Formal Marriage License Requirements:

• Complete a Marriage License Application;
• Both parties must appear together at one of the County Clerk Office locations. Parts of the application process may be completed by Absentee Application if one party is unable to appear in person;
• For MINORS, both parties must be 18 years or older; effective September 1, 2017, Texas Family Code 2.003 states, A person under 18 years of age may not marry unless the person has been granted by this state or another state a court order removing the disabilities of minority of the person for general purposes;
• Provide proof of identity and age (see list in English & Spanish);
• Provide social security number, if you have one;
• If DIVORCED, there is a 30 day waiting period after the divorce is final before remarriage, unless waived or divorced from each other. If the 30 day waiting period is waived, a certified copy of the divorce decree must be presented at the time the license if purchased;
• Not presently married to someone other than the other applicant;
• Not related to the other applicant;
• For marriage by proxy, please call (281) 341-8685 or email the Records Division (cclerkrecords@fortbendcountytx.gov) for additional information.
• For ceremony officiant information, see Texas Family Code 2.202 - Persons Authorized to Conduct a Marriage Ceremony .
   
• Formal Marriage License $71.00;
• Formal Marriage License fee may be reduced to $11.00 with valid proof of state approved Pre-Marital Course, see requirements in Marriage License Waiting Period below;
• A polysleeve can be purchased to protect the document for $2.00.
• Payment Options 

Appointments available, but not required for issuing a Marriage License.

Marriage License Designs:

Wedding Bells | Texas Flag | Hearts | Historic

Marriage License Waiting Period:

There is a 72-hour waiting period from the time of purchasing a marriage license to the marriage ceremony (Texas Family Code, Chapter 2, Section 2.204). Unless an applicant:

• Is a member of the armed forces of the United States and on active duty;
• Performs work for the United Sates Department of Defense as a employee or contract worker;
• Obtains a written waiver from a judge of a court with jurisdiction in family law cases, a justice of the supreme court, a judge of the court of criminal appeals, a county judge , or a judge of a court of appeals;
• Completes a premarital education course described by Texas Family Code Section 2.013 and provides the County Clerk with the course completion certificate indicating:

1. Completion of the course within one year of the date the marriage license application is filed with the Clerk;
2. Signed by the course provider;
3. Certificate states the names of both the applicants for the marriage license;
4. Course name stated clearly somewhere on the certificate.

Application for Waiver of the Seventy-Two Hour Waiting Period can be found ​​​​​​​here .

Marriage License Expiration:

• The license is only valid for 90 days including the date of purchase;
• A marriage license expires if it has not been used before the 90th day after it was issued;
• If a couple wishes to marry after the expiration date, a new license must be purchased.

After the Ceremony:

The person who performs the ceremony is responsible for returning the marriage license to the County Clerk's office no later than the 30th day after the date of the marriage ceremony. The license will be recorded into public record and returned:

• To the couple via mail if dropped off by the officiant or anyone other than the couple;
• To the couple directly, if brought in by at least one of the license applicants, upon presenting valid identification.

Marriage License copies are available once the license has been filed.

The Fort Bend County Clerk is the only official in the County authorized to issue, record, and maintain marriage licenses and birth and death certificates. The Fort Bend County Clerk was appointed Local Registrar in 1990 by the County and all cities located within the County. 

We are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for issuance of cremation and burial transit permits. We submit monthly, quarterly, and annual activity reports to the county and state. 

Search Records

You may order a certified copy of a birth or death record or a certified copy of a marriage license online using your credit card through our only approved official Internet business partner of the Fort Bend County Clerk's office, VitalChek Network, Inc.

Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) is only provided to the general public through the Office of the Attorney General.  Please visit the Office of the Attorney General or the local office in  your area for assistance.

The Fort Bend County Clerk is the recorder and custodian of important public records, ensuring that these records are maintained in a secure, archival manner. 

Official Public Records (OPR) consist of all publicly accessible documents recorded by this office and may include deeds, plats, mortgage documents, easements, assumed names (DBA), powers of attorney, bills of sale, and liens. 

The Fort Bend County Clerk's permanent online library contains millions of documents from 1821 to the present.

The online database does not constitute the official repository of real property records and may not reflect the unaltered contents of those records as maintained in the official real property records.  

Search Official Public Records

Photo I.D. is required per Texas Local Government Code Section 191.010 (b)(c)

• (b) A county clerk may require a person presenting a document in person for filing in real property records to present a photo identification to the clerk. The clerk may copy the photo identification or record information from the photo identification. The clerk shall copy the photo identification or record information from the photo identification. The clerk may not charge a person a fee to copy or record the information from a photo identification. 
• (c) Information copied or recorded from the photo identification is confidential. 

It is a crime to intentionally or knowingly file a fraudulent document with the County Clerk. (Texas Local Government Code Section 51.904)

If a County Clerk has a good faith belief that there is potential fraud, we are able to seek the assistance of the District Attorney or County Attorney to review the documents. (Texas Local Government Code Section 51.901(d))

If a document meets the basic structure outlined in Texas law the County Clerk cannot prevent a document from being recorded. But keep in mind that just because a document has been recorded with the County Clerk does not make it a legal document. It is not the function of our staff to determine the legal standing of a document.

Property Code Sec. 5.0261 provides a streamlined procedure for addressing discriminatory provisions in real property records. Senate Bill 30, which took effect on September 1, 2021, amends Property Code Sec. 5.0261 to establish a process for a property owner, or another person that the owner authorizes, to request a judicial review of specific property records to determine whether they contain prohibited discriminatory provisions.
Property Code Sec 5.0261 sets out the contents of the documents required to be submitted to the court as well as a suggested format for the court’s findings and order. No filing fees may be charged under the statute.
To view the language of the Code and the format for filing with the court as well as the format for the court’s findings and order, go to Texas Constitution and Statues – Property Code-Conveyances.

Please note: Digital signatures are acceptable on a document that has been filed with the county clerk electronically by code requirements (eRecording). A paper document that contains a copy of a digital signature or signatures does not meet requirement of Property Code 12.00011 that requires a document to have an original signature. To allow for a paper document to be recorded with electronic signatures, the notary must attach a “tangible paper declaration” to the paper copy of the electronically signed instrument. Property Code 12.0013

The county clerk is the ex officio (or non-voting) member of the commissioners court. The commissioners court serves as the executive body of county government and responsible for county operations. This includes setting the county tax rate, setting the county budget, maintaining unincorporated areas of the county, managing and maintaining county facilities.

FORT BEND COUNTY CLERK'S MISSION STATEMENT

To provide excellent customer service through skilled personnel and leading edge technology to the citizens of Fort Bend County, the judges, attorneys and related agencies while being vigilant and efficient with tax payer dollars.

COUNTY CLERK DUTIES

• Serves as clerk and custodian of records for the Commissioners Court, Constitutional County Court, and Statutory County Courts.
• Acts as a recorder, local registrar, and custodian of important public records, including all bonds, deeds, birth and death certificates, assumed names (DBA), and livestock brands, ensuring that records are maintained in a secure, archival manner.
• Issues marriage licenses.

Welcome to the Office of the County Clerk

Please see our links to the left for all important information concerning a visit to any of our County Clerk locations. Office wait times, all non-contact forms of business, and a full list of our locations are available. 

Appointments are available, but not necessary. 

Safekeeping Of Wills

Pursuant to Texas Estates Code Chapter 252.001, Safekeeping and Custody of Wills - A testator, another person for the testator, an attorney, business entity, or other person in possession of a testator's will may deposit the will with the County Clerk of the County of the testator's residence.

When an original will is deposited in safekeeping, the will is not recorded or filed. The will is given a certificate number, indexed, and kept in a secure storage area. The purpose of a deposit of a will in the County Clerk's Office is to solely provide a safe and convenient repository for the will and has no legal significance.

Depositing a Will

When a will is deposited with the County Clerk, the person depositing the will must complete the Certificate of Deposit and the Will Deposit Wrapper, in full.

Information on the forms include, but is not limited to:

• Name, address, and signature of the testator.
• Name and address of each person(s) who are authorized to withdraw the will, OR
• Name and address of the executor named in the will, including any alternate executors.

A receipt of deposit will be issued upon completion to the depositor.

The fee for depositing a Will in Safekeeping is $5.00. _{[ Local Government Code 118.052(3)(E) ]}

If the will is withdrawn and redeposited, another fee of $5.00 must be paid with each new deposit.

Withdrawing a Will

Wills deposited in safekeeping are not public records. Only the testator or the person(s) authorized by the testator will be allowed to withdraw the will. 

If the will is withdrawn during the lifetime of the testator:

• The testator must have the Receipt of Deposit and a Photo ID.
• A person authorized to withdraw the will must have the Receipt of Deposit, a Photo ID, and a Sworn Written Order, signed by the testator and notarized, allowing them to withdraw the will.

If the will is withdrawn after the death of the testator:

• A person authorized to withdraw the will must have a Photo ID and Proof of Death of the Testator.
• The name of the person authorized to withdraw the will and the name on the photo ID must match, or the Clerk will require additional documentation to prove a name change.

A receipt of withdrawal will be issued to the person upon completion of withdrawing the will.

Wills for Safekeeping can be deposited at:
Fort Bend County Clerk, Justice Center
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, STE #11005
Richmond, Texas 77469

Monday thru Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

If you have any questions regarding Safekeeping of Wills, please email the Courts Division at:
cclerkcourts@fortbendcountytx.gov

Fort Bend County Offices will be closed to observe the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Also, on this day we will also have the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service event. Click the link for more information.

Download Press Release [PDF]