Wedding Permits and Marriage Licenses in Savannah, GA: What Couples Actually Need

By Taylor Peck, The Chapel by the Sea

Two separate pieces of paperwork get confused constantly in Savannah wedding planning. The marriage license is a county document from the Chatham County Probate Court, and every couple marrying in Georgia needs one. The wedding permit is a City of Savannah document for using a public park or square, and many couples don’t need one at all.

This guide covers both, with the current addresses, fees, and deadlines. Verify anything time-sensitive against the county and city pages linked at the end before you travel.

How to Get a Marriage License in Chatham County

It’s appointment-only, and it starts online

Chatham County does not take walk-ins. If you show up at the courthouse without an appointment, you’ll be handed a link and sent away to book one. The process is three steps:

1. Complete the application online through the Probate Court’s fillable form and submit it.
2. Schedule an appointment using the court’s online booking link — only after your application is submitted and you have every document in hand.
3. Both applicants appear in person at the appointment with IDs and supporting documents, and pay the fee.

Out-of-town couples: most people schedule this for their arrival day or the day before the ceremony, which leaves room to fix a problem if one comes up.

Where to go

Chatham County Probate Court Room 509, Chatham County Courthouse 133 Montgomery Street, Savannah, GA 31401 (912) 652-7264, option 2

Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday. Licenses are only processed until 4:30 p.m., and the court is closed on Chatham County holidays.

What to bring

• Proof of age for both applicants. A valid driver’s license, passport, valid armed forces ID, or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate. Both applicants must be present.
• Divorce documentation, if applicable. A final, stamped and sealed divorce decree from your most recent marriage.
• Proof of death, if applicable. A death certificate or obituary for a deceased former spouse.
• A certified translation of any legal document not in English.
• Payment. Credit card, debit card, cash, money order, or cashier’s check in the exact amount. No personal checks. Card transactions carry a 5% service fee, and all fees are nonrefundable.

You must be at least 17 to obtain a license. Applicants who are 17 must show proof of emancipation and complete premarital education.

Note that proof of residency is not required. Where you live only affects which county you apply in: if either of you is a Georgia resident, you can apply in any Georgia county. If neither of you is, you must apply in the county where the ceremony will happen — which is Chatham County for a Savannah or Tybee Island wedding. Either way, a Georgia license only covers a ceremony performed in Georgia.

Premarital blood tests are no longer required in Georgia.

What it costs

The fee includes one certified copy of your marriage certificate, mailed to you once the completed license is returned to the court.

To qualify for the reduced fee, you must present a signed and dated certificate of completion from a qualifying premarital education program of at least six hours of instruction (O.C.G.A. § 19-3-30.1). The court publishes both the certificate form and a waiver checklist.

City of Savannah Wedding Permits

You may not need one

If you’re planning a ceremony in one of Savannah’s squares or parks with fewer than 50 people, you can generally proceed without a permit. Activities in the squares are first-come, first-served — so a permit buys you a guaranteed, protected space rather than legal permission to marry.

You do need a permit if you’re bringing chairs, an aisle runner, a tent, tables, or any other décor into a public square or right-of-way, or if you want the space held for you exclusively.

Deadlines

You may apply as early as one year out, counting from the first of the month a year before your date. You must apply no later than 90 days before the event. There is no 30-day window.

Before you settle on a square, check the City’s special event calendar to see whether something is already permitted there that day.

What a permit involves

• An application fee, plus a park or square rental fee that varies by location, month, and whether you qualify for City of Savannah resident rates. Budget in the several-hundred-dollar range for a four-hour minimum and confirm current figures with Leisure Services.
• A mandatory off-duty Savannah Police Officer for the duration of your event, arranged through the permitting system. This is an additional cost couples routinely forget.
• Responsibility for cleanup and any damage. All trash and décor must be removed, and unusual cleaning or damage costs are billed to the applicant.

Contact the City’s Special Events / Leisure Services team at (912) 351-3837 or through savannahga.gov/3607/Weddings.

If you’re serving beer or wine in a public space, that’s a separate temporary alcohol event permit with its own fee and lead time — apply well ahead.

Planning a Tybee Island ceremony instead? Tybee is its own municipality with its own rules for beach and public-space events. Your marriage license still comes from Chatham County Probate Court in Savannah, but Savannah’s park permit process doesn’t apply. Ask us and we’ll walk you through Tybee’s requirements.

Officiants and the Legal Side of the Ceremony

Georgia has no officiant registration

There is no state certification, license, or registry for wedding officiants in Georgia, and no office that issues one. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 19-3-30) defines who may solemnize a marriage: the Governor or any former Governor, judges including state and federal judges of record, city recorders, magistrates, and ministers or other persons of a religious society authorized by that society’s rules to perform the ceremony.

What matters is that your officiant falls into one of those categories — not that they hold a piece of paper from the state.

The officiant’s real legal duty

After the ceremony, the officiant signs the license and returns it to the Probate Court within 30 days of the wedding date. That clock starts on your wedding day, not the day the license was issued.

Return it to:
Probate Court of Chatham County Attention: Marriage Certificates P.O. Box 8344, Savannah, GA 31412 (Overnight: 133 Montgomery Street, Room 509, Savannah, GA 31401)

If the license is never returned, the marriage may not be recorded — which creates real problems later for name changes, tax filing, and benefits. Georgia does not require witness signatures on the license.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Georgia marriage license expire? No. Georgia marriage licenses have no expiration date and there is no waiting period after issuance. You can marry the same day you receive it, or a year later. The only deadline is the officiant’s 30-day window to return the completed license after the ceremony.

Can we apply by mail or online only? No. The application starts online, but both applicants must appear in person at the scheduled appointment to be issued the license.

How do we get extra copies of our marriage certificate? Your fee includes one certified copy. Additional certified copies can be requested digitally through Georgia Probate Records, by mail with the court’s request form, or in person by appointment with the Record Room.

Do we need a permit for a small ceremony in a square? Usually not, if you’re under 50 people and not setting up chairs, tents, or décor. See the permit section above.

How The Chapel by the Sea Helps

We handle Savannah and Tybee ceremonies week in and week out, so we know where couples get stuck: showing up at the courthouse without an appointment, arriving with only one partner, bringing an unsealed divorce decree, or budgeting for a square permit without knowing about the police officer requirement.

We’ll tell you exactly which paperwork your specific ceremony needs, what it costs, and when to do it, so your license is handled correctly from the start.

Contact us to talk through your date, or see our packages and pricing.

Official sources Chatham County Probate Court — Marriage Licenses: courts.chathamcountyga.gov/probate/marriagelicenses

City of Savannah — Weddings: savannahga.gov/3607/Weddings

City of Savannah — Special Events: savannahga.gov/3604/Special-Events

Fees, hours, and procedures change. Confirm details with the Probate Court and the City before finalizing plans.