Mendocino County Sheriff's Office

Inmate Marriages

The following procedure must be followed if you want to marry an inmate:

You are responsible for finding an ordained minister or judge willing to come to the jail to perform the marriage ceremony (You must pay for the services of the minister or judge. The person performing the marriage and the person being married must go to the County Recorder's office and obtain an "Affidavit of Physical Inability to Appear" form. The Affidavit will also need to be signed by the inmate wishing to be married. The Affidavit must be taken back to the County Recorders office so a marriage license can be issued);
Pay confidential marriage license fee (This will done at the County Recorder's office);
Both persons wishing to be married must be 18 years of age or older and not of the same sex;
Both persons wishing to be married must not have been divorced in the previous 90 days;
Both persons wishing to be married must be able to show current proof of identification (Inmates who do not have official identification can be identified by a Deputy to the person performing the marriage); and

The marriage ceremony will be performed inside the jail (No other persons other than the person performing the ceremony and the person being married will be allowed to enter the jail. All persons entering the jail will be subject to being searched. The Sheriff's Office reserves the right to exclude anyone from entering the jail for security reasons. The Jail will also set the date and time of the marriage. NO PROPERTY WILL BE EXCHANGED AND KEPT BY THE INMATE AFTER THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY. The marriage ceremony will be conducted in the visiting area with the glass separating the couple being married. NO PHYSICAL CONTACT WILL BE ALLOWED between the inmate and the person they are marrying.)

For more information regarding marrying an inmate, contact Inmate Services at (707) 463-4565.