By Derek at Seeking Worlds
Most of eloping in Los Angeles happens on paper before it happens anywhere else. There's a license to get, someone to marry you, and sometimes a permit or two, and each one runs on its own clock.
The official answers are spread across a lot of agency websites, so we gathered them in one place. Everything below comes from those agencies' own pages. We checked each one on October 26, 2026, looked at the county fee page again on October 29, 2026, and linked them all so you can check them too.
If you want to elope in Los Angeles, start with the short version and work down.
The short version. To elope in Los Angeles, you both apply for a California marriage license from the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, then have a ceremony with an authorized officiant within 90 days. You can marry at a county office by appointment, or anywhere else in California with your own officiant. If your spot is public land, the agency that runs it decides whether you need a ceremony permit, and a professional photographer often needs a separate film permit. Start about two to three months out if you want a park or beach.
Step 1: Get your marriage license from LA County
The license comes first, whatever your ceremony looks like.
Who has to be there and what to bring
You both go together, in person, with valid photo ID such as a driver's license or passport. The county won't accept expired ID. Any document in another language needs an English translation by a certified translator, notarized.
If either of you had a divorce finalized in the last two years, bring a certified copy of the dissolution. There's no blood test, and no residency or citizenship requirement.
The order matters. Fill in the county's online application, save your confirmation number, then use it to book your in-person appointment. Appointments open up to three weeks ahead on a first-come, first-served basis, and there's no waitlist.
Planning a name change? You list your new middle or last name on the application, within the options on the county's name change page, and it can't be changed after the license is issued. County staff can't give legal advice on names, so talk to an attorney first if you're unsure.
Public or confidential license
A public license needs at least one witness at your ceremony, and no more than two can sign. It becomes a public record.
A confidential license needs no witness. To get one, you must already be living together as spouses and sign an affidavit on the license saying so. Only the two of you can buy copies.
Either type lets you marry anywhere in California, and the license is filed back in the county that issued it.
What the county charges
Fees as listed on the county's fee page, checked October 29, 2026:
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Public marriage license | $91 |
| Confidential marriage license | $85 |
| Civil ceremony at a county office | $35 |
| County-provided witness for a civil ceremony | $20 |
| Deputy Commissioner for a Day (a friend officiates) | $75 |
In September 2025, the LA County Board of Supervisors approved higher marriage fees that take effect 30 days after the ordinance passes. The fee page still showed the amounts above when we checked, so look again before you go.
You can pay with cash, check, money order, a card, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. Cards and phone payments carry a $1.75 service fee.
After the ceremony
California law gives your officiant 10 days after the ceremony to return the signed license to the county recorder.
In LA County, the license goes to the Norwalk office to be recorded, and the county won't mail you a copy unless you ask. Request a certified copy when the license goes in, especially if you changed your name.
Buying the license doesn't make you married. That takes a ceremony and a recorded license.
Step 2: Decide who marries you
How to get married at the courthouse in Los Angeles
In LA, "the courthouse" means a Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk office. LA County civil ceremonies are by appointment only, last 15 minutes, and can't be booked until you have your license. They're prepaid, you can reschedule once, and the room size depends on the office. Outside officiants can't marry you in the county chapels.
The Express Marriage Ceremony puts the license and the ceremony into one 45-minute appointment, available at all seven county offices. One witness has to stand with you at the license window, or the county can provide one for the fee in the table above. Family and friends wait outside. With a confidential license, you don't need the witness.
Regular civil ceremonies run on set days at each office:
| County office | Ceremony days (by appointment) |
|---|---|
| Norwalk (main office) | No set days listed; office open Monday to Friday |
| Beverly Hills, LAX/Courthouse, Van Nuys | Wednesdays and Fridays |
| East Los Angeles, Lancaster, Florence/Firestone | Fridays |
A friend or family member as your officiant
LA County's Deputy Commissioner for a Day program deputizes someone you choose to perform your ceremony anywhere in California. They don't have to live in LA County. They need valid government photo ID.
Mail the application and fee about two months before the ceremony. Sending it much earlier backfires, because the county returns applications that arrive too far in advance. Inside one month, an expedite fee applies. Once it's processed, your person joins a one-hour virtual class on a Thursday, camera on, and takes the oath.
If your friend is already ordained, online ordination included, they can skip the program. The county keeps no registry of ministers. It does suggest reading the ordination papers closely, since some sites are "for entertainment use only."
A hired officiant
Any authorized officiant can marry you at the spot you choose. The county's list includes a priest, minister or rabbi of any denomination who is 18 or older, an active or retired judge, and a few others. See who can marry you on the county's site.
Step 3: Elopement permits in Los Angeles depend on who runs the ground
Two different permits can apply to an LA elopement: a ceremony permit from whoever manages the land, and a film permit for a professional photographer, usually through FilmLA. They come from different offices, and you may need both. The ceremony permit is yours to request, and the table below shows which office to ask.
Private property follows the owner's rules, and some cities add their own film permit on top. Malibu is the clearest example in the table.
This is who controls the places couples ask about most, and how far ahead each one wants to hear from you. We left permit fees out because they change and depend on your plans. The linked pages have current numbers.
| Where you want to stand | Who controls it | Ceremony permit | Photographer's permit | Lead time | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith Park, Elysian Park, Ernest E. Debs Regional Park | City of LA Department of Recreation and Parks | In Griffith Park, any gathering beyond standard park use needs a permit. Events with extra setup, large crowds or commercial activity need a Special Event Permit from the Special Events Office. | Reserve through the Park Film Office, then get a FilmLA permit. City parks typically don't allow filming on weekends, with possible exceptions for low-impact shoots of 10 or fewer people. | Special events: contact the office 60+ days ahead. Film: reservations open 30 days ahead; the FilmLA permit is due by 10 a.m., four business days before. | Griffith Park, Events and permits, FilmLA, City parks |
| Lake Hollywood Park (Hollywood Sign view) | LA City Rec and Parks; open sunrise to sunset | The park's page lists no wedding rules. Ask the Special Events Office before you plan a ceremony there. | Commercial photography at any Rec and Parks site goes through the Park Film Office. | None posted on the park page. | Lake Hollywood Park, Park Film Office |
| Exposition Rose Garden | Rec and Parks, with the garden's own event coordinator | Wedding permits for set garden areas, starting between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a three-hour minimum. | The garden has its own picture permit and commercial photography permit. Commercial filming goes through the Park Film Office. | Not listed; the garden asks you to call for available dates. | Rose Garden weddings |
| LA County parks | LA County Parks and Recreation | Contact the park's Reservations Office to check for scheduling conflicts. | A professional wedding photographer needs a FilmLA film permit, or FilmLA's annual photo badge. The badge isn't accepted at the Arboretum, the botanical gardens, Vasquez Rocks or Castaic Lake. Film activity is allowed Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Finalize arrangements with the Reservations Office at least three business days ahead, not counting Fridays, weekends or holidays. | Filming FAQs, Film permits |
| LA County-operated beaches and Marina del Rey | LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors | Weddings need a Special Event Use Permit. Applying doesn't guarantee your date or spot. | Film and Photo Permit through FilmLA. | Ceremony: apply no earlier than 90 days and no later than three weeks before. Film: 72 hours' notice. | Beach wedding permits, Film and photo permit |
| State parks and beaches around Malibu: Leo Carrillo, Point Mugu, Malibu Creek, Point Dume, Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach (El Matador, La Piedra, El Pescador), Adamson House | California State Parks, Angeles District | State Parks lists weddings among events that need a Special Event Permit. Email the Malibu special events coordinator for pricing and availability. | Commercial photography: call the State Park film permit coordinator, then apply through the California Film Commission. Most Southern California state beaches and parks don't allow filming on weekends or holidays. | Ceremony: apply at least 30 days ahead, with a non-refundable $25 fee; later applications may cost up to $100. Film: four business days. | Special event permits, Weddings, Robert H. Meyer, Leo Carrillo, Point Dume, Film Commission |
| Anywhere inside Malibu city limits | City of Malibu Film Office | Depends on who owns the spot. | Film permits are required for any commercial filming or still shoot in the city. Filming isn't allowed on Sundays under any circumstance. | The page gives none, so call the Film Office. | Malibu film permits |
| Angeles National Forest | USDA Forest Service | Weddings are a listed example of special use. Among other cases, the Forest Service requires a permit when a fee is charged or income comes from the use, or for groups of 75 or more. Ask the event permit contact whether your plan qualifies. | Film and photo proposals go to the forest by email. Permitted filming is generally not allowed on weekends or federal holidays. | Film: at least 20 full business days; complex requests can take 30 or more. | Angeles National Forest permits |
| Private homes, rooftops, venues | The owner | The owner's rules. | Check the city's film rules. In Malibu, see the row above. | Ask the owner. |
Several of these agencies limit professional filming on weekends. If your date can move, a weekday gives you more options.
Griffith Observatory gets its own answer in the questions below.
Step 4: Count backward from your date
Here is the timing from the steps above as a countdown, furthest out first.
- About two months out: a friend officiating mails the Deputy Commissioner for a Day application.
- 90 days out: the County beach permit window opens.
- 60 days or more: contact LA City Rec and Parks if your plan needs a special event permit.
- 30 days or more: State Parks special event application.
- 20 business days: Angeles National Forest film and photo proposal.
- Three weeks out: county license appointments open, and the County beach window closes. Book your license appointment the day it appears.
- Four business days to 72 hours: film permits for City parks, state parks, County parks and County beaches.
- After the ceremony: the officiant returns the license within the legal window, and you order your certified copy.
The license is only good for a set window (see the short version), so the license appointment usually comes last, once the place is settled.
Photographing your LA elopement with us
Seeking Worlds is a Los Angeles photo and film studio with 10+ years behind the camera, and we photograph elopements across Southern California.
You choose where you want to stand. We take care of the film and photo permits for our own work as your photographers, and that cost is added to your booking. If your spot also needs a ceremony or event permit, you arrange that one yourselves with the office that runs the land, and the Step 3 table tells you who to contact. If a place won't allow what you have in mind, we'll tell you plainly so you can decide what to do.
Travel is included within Southern California. Destination elopements are quoted separately.
We also shoot analog 35mm film photos, in color or black and white, at $250 per roll, as an add-on or on its own. Our film photography page has examples, and Derek wrote about why he still shoots 35mm. Wedding video is available too.
Booking starts with our questionnaire, then a consultation, a 50% booking fee to hold your date, planning together, and the day itself. Galleries usually arrive in 1 to 2 weeks.
Elopement questions
Do we need a permit to elope in Los Angeles?
It depends on who runs the land you choose, and a professional photographer may need a separate film permit. Step 3 has the details.
Can we get married at the courthouse on the same day we get our license?
Yes, if you book an Express Marriage Ceremony appointment. Step 2 covers how it works.
Can we have a courthouse ceremony on a weekend?
No. County offices are closed on weekends. For a Saturday or Sunday, marry at your own spot with an officiant or a friend deputized for the day.
Do we need a witness?
Yes for a public license, no for a confidential one. Step 1 explains both.
Can a friend marry us?
Yes, through the county's Deputy Commissioner for a Day program or an online ordination. Step 2 has both options.
Can we elope at Griffith Observatory?
Not as a ceremony. The Observatory doesn't rent space for personal events, weddings included. A wedding photographer working for you can take photos there, but staged wedding photos aren't allowed inside the building, on the roof, in the telescope dome, in the Gottlieb Transit Corridor or on the Sunset Terrace. The only gear allowed is a camera, plus a discreet tripod outside.
Who gets the permits if we book you?
We get the film and photo permits for our photography. Any ceremony or event permit is yours to request from the office that manages your spot, and Step 3 names each one.
Sources
All pages checked October 26, 2026. The county fee page was checked again on October 29, 2026.
- LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: About, Eligibility, Apply and Express ceremonies, Fees, Civil ceremonies, Deputy Commissioner for a Day, Recording your certificate, FAQs, Branch offices
- LA County Board of Supervisors: Marriage fee letter, adopted September 16, 2025
- California Department of Public Health: Types of marriage licenses
- California Legislature: Family Code section 359
- Griffith Observatory: Visitor guidelines, FAQs
- Land managers and film offices: linked in the Step 3 table.
One small day, planned well
The paperwork takes some planning. Once the license and the land are sorted, the day itself can be as small and quiet as you like.
When you know roughly where and when, see our packages and pricing and start your booking.
