How to get a certified copy of a marriage certificate in Maryland
CDC also identifies the Circuit Court Clerk in the issuing county and the Baltimore City court clerk for licenses issued in the city. Compare the later state-service start date in the current-source column before selecting the office. CDC source for Maryland.
For the Maryland marriage record service, CDC identifies Division of Vital Records Department of Health 6764-B Reisterstown Road P.O. Box 68760 Baltimore, MD 21215-2306. Its listed charge is $12.00.
| Field | CDC Where to Write | Current official evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Office | Division of Vital Records Department of Health 6764-B Reisterstown Road P.O. Box 68760 Baltimore, MD 21215-2306 | Maryland Division of Vital Records Official source (checked 2026-11-11) |
| Service charge | $12.00 | $12 state certificate fee. Internet and shipping charges are separate Official source (checked 2026-11-11) |
| Years held or service coverage | Records since January, 1990. Clerk of Circuit Court in county where license was issued or Clerk of Court of Common Pleas of Baltimore City (for licenses issued in City of Baltimore). | January 1, 2007 to present Official source (checked 2026-11-11) |
| Ordering route | CDC entry | For earlier marriages, contact the county circuit court or Maryland State Archives Official source (checked 2026-11-11) |
CDC lists Records since January, 1990. Clerk of Circuit Court in county where license was issued or Clerk of Court of Common Pleas of Baltimore City (for licenses issued in City of Baltimore). (reviewed September 12, 2017). The official state source gives January 1, 2007 to present (checked 2026-11-11).
Getting a marriage license in Maryland
Maryland lists the following for issuing office. Clerk for the county where the ceremony is performed. Official source (checked 2026-11-11).
Maryland lists the following for waiting period. Effective at 6 a.m. on the second calendar day after issuance, subject to the statutory judicial exceptions. Official source (checked 2026-11-11).
The fee and license validity remain unverified here, so contact the Maryland official office for current requirements.
Searching Maryland marriage records
For marriage-record searches, consult the Maryland official records office. Public-search availability was unverified at the 2026-11-11 check.
Common-law marriage and community property
| Source scope | State entry |
|---|---|
| SSA common-law digest | Not recognized. SSA GN 00305.075. Digest effective 2023-05-30, checked 2026-11-11 |
| IRS community-property list | Outside the listed community-property states IRS 555, checked 2026-11-11 |
Maryland has this entry in SSA's state-law digest, effective 2023-05-30. Not recognized. Those conditions belong to the benefit-program guidance. The Maryland community-property classification follows the domicile-based federal-tax discussion in IRS Publication 555.
The numbers
| Measure | State | US or reporting-area benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage rate | 5.3 | 6.3 |
| Divorce rate | 2.8 | 2.3 |
| ACS median first-marriage age, men | 32.2 | 30.8 |
| ACS median first-marriage age, women | 29.6 | 28.8 |
Maryland recorded 5.3 marriages per 1,000 residents in 2024. Its rate is below the nationwide 6.3 and uses marriages performed in Maryland, including those of visiting couples.
The Maryland divorce entry is 2.8 per 1,000 residents for 2024, above the reporting-jurisdiction rate of 2.3.
Maryland's median first-marriage age is 32.2 for men and 29.6 for women in ACS 2024. Its margins of error are 0.7 years for men and 0.3 for women, while the Maryland male-female median gap is 2.6 years.
Ordering state and DC first-marriage medians oldest first puts Maryland fourth for men and 14th for women. The Maryland male estimate is above the national 30.8, and its female estimate is above the US 28.8.
Maryland and Las Vegas
Maryland supplied 389 Las Vegas licenses by mailing address in 2025, the 26th state or DC total. The corresponding Las Vegas page has the available annual history. The county method page gives the reporting limits.
Maryland accounted for 0.62% of Las Vegas licenses in the 2021 to 2025 files, with 2,340 licenses by mailing address. The Maryland annual peak is 881 in 2007. The Maryland checkpoints are 2019 with 421, 2024 with 448, and 2025 with 389.
For Maryland, the latest Las Vegas figure fell 13.17% from 2024. Compared with 2019, Maryland is 7.60% below, and its latest total sits 55.85% below its annual peak.
Licenses carrying Maryland mailing addresses totaled 881 licenses in 2007, 637 licenses in 2008, 660 licenses in 2009, 638 licenses in 2010, 574 licenses in 2011, 523 licenses in 2012, 516 licenses in 2013, 513 licenses in 2014. County sources and coverage.
Licenses carrying Maryland mailing addresses totaled 557 licenses in 2015, 489 licenses in 2016, 486 licenses in 2017, 464 licenses in 2018, 421 licenses in 2019, 357 licenses in 2020, 549 licenses in 2021, 501 licenses in 2022 (through 22 December). County sources and coverage.
Licenses carrying Maryland mailing addresses totaled 453 licenses in 2023, 448 licenses in 2024, 389 licenses in 2025. County sources and coverage.
After a Clark County ceremony, Maryland couples can use the Nevada proof-of-marriage guide, which links online, mail and counter orders. The officiant must file within 10 calendar days, after which the certified certificate costs $20.