Looking to get married in San Diego County?
There’s a new option to help cross the “where” off your to-do list. Couples can now pick up marriage licenses and get married at the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s (ARCC) office in Chula Vista.
Both services are available on an appointment basis at 590 Third Ave. in Chula Vista. Couples can also pick up licenses or hold ceremonies at the County’s downtown, San Marcos and El Cajon ARCC offices.
Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Ernie Dronenburg said it just made sense to offer the services in the South County as well.
“People are very happy they can get married in their neighborhood,” Dronenburg said. Weddings, he added, “are community-oriented events and people want neighbors and friends to come. It’s nice if they can hold them in their area.”
Dronenburg said his office reorganized existing staff to provide the services, rather than hiring new employees. Up to six staff members will be available to perform wedding ceremonies and issue licenses in Chula Vista, depending on demand. Staff members speak both English and Spanish.
Minutes before his wedding ceremony in Chula Vista last week, Roberto Simon of Imperial Beach said holding the event there was much more convenient than driving all the way to downtown San Diego. He said he and his fiancee Melissa discovered the service was available there by visiting the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s website. And so last Wednesday afternoon, half a dozen family members looked on as the couple got married in a special wedding room set up in the back of the Chula Vista office.
The room recently got a spruce up: fresh paint, new artwork and a new podium. A patio area outside is also available for couples who want to marry there.
Wedding ceremonies and marriage licenses were available at the Chula Vista office up until 2009, when the office closed. It re-opened last year.
The following services are also available at the Chula Vista branch:
- Assessor services
- Birth certificates
- Copies of recorded real estate documents
- Death certificates
- Training to be a deputy marriage commissioner for a day
- Fictitious business name filings and searches
- County Assessor forms
- Homeowner exemptions
- Assessor parcel maps
- Notary authentication
- Searching the real estate index (from 1982-present)
For more information or to make an appointment, visit the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s website or call 619-237-0502.