Who can legally marry you on Long Island

New York does not ask who you want. It publishes a list, and the list is the whole test

Domestic Relations Law section 11 opens by saying a marriage is not valid unless it is solemnised by someone on its list. That framing matters more than anything else on this page: authority is not something an officiant can acquire by being sincere, by being certified by an organisation, or by being handed the licence.

“§ 11. By whom a marriage must be solemnized. No marriage shall be valid unless solemnized by either: 1. A clergyman or minister of any religion, or by the senior leader, or any of the other leaders, of The Society for Ethical Culture in the city of New York, having its principal office in the borough of Manhattan, or” Domestic Relations Law § 11

The categories on the list, in plain terms. Clergy and ministers as Religious Corporations Law section 2 defines them, and leaders of The Society for Ethical Culture. Certain current and former elected officials, including a mayor of a city or village, a county executive, and a state legislator who takes no fee. Specified federal judges, and any justice or judge of New York's unified court system. A written contract of marriage acknowledged before a judge of a court of record. Tribal officiants. And, since 2023, a one day marriage officiant designated by a town or city clerk.

Two things are not on that list, and both come up constantly. A notary public is not on it. A ship captain is not on it, which we wrote about separately in can a ship captain marry you in New York. An out of state judge is not on it either: the statute names specified federal judges and New York's own judiciary, and nothing else.

The one day officiant licence is real, it costs twenty five dollars, and the fee is set by the state

The claim that a friend or relative can be authorised for your wedding alone is the one piece of internet wedding advice that turns out to be correct. Chapter 68 of the Laws of 2023 added section 11-d, and clerks began issuing on 28 March 2023.

“§ 11-d. One-day marriage officiant license. 1. A town or city clerk shall issue a one-day marriage officiant license upon request. Such one-day marriage officiant shall have the authority to solemnize a marriage which marriage shall be valid if performed in accordance with other provisions of law. N” Domestic Relations Law § 11-d

Three details that trip people up. The twenty five dollar fee is statewide, set by the statute itself, not a town rate. The application goes to the same town or city clerk's office that issued your marriage licence, not to any clerk you like. And once issued, the licence lets that person solemnise a marriage anywhere in the state, not only in the issuing town.

Long Island clerks publish it in their own words. Huntington is the only one we found citing the section by number: “Pursuant to New York Domestic Relations Law §11-d, a Town Clerk is authorized to issue a one-day marriage officiant license to individuals who satisfy specified criteria.”

“As of March 28, 2023, couples in New York State who wish to have a friend or family member marry them, can do so. The potential marriage officiant must apply for approval through the Town Clerk's office from which the couple's marriage license was obtained (ie” Town of Hempstead

“One-Day Marriage Officiant License: A one-day marriage officiant license will only be issued if the marriage couple has a current marriage license issued from the Shelter Island Town Clerk's Office. Applicant must be at least 18 years of age.” Town of Shelter Island

Southampton and Brookhaven publish the same route in their own wording. One oddity worth knowing: three years in, the state's own list of who can perform a ceremony still does not mention the one day officiant, so a clerk's page is a better guide here than the state page.

An online ordination is the one route this page cannot tell you is safe

This is the part to read twice, because the honest answer is a split and most pages about it pick a side.

In 1989 the Appellate Division, Second Department, which covers Nassau and Suffolk, held that a marriage in New York solemnised by a minister of the Universal Life Church was void. The case itself arose in Suffolk County.

“The primary question to be resolved on the instant appeal is whether a purported marriage solemnized in the State of New York by a minister of the Universal Life Church, Inc. (hereinafter the ULC) is void. This question must be answered in the affirmative.” Ranieri v Ranieri, 146 AD2d 34, 539 NYS2d 382 (2d Dept 1989), lv dismissed 74 NY2d 792 (1989)

That decision binds Long Island trial courts. In 2013 the Third Department, which covers upstate counties and not ours, declined to follow it and sent the question of whether the church qualifies back for factfinding. It did not hold that such marriages are valid.

“Addressing the merits, we first note that, inasmuch as Ranieri v Ranieri (supra) was the only appellate decision in this state addressing the question of whether a minister of the ULC has authority under New York law to solemnize a marriage, Supreme Court was bound to follow it (see Mountain View Co” Oswald v Oswald, 107 AD3d 45, 963 NYS2d 762 (3d Dept 2013)

No appellate court has resolved the conflict, and the Court of Appeals has never decided the merits: leave to appeal in the 1989 case was dismissed, which settles nothing. A trial judge in Manhattan wrote in 2014 that the statute “call into question whether a person like” an online ordained officiant is a minister under New York law. So: in Nassau and Suffolk the only appellate answer is that the marriage is void, and we are not going to tell you it is valid, or that it is certainly void either.

One provenance note, because it matters on a page like this. The 1989 decision is not published in full text on the New York courts' own site and the commercial reproductions we tried were paywalled or blocked, so we read the opinion text in CourtListener's published copy, which reports the case at 146 A.D.2d 34, 539 N.Y.S.2d 382, decided 20 March 1989, and carries the sentence quoted above. The 2013 decision we read in full from the courts' own bound volume of the Appellate Division Reports.

The rule that hurts: a missing licence is forgivable, a missing officiant is not

The most repeated piece of reassurance online is that section 25 fixes paperwork problems, so an officiant question does not matter. Read the section and it says the opposite of what people take from it.

“The provisions of this article pertaining to the granting of the licenses before a marriage can be lawfully celebrated apply to all persons who assume the marriage relation in accordance with subdivision four of section eleven of this chapter. Nothing in this article contained shall be construed to” Domestic Relations Law § 25

It rescues a failure to obtain a licence, and only for a marriage that was properly solemnised in the first place. We found no savings provision anywhere in the article for a marriage solemnised by somebody without authority, and no good faith exception. The 1989 decision held the marriage void even where a party acted in good faith. The 2013 decision said a void marriage cannot be retroactively validated by estoppel, by agreement, or by living as a married couple.

And nothing goes wrong on the day, which is exactly why this is a risk worth an hour of attention. No New York agency vets an officiant.

“The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) does not have the authority to advise you whether or not an individual or organization qualifies to perform a marriage in New York State. This is a requirement of Article 3, Section 11 of New York State Domestic” New York State Department of Health

A Long Island clerk puts the consequence plainly: the Town of Shelter Island tells couples that the person performing the ceremony must be registered with the City of New York only for a ceremony inside city limits. It warns separately that the state does not challenge who performs a marriage, while a court later might.

You do not need to register with New York City to marry in Nassau or Suffolk

Section 11-b requires registration before performing ceremonies in the city of New York. By its own words it is limited to ceremonies there, so it does not reach a wedding in Garden City, Montauk or anywhere else on the Island.

“§ 11-b. Registration of persons performing marriage ceremonies in the city of New York. Every person authorized by law to perform the marriage ceremony, before performing any such ceremonies in the city of New York, shall register his or he” Domestic Relations Law § 11-b

We found no Long Island town imposing a registration of its own. The statute is silent on whether a town outside the city could, so ask your clerk rather than treat our search as a guarantee.

One more route exists that couples rarely hear about. A village, town or city may appoint marriage officers under section 11-c, and those officers may solemnise within the appointing municipality. A village mayor may marry you under section 11; a village clerk may not issue your licence, which is a separate question we cover in the Long Island marriage licence guide.

What we would do, and what we are not telling you

1. If you want a friend or relative to marry you, use the one day officiant licence. It is the route the legislature built for exactly this, it costs twenty five dollars, and it removes the question entirely.
2. If your officiant is ordained online and you would rather not change plans, add a second solemnisation by someone squarely on the list, or get the one day licence in the same person's name.
3. If your officiant is clergy of an established religious body, a judge or justice, or a mayor, you are on the list as written.
4. Ask the officiant, in writing, which subdivision of section 11 they rely on. Anyone who does this often will answer in a sentence.

We are not telling you whether a marriage you have already had is valid. Every source that touches this, including a sitting Supreme Court justice and the Department of Health, declines to answer that question, and so do we. This page is not legal advice, and a family lawyer is the right call if the question is live for you.

Sources: Domestic Relations Law § 11 · § 11-d, one day marriage officiant · § 11-c, marriage officers · § 11-b, registration in New York City · § 25, licence when to be obtained · Religious Corporations Law § 2 · Ranieri v Ranieri, 146 AD2d 34, 539 NYS2d 382 (2d Dept 1989), lv dismissed 74 NY2d 792 (1989) · Oswald v Oswald, 107 AD3d 45, 963 NYS2d 762 (3d Dept 2013) · Ponorovskaya v Stecklow, 45 Misc 3d 597, 2014 NY Slip Op 24140 (Sup Ct, NY County 2014) (Cooper, J.) · NYS Department of Health, getting married in New York · the town clerk pages quoted above
Statutes and decisions read on 27 September 2026. Nothing here is legal advice.

Short answers, with the source for each