Frequently Asked Questions

Our hours for Marriage Intentions are as follows:
- Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Friday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Closed Saturdays, Sundays and all legal holidays

The Gardner City Hall is located at 95 Pleasant Street. The City Clerk’s Office is on the first floor, Room 121. On-street parking is available.

The marriage license is valid for 60 days from the day you apply (after the 3-day waiting period). Apply for your license no sooner than 60 days before your planned wedding date.

If your marriage is going to take place outside of Massachusetts, you must contact the local officials in the jurisdiction where the marriage will take place. Marriage laws vary from state to state.

If the marriage is to take place in Massachusetts, you may apply for your license at any City or Town Clerk’s Office in Massachusetts regardless of where you live. Fees and hours vary from office to office. Information on offices in other cities and towns can be obtained from the Commonwealth Communities page on the

No appointment is necessary, however, you should call ahead to be assured that the City Clerk or the Assistant City Clerk is available to administer the oath to the parties intending to be married. A couple must appear at the City Clerk’s Office together, in person, to file a “Notice of Intention to Marry” and must present valid photo identification. This can be done any time during our regular office hours. Please allow approximately fifteen minutes for completion of your application.

Applications for Marriage Licenses will not be taken after 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday or after Noon on Friday.

Yes, there is a three-day waiting period. Your license will be available on the third calendar day after the day that you apply. For example, if you apply on a Thursday, your license can be issued on or after Monday. Please note that licenses are not issued on Saturdays, Sundays, and all legal holidays (i.e., whenever the City Hall is closed).

If there is reason to dispense with the three-day waiting period, a couple may apply to a Justice of a Massachusetts Probate or District Court to have the license issued without delay. Applicants can proceed to the courthouse after filing the “Notice of Intention to Marry” with the City Clerk. Upon such court order, the license may be issued without delay. The parties, prior to issuance of the license, must present the certified copy of the court order to the City Clerk which will be retained.

The Gardner District Court is located at 108 Matthews Street and can be reached at 978-632-4276. The fee for the waiver is currently $195. Call the District Court for the for the waiver and methods of payment. The Court staff recommends that applicants for waivers arrive at the Courthouse no later than 3 p.m. to assure ample time for consideration of the waiver prior to closing time.

Imminent Death - If the death of either party is imminent, a license may be issued without delay upon request of a minister, clergyman, priest, rabbi, authorized representative of a Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is or attending physician. The request must be notarized and should include a statement that the possibility of death before three days exists (G.L. c.207 §30).

Immigrants - If either party to the marriage has arrived as an immigrant from a foreign country within five days of the wedding, the Intentions may be filed at any time before the wedding and the license may be issued any time after filing Intentions (G.L. c.207 §29). Immigration papers are to be shown to the City Clerk, who will make a true copy attest to be maintained.

No, a blood test is not required. On October 29, 2004, the Governor signed a law eliminating the premarital medical certificate requirement in Massachusetts. This law went into effect on January 28, 2005.

The fee is $25, which includes the license only.

Find a Justice of the Peace in your area by visiting the

No, residency is not a requirement for marriage in Massachusetts.

You are not required to present a divorce decree when filing intentions to marry. However, it is extremely important that an individual who has been divorced be certain that his/her divorce is absolute. In Massachusetts, a divorce does not become absolute until 90 days after the divorce nisi has been granted, regardless of the grounds for divorce. The City Clerk reserves the right to require a divorce decree under certain conditions.

Massachusetts statute does not require that witnesses be present at your ceremony. The officiant serves as the witness.

Our mailing address is City Clerk, 95 Pleasant Street, Room 121, Gardner, MA 01440.

You may contact the City Clerk’s Office by telephone during the office hours at 978-630-4058, or by emailing