Jail Ceremony Information
COVID-19 Impact Statement
Ada County Jail has resumed in-person clergy visits. Be advised that legally, a Marriage ceremony conducted via a video visit can be considered fraud. According to Idaho and Oregon law, the marriage ceremony MUST be solemnized "in the presence of" the authorized and empowered Officiant. The law interprets "in the presence of" to mean the couple, Officiant, and witnesses (where required) must be physically present, in the same room, without the use of any electronic means such as SKYPE, telephone (FaceTime), or other video communications for the wedding ceremony.***
Ceremony Approval
All marriage ceremonies must be pre-approved through the facility; the facility can revoke this approval. The inmate will submit a form requesting permission to get married. Reverend Laura is an Approved Clergy for Ada County Jail, Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) Facilities (i.e., NICI and CAPP), and the Snake River Correctional Institute (SRCI) in Oregon. Whomever you choose for your clergy, they MUST be approved by the facility.
If your fiancé is at a County facility awaiting trial and there is a "No Contact" order, approval for your marriage request is unlikely. Often, the judge issues a "No Contact" order when you are a co-defendant with the inmate. Please do not attempt to violate a "No Contact" order. Getting married is not worth breaking the law.
** Canyon County Jail does not allow in-person visits; all marriage ceremonies are performed in person (by Idaho law) by a Magistrate, no outside clergy. The inmate must use the jail's internal request process by submitting a "kite" form. The facility authorities review the request, and you will receive a notification via mail. The inmate gets information through the jail's internal process. If the marriage request is approved, your letter from the facility will include additional instructions. This process can take several weeks, be patient. **
Marriage license
Idaho
Because the inmate cannot appear in person to apply for the license, you will need to get a unique form from the county clerk's office for the inmate to sign (typically from Ada County). The inmate's signature must be notarized. Sometimes the inmate's attorney will offer notary services; we recommend exploring this option first. Pricing for a notary varies greatly; some bail bonds offices provide notary services for a nominal fee; shop around.
Oregon
Oregon Applications for Marriage expire after 60 days, so do not start the process for a Marriage Application too early but be sure to leave enough time for mailing back and forth. Here is the contact information for Washington County; they will process the Application for an Oregon Marriage License by mail if you send them a self-addressed STAMPED envelope to the address below:
Washington County
155 N First Ave
Hillsboro, OR 97124
503-846-8752
Once you receive the Application form, mail it (the blank document) to your fiancé at SRCI so that he can fill out and sign his portion of the Application, as PARTY A; Boxes 1a through 11b. After completing his part, he must sign and date the form in Box 25 in the SIGNATURES Section, then mail it back to you.
Input your information under PARTY B, Boxes 12a through 22b, sign and date in Box 26, and then mail the form back to Washington County with your $60 Licensing fee.
Washington County will review, record, date, and sign the "LICENSE TO MARRY" section of the form; boxes 27, then mail it back to you.
On visitation day, you will bring the form for me to fill out the CEREMONY section, boxes 30a to 33. I will mail the form back to Washington County for the final recording.
MOST Oregon Counties require that both parties fill out the marriage application in person at the county office, which is why I'm providing you with mail-in application information. If you are an Oregon State resident, please note that some counties will allow you to pick up the Application in-person to mail the blank Application to your fiancé, have him complete it, sign it as PARTY A, and send it back to you. Then you will go back to the county office complete and sign the form as PARTY B. You will pay your application fee at that time.
Marriage Ceremony Dates and Times
Your fiance` must request approval for the ceremony, then the facility will inform them of the approved date and time. Below are general guidelines for each facility. These are subject to change.
Idaho
Ada County Jail
Dates/Times: Any Saturday or Sunday, typically at 9:00 am.
Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) Facilities
Dates/Times: Typically, marriage ceremonies only occur before regular visiting hours. At the CAPP facility in Kuna, these ceremonies are at 7:00 am, or 7:30 am on a visiting day. At the NICI facility in Cottonwood, these ceremonies are at 11:30 am on the visiting day.
Oregon
Snake River Correctional Institute
Dates/Times: The last Monday in April and the last Monday in October. Ceremonies/Visitation begins at 8:00 am; plan to arrive by 7:45 am.