San Marcos Marriage Records

San Marcos marriage records are maintained by San Diego County offices. Cities in California do not issue marriage licenses independently. All marriage licensing and vital records services for San Marcos residents are handled at the county level. San Diego County operates the Recorder-County Clerk office with a main office at 1600 Pacific Highway in San Diego and a second location in Kearny Mesa. San Marcos residents can visit either office to apply for marriage licenses and obtain certified copies of marriage certificates. Both offices provide full marriage services to all San Diego County residents regardless of which city they live in.

San Diego County Recorder Office

The San Diego County Recorder-County Clerk handles all marriage services for San Marcos residents. The main office is at 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 260, San Diego. The Kearny Mesa office is at 9225 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego. Phone is (619) 237-0502. Visit sdarcc.gov for current hours and services.

Appointments are required for marriage licenses. You can book appointments up to 7 weeks in advance. New appointment slots become available daily. Both parties must appear together in person with valid photo identification under California Family Code section 359. An online application is available to complete before your appointment.

San Diego County charges approximately $70 for a public marriage license. Your license is valid for 90 days from the date of issuance. You can use it anywhere in California. No residency requirement exists. You do not need to live in San Diego County or California. No waiting period applies. You can marry the same day you get your license.

Public and Confidential Licenses

California offers two types of marriage licenses. Public marriage licenses become part of the public record. Anyone can request copies after your marriage is registered. Public licenses require at least one witness to sign at the ceremony.

Confidential marriage licenses stay private under California Family Code sections 500 through 511. Only the married parties can obtain copies unless a court orders otherwise. No witnesses are required for confidential marriages. Both types have the same legal effect.

Obtaining Marriage Certificates

After your wedding, the officiant returns the completed license to San Diego County within 10 days. The county registers your marriage and creates the certificate. Allow 10 business days from the time the marriage license was returned to the office for registration before requesting a copy of the marriage certificate.

Certified copies cost $19 each as of January 2026. This fee increased by $2 under Assembly Bill 64. The county will retain the non-refundable fee for processing the application even if no record is found. If no record is found based on the information provided on the application, a Letter of No Record will be issued.

Order copies in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. For in-person requests at the main office, you must sign the application in the presence of the County Clerk and bring valid photo ID. For VitalChek orders, select San Diego County Recorder and Authorized Copy for certified copies. By mail, send a check or money order only payable to San Diego Recorder/County Clerk. Do not send cash. Credit or debit card in-person orders have an additional $2.50 surcharge.

Note that certificate services are not available at the Kearny Mesa office. Certificates must be obtained at the main Pacific Highway location.

State Records

The California Department of Public Health keeps marriage records for select years. The state has public marriage records from 1905 to 2001 and from 2010 to the present. CDPH does not maintain confidential marriage records at all. State processing takes 5 to 7 weeks. San Diego County provides much faster service.

Nearby Cities

San Marcos is in northern San Diego County. Vista sits to the west. Carlsbad is northwest. Oceanside is further northwest. San Diego is south. All use the same San Diego County office for marriage services.