Lawton Marriage License
Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County, and its residents can get a marriage license right in town at the courthouse on SW 5th Street. The Comanche County Court Clerk handles all marriage license filings for the area, not the Lawton City Clerk. If you plan to get married in Lawton or the surrounding area, you need to start at the Small Claims Office in Room 205. This page walks you through what to bring, how much you will pay, and how the process works for a Lawton marriage license application.
Lawton Marriage License Overview
Where to Get a Lawton Marriage License
Marriage licenses in Lawton are issued by the Comanche County Court Clerk. The office is in the courthouse at 315 SW 5th Street. Go to Room 205, which is the Small Claims Office. That is where all marriage license work is done. Do not go to the main Court Clerk window for this. The Small Claims staff will take your application, collect the fee, and hand you the license once it is processed. Both people must be there in person. You cannot send just one party to fill out the form.
| Office | Comanche County Court Clerk - Small Claims Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 315 SW 5th Street, Room 205, Lawton, OK 73501 |
| Phone | (580) 355-4017, Press 4 for marriage license |
| Small Claims Direct | (580) 250-5093 |
| Hours | Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM |
The office stays open through the lunch hour. That is a plus if you work a tight schedule. If you are stationed at Fort Sill, the courthouse is just a short drive from the base. Many military couples get their Lawton marriage license here before or after a deployment. Call ahead if you have questions about the process or need to mail in your application form first.
How to Apply for a Marriage License in Lawton
Walk into the Small Claims Office at Room 205 with your partner. Bring a valid photo ID. The clerk accepts a driver's license, passport, birth certificate with a raised seal, or a conceal carry license as valid forms of ID. If you hold a foreign ID, you will need a translated birth certificate to go with it. The staff will have you fill out the marriage license application on the spot.
You can also mail the application form in advance. Send it to the courthouse and wait two business days. Then call (580) 355-4017 ext. 4 to set up a time to come in and finish the process. Both parties still need to appear. Mailing the form just saves time at the counter. It does not skip the in-person visit. Under Title 43 of the Oklahoma Statutes, both applicants must sign the form in the clerk's presence.
Oklahoma has no waiting period for adults 18 and older. You can get the license and have the ceremony the same day if you want. The license is good for 10 days from the date it is issued. After that, it expires and you would have to apply again. Once the ceremony takes place, the officiant must return the completed license to the Comanche County Court Clerk within 30 days. Returning it within 5 days is preferred.
Note: Judges in Comanche County no longer perform courthouse weddings, so you will need to find your own officiant.
Lawton Marriage License Requirements
The rules for getting a marriage license in Lawton are set by state law. You must be at least 18 to apply without parental consent. If you are 16 or 17, a parent or legal guardian has to come with you and sign a consent form. There is a 72-hour wait for minors. Nobody under 16 can get a marriage license unless a judge issues a court order.
No blood test is needed. Oklahoma dropped that rule back in 2005. There is no residency requirement either. You can live in Texas, Kansas, or any other state and still get a marriage license in Lawton. If you were married before, bring proof of how that ended. A divorce decree or a death certificate for a former spouse will work. Under Oklahoma law, there is a six-month waiting period after a divorce before you can marry someone new. The exception is if you remarry the same person.
- Valid photo ID for both parties (driver's license, passport, or birth certificate with raised seal)
- Social Security number for both applicants
- Divorce decree date or death certificate if previously married
- Parental consent form and birth certificate for ages 16-17
- Translated birth certificate if using foreign ID
Marriage License Fees in Lawton
The fee is $50. Pay it when you submit your application at the Small Claims Office. Comanche County accepts cash, credit cards, debit cards, money orders, and cashier's checks. That gives you more payment options than some other counties in the state. If a judge performs the ceremony (in counties where that is an option), there is an extra $10 charge. But Comanche County judges do not perform weddings, so that fee does not apply here.
You can drop that $50 down to just $5 if you bring a premarital counseling certificate. It has to be the original paper document. No copies. No faxes. No scanned versions. Both parties must have finished at least four hours of counseling with a qualified provider as outlined in 43 O.S. Section 5.1. Qualified providers include licensed mental health professionals, clergy members, or anyone trained in a nationally recognized program like PREP. That $45 in savings is real money for couples watching their budget.
Wedding Ceremonies in Lawton
No judges in Comanche County perform courthouse weddings. If you want to get married in Lawton, you need your own officiant. That can be an ordained minister, a priest, a rabbi, or any person authorized under Oklahoma law to perform marriage ceremonies. As of November 1, 2022, ministers are no longer required to file their credentials with the Court Clerk per O.S. Title 43, Section 7. Any ordained person can perform the ceremony right away.
The Small Claims Office keeps a list of ministers who are willing to perform weddings. Ask the staff when you pick up your license. You need two witnesses who are at least 18 years old. After the ceremony, the officiant and both witnesses sign the marriage license. The completed form goes back to the Comanche County Court Clerk. Both parties must sign with the names they plan to use after the marriage.
Search Lawton Marriage License Records
Lawton marriage license records are kept by the Comanche County Court Clerk. These are public records. Anyone can request a copy. The Oklahoma State Courts Network is a free tool that lets you look up court records by name or case number. This covers all types of filings across the state. You can search from any device with internet access.
The Comanche County marriage license page has details about the application process and forms you can use. It is a good first stop before you visit the courthouse in person.
The Comanche County official website shows marriage license details including fees, required documents, and office location for Lawton area residents.
For land records and other county filings, the OKCountyRecords portal for Comanche County is another search option. The On Demand Court Records system and the OSCN e-payments portal round out the online tools you can use for court-related tasks in Lawton.
OKCountyRecords provides a search tool for Comanche County land and document records that can supplement your marriage license research.
Comanche County Marriage License
Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County. All marriage license records for Lawton go through the Comanche County Court Clerk. For the full county page with more detail on all Comanche County offices and services, check the link below.
Nearby Cities
Oklahoma has no residency requirement for marriage licenses. You can apply in any county. If the Lawton office does not work for your schedule, these nearby cities may be worth a look.