How to get a marriage licence in Wisconsin
What the law requires everywhere in the state, and what each county actually does about it — quoted from the statute and from the clerks.
What Wisconsin law requires
- Waiting period
- Yes — a 3-day waiting period between application and issuance of the license: 'no marriage license may be issued within 3 days of application.' The county clerk may, at his or her discretion, issue the license in less than 3 days if the applicant pays an additional fee of not more than $25. There is no separate waiting period between issuance of the license and the ceremony. source
- How long it lasts
- 60 days from issuance — the license authorizes the ceremony to be performed in any county of Wisconsin within 60 days of issuance (if both parties are nonresidents, other limits on place of application apply). source
- After the ceremony
- The officiating person returns the completed marriage document to the register of deeds within 3 days after the date of the marriage; if the ceremony is performed without an officiating person (Quaker/self-solemnized under s. 765.16(1m)(c)), the parties to the marriage, or either of them, must return it. Failure to transmit it is punishable under Wis. Stat. § 765.30(4)(a) (fine of $10-$200, or up to 3 months' imprisonment, or both). source
Two things decide how a marriage licence works in Wisconsin, and couples routinely get caught out by the difference between them. The state statute sets the rules that apply everywhere: how long you wait, how long the licence lasts, and who has to return it afterwards. Everything else — what it costs, where you go, what hours they keep, and whether you both have to turn up in person — is decided by the county, and it genuinely varies.
Why you will see two different numbers for the waiting period. The statute and the county clerks are measuring different things, and both are right. Wisconsin law sets 3 days between applying and the licence being issued. The counties below ask you to apply 4 days before the ceremony, which is the lead time that matters when you are planning a date.
Plan around your county's figure, not the statutory one — the clerk's office is who actually issues the licence.
What each county requires
Every figure below is quoted from that county's own page, with a link to where we found it. Milwaukee County and Dane County are the two we have researched in Wisconsin so far.
| County | Fee | Where | Hours | In person? | Apply online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County Milwaukee | $120, payable when the application is filed, non-refundable. Cash and credit/debit cards accepted, with a 3% convenience fee on card transactions.source | Office of the Milwaukee County Clerk, County Courthouse Room 105, 901 North 9th Street, Milwaukee, WI.source | Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., by appointment only. Appointments are booked through the Clerk's online booking calendar up to 30 days before…source | Yes. The couple must apply together in person; there is no proxy or single-applicant option.source | There is no online application. The Clerk publishes a Marriage License Information Form to be completed in advance and either brought to the appointme…source |
| Dane County Madison | License fee is $120. Credit or debit cards are accepted. Payment is due at the time of application and is non-refundablesource | Dane County Clerk's Office, 210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Room 106A, Madison, WI 53703source | Marriage Licenses are processed virtually (via zoom) and by appointment only. Appointments are available between 9:00 AM to 3:00 PMsource | All marriage license applications in Dane County are being issued through virtual meeting and by appointment only.source | https://clerk.danecounty.gov/Marriagesource |
The county pages
Each of these covers one county in full — the office address, the documents to bring, the fee and how to pay it, and what happens after the ceremony.
- How to get a marriage licence in Milwaukee County (Milwaukee)
- How to get a marriage licence in Dane County (Madison)
Where this came from
- Wis. Stat. § 765.12(2) — checked 2026-09-02
- Wis. Stat. § 765.08(1)-(2) — checked 2026-09-02
- Wis. Stat. § 765.19 (penalty: Wis. Stat. § 765.30(4)(a)) — checked 2026-09-02
- Milwaukee County Clerk — checked 2026-09-01
- Dane County Clerk's Office — checked 2026-09-02
- Dane County Clerk's Office — checked 2026-09-02
- Dane County Clerk's Office — checked 2026-09-02
- Dane County Clerk's Office — checked 2026-09-02
Fees and procedures change. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
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