Judge Deborah J. Nicastro of the Garfield Heights Municipal Court performs marriage ceremonies. Before the ceremony can be performed, you must get a marriage license from the Cuyahoga County Probate Court. There are a few ways to get one:

Method 1 - Applying in Person

You can apply in person at:

1. The Probate Court at 1 Lakeside Avenue, Room 146 (1st Floor), Cleveland, Ohio 44113. For more information, call (216) 443-8920 or visit the Probate Court website.
2. The Clerk’s Office of the Garfield Heights Municipal Court from 9:00 am to noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the dates when a Clerk of the Probate Court will be present. You may check the Probate Court website for dates.

Method 2 - Pre-Registration

To save time, you may pre-register online and pick up your license at the Probate Court any time or at the Municipal Court on the specified dates. Click here to pre-register.

For more information and frequently asked questions about marriage licenses, visit the Probate Court website.

What Do I Do Once I Have My License?

Once you have the marriage license, call the Garfield Heights Municipal Court Clerk at 216-475-1900 to schedule the ceremony. You will need to deliver the marriage license and your filing fee at least 3 days prior to the scheduled date.

Most ceremonies are performed at the Garfield Heights Municipal Court in Judge Nicastro’s Courtroom beginning at 11:30 am on Fridays. However, for special requests and for no additional fee, Judge Nicastro will travel to a location within Cuyahoga County to perform the ceremony.

Judge Nicastro has a standard set of marriage vows but will gladly use any marriage vows if the couple provides them in advance. To obtain a copy of the standard vows, call the Clerk of Court at 216-475-1900.

The fee to be paid to the Garfield Heights Municipal Court for the marriage services can be found here, but plan on paying a fee to the Probate Court also for the marriage license.