Marriage Licenses at the County Clerk and Recorder
Marriage licenses are handled by the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder, not by the Clerk of Court. The office is located on the main floor at 501 4th Street, P.O. Box 176, Saguache, Colorado 81149. The county lists the phone as 719-655-2512, fax as 719-655-2730, and email as clerkinfo@saguachecounty-co.gov. Licenses are issued Monday through Friday except holidays, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The official county license page states that the license fee is $30.00. Accepted payment options include cash, local check, or money order, and a surcharge may apply for card use. Applicants need proof of identity and birth date, such as a driver's license, raised-seal birth certificate, or passport, and proof of Social Security number. Applicants do not have to be Colorado residents, and blood tests are not required.
The county's license instructions are published on the Saguache County marriage licenses page.
Those local instructions are the best starting point for license hours, fee rules, identification requirements, and the linked absentee and verification forms.
Marriage Application Steps
Both parties normally complete and sign the license application in the Clerk and Recorder's office. If one party cannot appear, the county page links an absentee application process. The license is valid when issued and must be used in Colorado within 35 days under the marriage-license rule cited by the county. After solemnization, the completed certificate must be returned to the County Clerk and Recorder within 63 days.
- Confirm holidays and office timing, then arrive during the license-issuance window.
- Bring proof of identity, birth date, and Social Security number for each applicant.
- Bring the $30.00 license fee in an accepted payment form.
- Complete and sign the application, or use the linked absentee application if a party is allowed to apply that way.
- Use the license in Colorado within 35 days after issuance.
- After the ceremony, have the person solemnizing the marriage, or a party when no individual acting alone solemnized it, complete and return the certificate within 63 days.
- Request a certified verification or copy later if proof of the marriage is needed.
ID, Social Security, and Age Rules
Individuals 18 and older do not need parental consent. For marriages involving 16- and/or 17-year-olds, the county instructions state that both parents' consent and/or judicial approval is required, with parents meaning guardians who have legal custody of underage parties. Under age 16 requires judicial approval plus parental consent.
If either party was previously married, the office requires the date, place, and type of court where the divorce occurred. Widowed applicants must supply the date and place of death of the former spouse. Colorado recognizes marriages performed by a judge, by the parties themselves, by a public official authorized to perform marriages, or according to a solemnization mode required by a religious denomination or Indian Tribe or Nation. Marriage is prohibited if one party is still married to another person, and the county page also lists prohibited close-family relationships.
Marriage and Divorce Form Inventory
The Saguache County marriage page links official forms for certified verification and absentee licensing. The research did not extract every PDF field, so the safest public-facing description is by form purpose rather than by invented form blanks. Use the county form for marriage proof, the dissolution verification form for proof of a divorce, and the court record path for the complete divorce file.
| Form or link | Use | Fields observed in research |
|---|---|---|
| Application for Certified Verification of Marriage | Proof or verification of a marriage record | Full PDF fields not extracted; likely names, date, applicant contact, fee/payment, and requester information. |
| Application for Certified Verification of a Dissolution of Marriage | Certified verification of a divorce or dissolution | Full PDF fields not extracted; use for verification, not the full divorce case file. |
| Absentee Application for Marriage License | License application when a party cannot appear under allowed conditions | Full PDF fields not extracted; follow the county's current absentee instructions. |
Saguache County Marriage and Divorce Fees
The research supports a local marriage-license fee and the late-return rule for certificates. It does not support a Saguache-specific divorce filing fee or certified divorce decree copy fee. Divorce filings and court copies should be verified through Saguache Combined Court or the current Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule because court fees can change and may depend on filing type, copy type, and certification.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $30.00 |
| Accepted license payment | Cash, local check, or money order; card surcharge may apply. |
| Certificate return after solemnization | Return within 63 days; late fee is not less than $20.00 if not forwarded as required. |
| Certified marriage verification or copy | Use the county's verification application or call the Clerk and Recorder for current copy cost. |
| Divorce filing | Saguache-specific amount not located in research; verify current Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule or call the court. |
| Certified divorce decree copy | Saguache-specific amount not located in research; call Saguache Combined Court. |
How to Look Up Marriage Records
Marriage-license records are county clerk records. Start with the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder when the goal is a Saguache County marriage license, a certified verification, or a copy associated with the local license. The Clerk and Recorder is also the office that receives the completed marriage certificate after the ceremony. If the couple obtained the license in another Colorado county, the request should go to that county's clerk rather than Saguache County.
The Saguache County Clerk and Recorder contacts page identifies the local clerk contact point for county clerk services.
Use that office contact for marriage-license copy questions, license issuance questions, and payment questions before visiting the courthouse.
Divorce Records at District Court
Divorce records are court records, not county recording records. The Saguache County Clerk and Recorder page explicitly directs divorce questions to the Clerk of Court at 719-655-2522. Colorado divorce cases are domestic relations matters in district court. For Saguache County, that means Saguache Combined Court in the 12th Judicial District.
Use Colorado Judicial Branch docket search for public docket and case information. Select the 12th Judicial District, Saguache County, and Saguache Combined Court if using location filters. Domestic relations case class DR applies to divorce and related post-decree matters. Public docket information can help identify a case number, party names, and hearing dates, but financial affidavits, protected addresses, child-related filings, evaluations, and other sensitive material may be restricted or redacted.
Divorce process records may include the petition, response, service documents, financial disclosures, parenting filings, support materials, property and debt orders, hearing settings, agreements, and decree. Certified verification of dissolution of marriage is linked from the county marriage page, but the complete divorce file and certified decree questions belong to the court clerk.
Certified Verifications and Copies
A certified verification is not always the same as a certified copy of an entire file. The county marriage page links applications for certified verification of marriage and certified verification of dissolution of marriage. Those forms are useful when a user needs official proof that a marriage or dissolution exists. A certified copy of a divorce decree, pleading, or order should be requested from the Saguache Clerk of Court because the divorce case file belongs to district court.
When requesting either type of proof, gather names used at the time of the event, approximate date, county, contact information, and payment. For divorce court copies, also provide the DR case number if found through docket search. If the case involves protected children, sealed filings, domestic violence safety information, or confidential financial information, the court may provide only redacted or limited records.
Federal Court Is Separate
Most Saguache County divorce records are state district-court records. Federal court is usually not the custodian for marriage licenses or local divorce case files. The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado may matter only for separate federal litigation, name-related federal filings, or another federal case that is not the county divorce file.
The federal court contact source is the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado contact page.
Use that source only when a federal case is involved; marriage licenses and Saguache County divorce files remain county clerk or state court records.