Office of the County Clerk
Find marriage licensing and county clerk services. Find fictitious business name (FBN / DBA) filing and renewal instructions. Business licenses are a separate service.
Source checked October 12, 2026[1]www.sf.gov
Opens this office’s own website. CountyWiki does not process applications, take payments or provide personal records.
Contact details & office locations ↓Online services & information
These links were found on official source pages. Each service is handled by the office.
Official county instructions for obtaining a new marriage license. Online application entry alone does not issue a license or replace the required appearance; confirm the license type, documents and visit arrangements.
Before you start
- Appointments · New marriage license — standard in-person application
- You need an appointment to get a marriage license. You must submit a marriage license application when you book the appointment. [8]
- Information & documents · Previous marriage or partnership ending within 90 days — foreign-language evidence
- Certified Copies in a foreign language must be translated into English by a Court certified translator or American Translators Association (ATA) certified translator and must be presented along with the translation. [9]
Official official instructions for requesting certificates. Read the office’s current requirements before continuing.
County-linked appointment information or scheduler. Confirm the service and location before booking.
Follow the County Clerk’s FBN filing steps and separate publication/proof requirements. San Francisco business-tax registration is a different registration, with its own fees and renewal rules.
Before you start
- Information & documents · New accounts or changed DBA/location/ownership
- Include a Business Registration Certificate or TVR from SF Treasurer & Tax for a new account or a change in DBA, business location or ownership. [20]
- Information & documents · Paper filing
- Provide an original wet signature on the FBN statement. [21]
- Deadlines · Initial filing — state deadline
- File within 40 days after starting business under the fictitious name. [10]
- Eligibility & access · Where to file — principal place of business
- File in the county of your principal California business location. If you have no California business location, file in Sacramento County. [11]
- Deadlines · New or changed filing — newspaper publication
- Start publication within 45 days after filing. Use a qualifying newspaper in the filing county, or an adjoining county if no qualifying newspaper exists there. [12]
- Information & documents · Newspaper notice — publication frequency
- Publish once a week for four successive weeks. [13]
- Deadlines · After publication — file the affidavit
- File the publication affidavit with the County Clerk within 45 days after publication is completed. Check whether your newspaper files it for you. [14]
- Deadlines · Expiration — earlier changes or abandonment can end the statement
- A statement generally lasts five years, but changes or abandonment can end it earlier. [15]
- Eligibility & access · No-change renewal — publication exception
- An unchanged renewal filed within 40 days after expiration does not need republication. Changes can require a new publication. [16]
- Information & documents · California principal business location
- Provide the street address and county of the principal business location. A registrant’s separate mailing-address rule does not remove this requirement. [17]
- Information & documents · Individual registrant — owner mailing address
- For an individual owner, provide the full name and business mailing address if different from the business address. Do not apply older blanket residence-address instructions. [18]
Fees
Fees are quoted only when a source document supports the amount and conditions.
Check the official website for its current fee schedule. No fee should be assumed to be free.
Forms & documents
Official forms and document pages for this office’s services.
Sources & last checked11 source pages · 21 citations
Sources were checked by an AI-assisted research process. A checked website does not mean every service or fee on it has been reviewed.
- [1] City and County of San Francisco — departments directory (opens in a new tab)
City and County of San Francisco · Department directory: Office of the County Clerk
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
Office of the County Clerk
- [2] City and County of San Francisco — county clerk (opens in a new tab)
City and County of San Francisco · Service link: Get a birth certificate
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
Get a birth certificate
- [3] City and County of San Francisco — county clerk (opens in a new tab)
City and County of San Francisco · Contact information — phone
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
ual. Learn more about us Contact information Phone Call415-554-4950 Request public records Submit requests for the Office of the County Clerk. Archived website Se
- [4] City and County of San Francisco — county clerk (opens in a new tab)
City and County of San Francisco · Contact information — hours
Source reviewed October 12, 2026View supporting excerpt
essional registrations. Office Hours: Monday to Friday Processing Hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Professional Registration Processing Hours: 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Information Only: 4:00 pm to 5
- [5] San Francisco marriage services — get a marriage license (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — Get a marriage license
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
Get a marriage license
- [6] San Francisco marriage services — get a marriage license (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — Book a Marriage License Appointment Here
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
Book a Marriage License Appointment Here
- [7] San Francisco marriage services — get a marriage license (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — Clerk marriage services · Marriage service contact — County Clerk — marriage services — phone
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
415-554-4950
- [8] San Francisco marriage services — get a marriage license (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — You need an appointment to get a marriage license. You must submit a marriage license application wh
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
You need an appointment to get a marriage license. You must submit a marriage license application when you book the appointment.
- [9] San Francisco marriage services — get a marriage license (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — Clerk marriage services · Official marriage licensing information — Certified Copies in a foreign language must be translated into English by a Court certified translat
Source reviewed October 14, 2026View supporting excerpt
Certified Copies in a foreign language must be translated into English by a Court certified translator or American Translators Association (ATA) certified translator and must be presented along with the translation.
- [10] Business and Professions Code 17910 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17910(a)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
File a fictitious business name statement in accordance with this chapter not later than 40 days from the time the registrant commences to transact such business.
- [11] Business and Professions Code 17915 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17915
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
A fictitious business name statement shall be filed with the clerk of the county in which the registrant has his or her principal place of business in this state or, if the registrant has no place of business in this state, with the Clerk of Sacramento County.
- [12] Business and Professions Code 17917 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17917(a)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Within 45 days after a fictitious business name statement has been filed pursuant to this chapter, the registrant shall cause a statement in the form prescribed by subdivision (a) of Section 17913 to be published pursuant to Section 6064 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the fictitious business name statement was filed or, if there is no such newspaper in that county, in a newspaper of general circulation in an adjoining county.
- [13] California — FBN publication-frequency (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · Government Code §6064
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Publication of notice pursuant to this section shall be once a week for four successive weeks.
- [14] Business and Professions Code 17917 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17917(d)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
An affidavit showing the publication of the statement shall be filed with the county clerk where the fictitious business name statement was filed within 45 days after the completion of the publication.
- [15] Business and Professions Code 17920 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17920(a)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Unless the statement expires earlier under subdivision (b) or (c), a fictitious business name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk.
- [16] Business and Professions Code 17917 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17917(c)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
If a refiling is required because the prior statement has expired, the refiling need not be published unless there has been a change in the information required in the expired statement, provided the refiling is filed within 40 days of the date the statement expired.
- [17] Business and Professions Code 17913 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17913(b)(2)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
If the registrant has a place of business in this state, insert the street address, and county, of the registrant’s principal place of business in this state.
- [18] Business and Professions Code 17913 — fictitious business names (opens in a new tab)
California Legislature · BPC §17913(b)(3)
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
If the registrant is an individual, insert the registrant’s full name and business mailing address if it differs from the business address.
- [19] San Francisco — fictitious business name instructions (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — business name filing · Fictitious business name — Fictitious Business Name
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Fictitious Business Name
- [20] San Francisco — FBN form (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — business name filing · FBN requirement — New accounts or changed DBA/location/ownership
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
A copy of your Business Registration Certificate or Temporary Verification of Registration (TVR) issued by SF Treasurer & Tax is required for new accounts and any changes to the following since your last FBN filing: DBA, business location, or ownership.
- [21] San Francisco — FBN form (opens in a new tab)
San Francisco County — business name filing · FBN requirement — Paper filing
Source reviewed October 15, 2026View supporting excerpt
Original wet signature is required.