How to Apply for a Yavapai County Marriage License
The Yavapai County Clerk of Superior Court issues every county marriage license. Both parties must show up together at the Clerk's Office. They sign the application in front of a Clerk and take an oath as to the truth of the statements on the form. The fee is $98. Cash, money order, and credit card all work. The official page sits at courts.yavapaiaz.gov/Departments/Clerk/Marriage-Licenses, and the image below shows that source.
The marriage license page lays out the fee, the in-person rule, and the age limits in one place. Plan to allow time for both parties to sign and to confirm identification before payment runs.
- Confirm both parties can appear in person at the Clerk's Office in Prescott or Camp Verde.
- Bring photo identification as proof of age. Staff may request ID at the counter.
- Pay the $98 license fee by cash, money order, or credit card.
- Both parties sign the marriage license application in front of a Clerk.
- Both parties take an oath or affirmation as to the truth of the statements on the form.
- If a party is 16 or 17, bring written consent from a parent or guardian, and the custodial parent must show ID.
- If a party is under 16, obtain parental consent and an order from an Arizona Superior Court Judge before the visit.
- Pick up the issued license. It is valid for 12 months and may be used anywhere in Arizona.
- Arrange the ceremony on your own. The Clerk does not perform or schedule weddings.
- Have two witnesses age 18 or older sign the certificate portion after the ceremony.
- Return the signed license to the Clerk for official recording, either in person or by mail to the Prescott office.
Yavapai County Marriage License Requirements
Arizona keeps the marriage license rules simple. The Clerk's official page lists every rule for a Yavapai license in one short block. There is no blood test, no waiting period, and no residency rule. The license fee is uniform across the state under A.R.S. § 25-121, the marriage license application statute. The image below shows that statute on the official Arizona Legislature site.
Section 25-121 ties the in-person rule and the oath to state law, which is why both parties must show up at the Clerk's counter to sign.
- No copy of a prior dissolution decree is required to apply.
- No blood test is required.
- No waiting period applies before the license is issued.
- No Arizona residency rule applies; out of state couples may apply in Yavapai.
- Identification may be requested as proof of age.
- The license is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance.
- A Yavapai license may be used anywhere in Arizona.
- Two witnesses age 18 or older must sign the certificate portion after the ceremony.
- The signed license must be returned to the Clerk for official recording.
Age rules track state law. Legal consent age is 18. A party who is 16 or 17 needs consent from at least one parent or guardian, and the custodial parent must present identification. A party under 16 needs parental consent plus approval from an Arizona Superior Court Judge before the Clerk can issue the license.
Marriage License Application Fields
The Yavapai marriage license application asks for basic identity facts from both parties, plus signatures and an oath. A few extra fields apply only in special cases, such as minor applicants or covenant marriages. The table below maps each field to its type and notes.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant 1 legal name | Text | Yes | Must be completed legibly on the form. |
| Applicant 2 legal name | Text | Yes | Must be completed legibly on the form. |
| Age / date of birth / proof of age | Date and ID | Yes | ID may be requested at the counter. Age limits apply. |
| Oath or affirmation | Signature and oath | Yes | Both parties sign in person at the Clerk's Office. |
| Parent or guardian consent | Form and signature | Conditional | Required for an applicant who is 16 or 17. |
| Judge approval order | Court order | Conditional | Required for an applicant under 16. |
| Covenant marriage counseling statement | Notarized statement | Conditional | Required to apply for a covenant marriage. |
| Declaration of Intent | Form and signature | Conditional | Required to convert a traditional marriage to a covenant marriage. |
The two main Clerk counters that take walk-in applications sit in Prescott and Camp Verde.
Prescott Clerk Office
120 South Cortez Street, Room 207
Prescott, AZ 86303
(928) 771-3312
Camp Verde Clerk Office
2840 N Commonwealth Drive
Camp Verde, AZ 86322
(928) 567-7741
Fees for Yavapai County Marriage and Divorce Records
The Clerk follows the fee authority in A.R.S. § 12-284. The marriage license fee is set by state law and applies across Arizona. Certified copies, search fees, and abstracts each carry a flat amount. Postage applies when mail requests do not include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $98.00 |
| Certified marriage certificate | $35.00 |
| Abstract of marriage | $35.00 |
| Marriage license search | $35.00 |
| Convert traditional to covenant marriage | $35.00 |
| Postage and handling (no SASE) | $8.00 |
| Statewide Online Parent Education Course | $50.00 per person |
Payment for license issuance runs at the Clerk counter. Cash, money order, and credit card all work. Mail requests for certified copies need a money order or cashier's check. Email requests run through a quote step, with payment routed to the Clerk online payment center after staff sends a total.
Covenant Marriage in Yavapai County
Arizona offers two kinds of marriage. The standard form is a traditional marriage. The second form is a covenant marriage, which adds counseling and divorce limits under state law. Yavapai's Clerk page lays out the local steps. Both parties must complete premarital counseling before applying. They must bring a notarized statement from the clergy person or counselor confirming the counseling and confirming receipt of the covenant marriage pamphlet.
An already-married couple may convert a traditional marriage into a covenant marriage. The conversion is filed at the Clerk's Office. Both spouses sign a marriage license affidavit and a Declaration of Intent, and pay a $35 conversion fee. The Clerk records the converted status with the existing marriage record.
Note: Covenant marriage paperwork must be ready at the counter before the Clerk can issue the license, so plan ahead with the counselor.
Certified Marriage Certificate Copies
A certified marriage certificate is the official paper proof of a Yavapai marriage. It is needed for name changes, Social Security updates, immigration cases, court use, and benefits cases. Same-day service is available in person at both the Prescott and Camp Verde Clerk offices. The fee is $35 per certified copy.
By mail, send a money order or cashier's check for $35 with party names and the date of marriage. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope, or include $8 for postage and handling. If staff has to look up an older record by hand, an extra $35 search fee applies under A.R.S. § 12-284(E). An abstract of marriage is also $35 and may serve when the user does not need the full certificate.
Email requests are routed to YavapaiRecordsManagement@courts.az.gov for the records desk. Staff sends a total back, then the user pays through the Clerk online payment center. The records phone line is (928) 777-7934.
Yavapai County Divorce Filings and Records
Divorce, legal separation, and annulment cases are filed in Yavapai County Superior Court. The Clerk maintains the family case file. The Yavapai Self-Service Center offers free forms for dissolution, legal separation, annulment, paternity, legal decision-making, child support, parenting time, default and service, temporary orders, enforcement, and appeals. Forms are not legal advice. The court warns self-represented parties to follow the same procedure as attorneys.
For documents and case index lookup, use the free Public Access Case Lookup. Superior Court documents in civil and family cases filed on or after July 1, 2010 may be available through eAccess. Some sealed family material is withheld under court order, including parts of paternity files and any record sealed by judge. The dissolution finding rules sit in A.R.S. § 25-312. The image below shows that statute.
Section 25-312 sets the residency and grounds findings that a Superior Court judge must enter before a divorce decree is granted in Arizona. The Clerk records the signed decree at the close of the case.
Free help is available for self-represented parties at the Divorce 101 class. The class runs the first Wednesday of each month, except court holidays, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 221 of the Prescott courthouse. Microsoft Teams streams the session for people who cannot attend in person. The Law Library and Self Service Center phone is (928) 771-3309. For broader public records issues, see the Yavapai County public records page. For background on the Clerk's full duties, see the Clerk of Court page.
Conciliation Court and the 60-Day Pause
Conciliation Court Services is a quiet part of Yavapai's family law system that many parties miss. A Petition for Conciliation may be filed with the Clerk in either Prescott or the Verde Valley Judicial District. A divorce case does not need to be on file yet. Once the petition is accepted, neither party may file a dissolution or legal separation for 60 days. If a case is already pending, the court will not advance it during that 60-day cooling-off period.
Conferences are run by professional counselors. Both parties must attend after the court takes jurisdiction. The conferences are private and confidential. The image below shows the Conciliation Court Services page on the county court site.
The page sourced from courts.yavapaiaz.gov/Departments/Superior-Court/Conciliation-Court-Services explains the petition route, the 60-day pause, and the role of the counselors. Mediation is offered separately for legal decision-making and parenting-time plans. In Yavapai, mediation is encouraged by judges and required in most domestic-relations actions where child disputes are in play. Parties may request mediation post-decree by petition, or the court may order it on its own.
Parent Education Required in Divorce Cases With Children
Arizona requires parent education in divorce, legal separation, annulment, and paternity cases where parents share minor children and ask the court to set legal decision-making, parenting time, or visitation. The mandate sits in A.R.S. § 25-351 and the related statute § 25-352. The Yavapai Clerk page is direct about which course counts.
As of March 1, 2024, Yavapai uses the Statewide Online Parent Education Course only. The fee is $50 per person, payable to the Clerk. The course runs about three hours. It is offered in English and Spanish. A desktop or laptop with Microsoft Edge is recommended. After payment, the Clerk emails the official course link directly to the parent.
Important: Many third-party online courses claim Arizona approval but are not valid in Yavapai. The Clerk warns parents not to search online for substitutes. If the approved course is not finished and posted to the court, the judge may deny the divorce decree.
For related records or to plan ahead on family case finances, see the Yavapai County probate records page for estate matters, the court records page for case index and docket lookup, and the FAQ page for common questions about Yavapai records.