§ 19-3-31.Issuance of licenses at satellite courthouses in certain counties
Chapter 3. Marriage Generally · Article 2. License and Ceremony · Last amended 1998 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-3-31
Plain-English Summary
Code Section 19-3-30(a) says marriage licenses may be issued only at the county courthouse. This section creates an exception for two kinds of counties: counties with a population over 400,000 under the 1990 federal census or any later one, and counties where the county seat sits in an unincorporated part of the county.
In those counties, the probate judge or the judge’s clerk may issue marriage licenses — and take any other action Code Section 19-3-30 prescribes — at either of two places: the courthouse at the county seat, or a permanent satellite courthouse within the county. To qualify, the satellite courthouse must have been established and constructed by the county’s governing authority and designated by that authority as a courthouse annex, or established by a similar designation as an additional courthouse.
The section applies “notwithstanding any other law,” so it overrides the courthouse-only rule for these counties. It doesn’t change the other licensing rules. The hours in Code Section 19-3-30(a) aren’t mentioned here, and the application and eligibility requirements in Code Sections 19-3-33 and 19-3-2 still apply. Code Section 19-3-30(f) offers a separate option for counties that contain a city larger than the county seat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a Georgia marriage license at a satellite courthouse?
In some counties, yes. Counties with a population over 400,000 under the 1990 or a later census, and counties whose county seat is in an unincorporated area, may issue licenses at a permanent satellite courthouse built by the county and designated as a courthouse annex or additional courthouse.
Which Georgia counties can issue marriage licenses outside the main courthouse?
Two kinds under this section: counties with more than 400,000 people according to the 1990 federal census or any later one, and counties whose county seat is in an unincorporated portion of the county. Code Section 19-3-30(f) separately lets a county with a city larger than its county seat appoint a clerk to issue licenses in that city.
What counts as a satellite courthouse for marriage licenses?
A permanent satellite courthouse within the county that the county’s governing authority established and constructed, and designated as a courthouse annex, or established by similar designation as an additional courthouse to the one at the county seat. A temporary or privately provided office wouldn’t meet that description.
Can a satellite courthouse do everything the main probate office does for licenses?
For marriage licenses, yes. The probate judge or clerk may issue licenses and take “any and all other actions” prescribed in Code Section 19-3-30 at a qualifying satellite courthouse. That covers the steps Code Section 19-3-30 describes, such as receiving and recording returned licenses and reissuing a license on witness affidavits when the original was never returned.
Does this section change the rules for who can get a license?
No. It changes only where the license may be issued in qualifying counties. Eligibility under Code Section 19-3-2, the sworn written application under Code Section 19-3-33, and proof of age under Code Section 19-3-36 still apply wherever the license is issued, whether at the main courthouse or an annex.
Amendment History
Laws 1976, p. 684, § 1; Laws 1981, p. 531, § 1; Laws 1982, p. 3, § 19; Laws 1995, p. 567, § 1; Laws 1998, p. 1159, § 5.
Formerly Code 1933, § 53-201a.