Starting Monday, couples in L.A. County will be able to get marriage license appointments for the first time in two months, officials announced Thursday.
The news comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on April 30 allowing counties to issue marriage licenses through video chat for 60 days, after countless weddings were canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It took L.A. just over two weeks to implement the order, and now couples can follow health orders and still say “I do.”
“The County has worked diligently in response to the Governor’s Order to implement a process and offer this service in a secure and accessible manner,” the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office said.
The clerk’s office closed on March 16 as a precautionary measure to help curb spread of COVID-19, and it hasn’t issued a marriage license since.
To make an appointment for marriage services through video conferencing, one or both individuals must meet be a resident of L.A. County. The couple must both present valid government identification and be in the same place in California during the video call, which requires internet connection and a device with video and audio capabilities.
The licenses will be issued via email, according to the state’s order.
Information on how to make an appointment will be posted on the clerk’s website on Monday.
Meanwhile, Orange County set-up a pop-up marriage service at the Honda Center in mid-April for couples whose marriage appointments were postponed due to pandemic-related closures.
And, as of June 4, the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Department was set to begin offering marriage licenses and civil marriage ceremonies to the public at its North County Branch Office inside the Wells Fargo Building in Anaheim, at its South County Branch Office at the Laguna Hills Civic Center and at the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana.
