marriage record, when requested at the same time, are $10.00 each.. (County) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| California | $17.00. (County) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. However, for the possibility that a putative marriage may have been created, see GN 00305.085C. | Listed |
| Colorado | See remarks. Fee for index verification is $17.00.. (County) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized in SSA's digest, with statutory conditions for marriages entered on or after 09/01/2006. See the state entry for those conditions. | Outside IRS list |
| Connecticut | $20.00 | Uncollected | $50 | Minimum 48 hours, effective October 1, 2026 | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Delaware | $25.00 | Uncollected | Uncollected | At least 24 hours before the ceremony, subject to the Clerk of the Peace's statutory good-cause authority | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| District of Columbia | $10.00 | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized. An express mutual agreement to enter into a present marriage, and cohabitation after the agreement, are required. | Outside IRS list |
| Florida | $5.00. The fee is $5.00 for the first year searched and includes one certification of the record. Additional copies are $4.00 each when requested at the same time. If the exact date of marriage is unknown and additional years need to be searched, a fee of $5.00 for the first year searched and $2.00 for each additional year (up to a maximum of $50.00) will be charged. | Uncollected | Uncollected | Three-day delay without a qualifying premarital course. The statute provides exceptions for nonresidents and hardship, and possible judicial waiver | Recognized before 01/02/1968. The elements of a common-law marriage were: • legal capacity to contract marriage, • mutual agreement of the parties to become husband and wife presently, and • consummation of the agreement by cohabitation. | Outside IRS list |
| Georgia | $10.00 | $10 search, with one certified letter if found | County procedures vary. Check the probate court for its fee | Uncollected | Recognized before 01/01/1997. Common-law marriages entered into on or after 01/01/1997 are not recognized and are not valid. | Outside IRS list |
| Hawaii | $10.00. $2.50 portal administration fee for each birth, civil union or marriage certificate order up to 5 copies and for each 5-copy increment thereafter. Additional copies ordered at the same time are $4.00 each. | $10 first copy, $4 additional same-order copies, plus a $2.50 administration charge per group of up to five | $65, comprising $60 application and $5 portal fee | No waiting period after issuance | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Idaho | $16.00 Computer Generated. (County) Varies | $16 per certificate | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized before 01/01/1996. | Listed |
| Illinois | $5.00. Selected items may be verified (fee $5.00). | $5 state verification. County certified-copy fee was not collected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. In 2005, Illinois abolished common-law marriages contracted after June 30, 1905. For the possibility that a putative marriage may have been created, see GN 00305.085E. Illinois does not recognize the common-law marriages of its domiciliaries that arise out of brief sojourns in common-law marriage States. | Outside IRS list |
| Indiana | $8.00. (County) Varies | $8 per date searched for the state Record of Marriage, including a certified record if found. County certificate fees are separate | $25 when either party is an Indiana resident, $65 for nonresidents. Some offices add $4 for documents | Same-day marriage permitted | Recognized before 01/01/1958. Prior to that date, if parties attempted to contract a marriage in which there was an impediment, but both parties believed in good faith they were validly married, a valid common-law marriage was created by their having lived together in Indiana as husband and wife after removal of the impediment. | Outside IRS list |
| Iowa | $20.00 | $20 per certified copy | Uncollected | Three calendar days after application, excluding the application day. A district judge may waive the wait | Recognized. Evidence of cohabitation of the parties after the agreement to be husband and wife is not required. | Outside IRS list |
| Kansas | $20.00. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $20.00 each. | Uncollected | Uncollected | Third calendar day following application, including Sundays and holidays. A judge may authorize an emergency exception | Recognized. Evidence of cohabitation of the parties after the agreement to be husband and wife is not required. | Outside IRS list |
| Kentucky | $6.00. (County) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Louisiana | $5.00*. , Other Parishes Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. For the possibility that a putative marriage may have been created, see GN 00305.085F. | Listed |
| Maine | $15.00. Additional copies of same record ordered at same time are $6.00 each. | Uncollected | $40 municipal charge for recording intentions and issuing the license | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Maryland | $12.00 | $12 state certificate fee. Internet and shipping charges are separate | Uncollected | Effective at 6 a.m. on the second calendar day after issuance, subject to the statutory judicial exceptions | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Massachusetts | In person: $20.00, Mail request: $32.00 | $32 by mail, $20 in person. Online or phone first copy costs $54 | Fees vary by town | Three days. A court may authorize marriage without delay | Not recognized. However, by statute, if parties domiciled in Massachusetts enter into a ceremonial marriage while one party is barred from remarrying by a Massachusetts divorce, and one party entered into the marriage in good faith, a valid marriage arises upon removal of the impediment if the parties are domiciled in Massachusetts at that time. | Outside IRS list |
| Michigan | $34.00 (Rush fee additional $12.00). (County) Varies | $34 base fee, including a one-year search and one certified copy or no-find letter | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized before 01/01/1957. If the parties agreed to be husband and wife in a state not recognizing common-law marriage, their mere cohabitation as husband and wife in Michigan would have established a valid common-law marriage. | Outside IRS list |
| Minnesota | See remarks. (county) $9.00 | Certified-copy fees vary by county | $125 standard fee, reduced to $50 for at least 12 hours of qualifying premarital education | Uncollected | Recognized before 04/27/1941. For the possibility that a putative marriage may have been created, see GN 00305.085G. | Outside IRS list |
| Mississippi | $17.00. Additional copies of same record ordered at same time are $6.00 each.. (County) Varies | $17 search and certified copy. Additional copies ordered together cost $6 each | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized before 04/05/1956. | Outside IRS list |
| Missouri | $15.00. Certified copies of reports of marriage records are $15.00 each. | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Montana | See remarks. Fee for search and verification of essential facts of marriage is $10.00 for the first five years being searched.. (County) Varies | $10 state index search for up to five years, plus $1 for each additional year. A search supplies no certificate | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized. See the SSA state entry for its full conditions. | Outside IRS list |
| Nebraska | $16.00. (County) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Nevada | See remarks. Indexes since January 1968 through September 2005 and June 2015 to current with a $10.00 search fee to locate information of the record.. (County) Varies | $10 state locating search. County certified-copy charges are separate | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized before 03/29/1943. | Listed |
| New Hampshire | $15.00, Additional copies ordered at the same time are $10.00 each. | $15 non-refundable search fee, plus any card expenses. Additional simultaneous copies $10 | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized. Persons who are otherwise competent to contract marriage together, who cohabit and acknowledge each other as spouses, and who are generally reputed to be such for three years, and until one of them dies, are deemed legally married. | Outside IRS list |
| New Jersey | $25.00 for initial copy. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $2.00 each. | $25 initial state search and one copy or no-record statement. Local fees vary | $28 application fee | 72 hours from application. The page provides a remarriage exception | Recognized before 12/01/1939. Evidence of cohabitation of the parties after the agreement to be husband and wife is not required. | Outside IRS list |
| New Mexico | Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Listed |
| New York | $30.00. (City) $5.00 | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized before 01/01/1902. Not recognized from 1902 through 1907. Recognized from 1908 through 04/28/1933. Not recognized on or after 04/29/1933, unless the common-law marriage was validly contracted in a different state or country, and so long as the marriage does not violate New York positive law or natural law. | Outside IRS list |
| North Carolina | $24.00 (first copy), $15.00 (each additional copy) | $24 state search for a three-year period, including one copy if found | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| North Dakota | Varies | Fees vary by county | Up to $30 for the license plus a $35 domestic-violence supplement | Uncollected | Not recognized. However, North Dakota recognizes common-law marriages validly entered into in other states or nations. | Outside IRS list |
| Ohio | See remarks. (county) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized before 10/10/1991. See the SSA state entry for its full conditions. | Outside IRS list |
| Oklahoma | Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized. See the SSA state entry for its full conditions. | Outside IRS list |
| Oregon | $25.00. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $25.00 each.. (County) Varies | $25 base search and first certificate. Online, phone and identity-check charges can add to it | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. A relationship recognized as a marriage in another state where it was consummated is recognized in Oregon, even though such relationship would not be a marriage if the same factors were relied upon to create a marriage in Oregon. | Outside IRS list |
| Pennsylvania | Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Issued on or after the third day following application, subject to statutory exceptions | Recognized on or before 01/01/2005. To contract a common-law marriage on or before 01/01/2005, Pennsylvania law required clear and convincing evidence that the parties exchanged words in the present tense, spoken with the specific purpose of establishing the legal relationship of husband and wife. | Outside IRS list |
| Rhode Island | $22.00 (copy in-person), $25.00 (copy mail in) | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized. In addition, where parties contracted a bigamous, ceremonial marriage, a valid common-law marriage arises from the parties' cohabitation as husband and wife, after removal of the impediment. | Outside IRS list |
| South Carolina | $12.00 - The $12 search fee is non-refundable. The required search fee includes one (1) certification, if record is located. Additional copies purchased at the same time are $3.00 each. (search fee) | Uncollected | Uncollected | At least 24 hours after application | Recognized before 07/24/2019 Beginning 07/24/2019, no common-law marriages may be entered into in South Carolina. However, common-law marriages entered into in South Carolina before 07/24/2019, are recognized and continue to be valid. A common-law marriage must be proven by clear and convincing evidence. Thus, even after 7/24/2019, a couple can still prove a common-law marriage if they prove by clear and convincing evidence that their marriage began before 7/24/2019. | Outside IRS list |
| South Dakota | $15.00 | $15 search fee. Online and phone orders add charges | $40 | No waiting period | Recognized before 07/01/1959. South Dakota recognizes common-law marriages validly entered into in other states. | Outside IRS list |
| Tennessee | $15.00 | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not Recognized. See the SSA state entry for its full conditions. | Outside IRS list |
| Texas | $20.00 per individual marriage application.. Fee for search and verification of essential facts of marriage is $20.00 each.. (County) County, District, and City offices set their own hours of operation, fees, and procedures for local requests. | $20 state verification. County certified-copy fee was not collected | Uncollected | 72 hours after issuance, subject to the exceptions and waiver in Family Code section 2.204 | Recognized. The passage of time and ceasing of cohabitation will not terminate a common-law marriage once it is in existence. | Listed |
| Utah | $18.00, Add'l copy at same time-$10.00. First copy fee goes up to $25.00 starting on 7/1/2026 | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Recognized in SSA's digest effective 04/27/1987, subject to the conditions in its state entry. | Outside IRS list |
| Vermont | $10.00. (town) $10.00. Other marriage entry $12.00 | $10 per certificate, plus $2 if ordered online | $80 | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Virginia | $15.00. (county/city) Varies | $15 per certified copy or search, effective July 1, 2026 | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Washington | $25.00. Fees start at $25 per certificate. | $25 base fee. Ordering and shipping can add charges | County additions affect the total. Check the county auditor for its current fee | Three days after application | Not recognized. Washington recognizes common-law marriages validly entered into in other states. | Listed |
| West Virginia | $12.00. (County) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. | Outside IRS list |
| Wisconsin | $20.00. If multiple copies of the same record are ordered at the same time, additional copies are $3.00 each. | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized after 1917. Wisconsin recognizes common-law marriages validly entered into in other states. | Listed |
| Wyoming | $25.00. (County) Varies | Uncollected | Uncollected | Uncollected | Not recognized. However, Wyoming recognizes common-law marriages validly entered into in other states or nations. | Outside IRS list |
Common-law entries follow the scope and effective dates in the SSA state-law digest. Community-property entries use the IRS list for married taxpayers domiciled in those states. The state pages link to both federal publications and identify the official service sources used for the collected rules.