Marriage Licenses and Courthouse Weddings in St. Lucie County

The St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court issues marriage licenses online or in person at its Fort Pierce Main Office and its St. Lucie West branch, with in-person license service from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Clerk's marriage licenses page places the downtown office at 201 S Indian River Dr in Fort Pierce and the St. Lucie West office inside the South County Annex, 250 NW Country Club Dr, Port St. Lucie. One phone line, (772) 462-6900, serves both. The Clerk's offices stay open until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday except holidays, so the 4:30 p.m. license cutoff is the time to plan around (Clerk locations and hours).

Couples headed downtown should budget time for parking: the Clerk locations page suggests the 2nd Street courthouse garage or nearby lots and streets, and notes that a two-hour limit applies to many spaces in downtown Fort Pierce. The Country Club Drive office in Port St. Lucie handles the same license and ceremony work. Paperwork sent by mail is addressed to the Clerk at its post office box, P. O. Box 700, in Fort Pierce.

Each applicant brings a federal or state photo ID with a birth date on it, plus a Social Security number, and both must confirm they have read Florida's Family Law Handbook; birth certificates are not accepted as ID in St. Lucie County.

The Clerk's license requirements give a passport or driver's license as typical examples. For applicants with no Social Security number, the St. Lucie County Clerk marriage FAQ accepts a valid passport or identification from the home country in its place, and section 741.04 of the Florida Statutes allows non-citizens to give an alien registration number or another identification number. Couples can save time by pre-applying online; the Clerk then gives a transaction number to bring to the office, though pre-applying does not issue a license.

A previous marriage adds paperwork only when it ended recently. A divorce from the past six months must be shown with a certified copy of the decree, while an older divorce needs only its exact date (St. Lucie County Clerk marriage page). For minors, the statute and the Clerk's two pages are worded differently. Section 741.04 bars a license for anyone under 18 unless the person is at least 17, files acknowledged written consent from a parent or legal guardian, and the other party is no more than 2 years older, and the Clerk's marriage page repeats that rule. The Clerk's FAQ says the legal age is 18, that a 17 year old needs notarized written consent of parents or guardians, and that a license shall be issued without parental consent when both parents are deceased or the minor was previously married (Clerk FAQ on legal age).

A St. Lucie County marriage license costs $86.00, or $61.00 for couples who finished a premarital course, and a ceremony by the Clerk adds $30.00.

The St. Lucie County Clerk's fee page accepts cash, money orders or a cashier's check, charges a service fee on cards, and notes that the Florida Legislature sets and can change these amounts. Section 741.01 adds $25 to every Florida license for the Domestic Violence Trust Fund, charges a further $25 that the clerk remits to the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund, and cuts the fee by $25 for couples presenting valid premarital course certificates for a course taken no more than 1 year before applying. Photos from a Clerk photographer cost $5.00 each, with a download link emailed 2 to 3 weeks after the ceremony (Clerk marriage page).

Florida residents face a three-day waiting period before using the license unless both applicants complete a premarital course, while non-Florida residents in St. Lucie County have no waiting period.

State law sets the delay. Under section 741.04, a clerk who receives no valid course certificates must delay the license's effective date by 3 days from the application and print that date in bold; the clerk must grant exceptions to non-Florida residents and to couples asserting hardship, and a county court judge may waive the delay for Florida residents who show good cause. The St. Lucie County Clerk FAQ says the clock starts when the applicants take the oath and sign the license, and that the course must be taken within one year of applying.

The Clerk's marriage page says the office accepts any marriage counseling certification from pastors or counselors, and that couples who attend counseling get the $25 discount whether or not they live in Florida. The St. Lucie County Clerk's fee schedule describes the $61.00 license as one for a completed course with a certificate from a registered provider (Clerk fee schedule).

Walk-in ceremonies are performed by the St. Lucie County Clerk at both of its marriage offices, downtown Fort Pierce and St. Lucie West, and only couples booking the Clerk's photographer need an appointment.

Each St. Lucie County ceremony is priced at $30 in addition to the license fee, according to the Clerk's marriage licenses page, and the keepsake certificate can be added without an appointment. Couples who want the $50.00 photographer must schedule in advance, with a separate booking link for each office. The Clerk's FAQ confirms that ceremonies happen at both the downtown Fort Pierce and St. Lucie West offices.

A Clerk ceremony is one option among several. The FAQ lists Florida notaries public, regularly ordained ministers and clergy, judicial officers and Clerks of the Circuit Court as people who may perform a ceremony, the same groups named in section 741.07 of the Florida Statutes, which also recognizes marriages solemnized under Quaker practice. Whoever officiates, the St. Lucie County license must be used within its 60 days.

Yes: after an online application, the St. Lucie County Clerk can finish the license over a half-hour Zoom call with both spouses on camera, though that call does not marry them.

Once the application is processed, the Clerk emails payment and scheduling instructions, per its marriage licenses page. During the call both spouses sign, show proof of premarital counseling if they have it, and confirm receipt of the Family Law Handbook, with photo ID ready. The Clerk sets firm rules: a stationary, quiet location, no driving, appropriate dress, everyone on camera, and arrival on time, since a couple more than five minutes late must reschedule and gets only one reschedule before having to come in person. Video appointments are offered only in English; couples needing another language come to a St. Lucie County Clerk office with a translator.

Once signed by the officiant, the license has 10 days to reach the St. Lucie County Clerk, either mailed or dropped at the Recording Department, and after recording the Clerk emails the couple a certified copy.

A license is valid for 60 days in any Florida county and, per the Clerk FAQ, cannot be used in another state; a couple who has not married within 60 days needs a new license. Recorded St. Lucie County licenses can be viewed in the Clerk's Official Records, e-certified copies can be bought through Clerk E-Certify, and printed certified copies come from the Research Department (Clerk marriage page). The St. Lucie County official records guide explains that search.

Two problems have set fixes. A license with a misspelled name or wrong birth date or Social Security number needs an amended license from the clerk who issued it, at $42.00 in St. Lucie County. A license lost after the wedding is replaced by filing an Affidavit of Proof of Marriage at the downtown Fort Pierce office, with two witnesses who were present at the ceremony and valid photo ID for everyone (Clerk FAQ).

Last verified: October 22, 2026, after a fresh read of the St. Lucie County Clerk's marriage licenses page, marriage FAQ, fee schedule and locations page, plus sections 741.01, 741.04 and 741.07 of the Florida Statutes, for fees, waiting rules, ID and ceremony details.