Getting Married in Duck

Duck’s Wedding Event Registration Policy

The Town of Duck has a wedding registration policy. For information on the policy and the registration form to complete, click here.

The purpose of this registration is to provide awareness for event planners, participants, neighborhoods, property owners, and town officials for all upcoming wedding-related events so that careful consideration and planning can be given to safety, parking, noise, signage, and other impacts on the community. It is the Town of Duck’s desire to see that all events are carefully planned to ensure the enjoyment of the participants, while also limiting the potential for negative impacts that may be caused by such events if not carefully planned.

A wedding-related gathering is defined as 50 or more people in a private residence in the Town of Duck. Examples include pre- and post-wedding parties, rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies, wedding receptions, and brunches. The Town of Duck will not reserve any Town Park or Boardwalk facilities for wedding-related events or activities.

All wedding-related events must be registered with the Town of Duck Department of Community Development at least thirty (30) days before the event date. The purpose for providing thirty (30) day notice is to allow the bride/groom and/or the planner to make arrangements for typically problematic details like parking and shuttle services given the nature of the Outer Banks and Duck in particular. Please note, there is no public parking along streets throughout Duck.

This registration will provide appropriate information for notification of property owners, neighborhood associations, and public safety personnel, and will also provide contact information for the responsible parties, preferably a wedding planner or a contact other than the bride or groom, who could be contacted during the event so that we can reach you, if necessary, during the event with a minimum of disruption.

You can get married on the beach within the following parameters:

  1. You cannot rope off a site for the ceremony or for anything that you set up. While beach accesses in Duck are private, the beach is considered a public space for residents and visitors to Duck; therefore, you cannot block off an exclusive area.
  2. You may place some beach style or folding chairs, or a small trellis out on the beach shortly before the ceremony.
  3. No fires are permitted. No fireworks or floating lanterns are permitted.
  4. The biggest challenge is parking for your guests. There is no public beach access in Duck, nor are there any parking areas for public beach access. The streets are either state roads or private roads, and neither allows parking along the sides of the street or in cul-de-sac areas. If your guests are all staying nearby and can walk to the beach through their homeowner association beach accesses. If they are not staying nearby, you should arrange transportation (via vans or shuttles) so that they do not need to drive and arrive with no place to park. Parking is not authorized at community spaces such as the Duck Volunteer Fire Department nor at area shopping centers.
  5. You should check with the homeowners association where your home is located to make sure that there are no issues with use of the community walkover to the beach for your guests.
  6. Please arrange for the removal of chairs and other features related to the wedding right after the ceremony.
  7. If planning a ceremony on the beach, be sure to check the tide charts when setting the time to avoid high tide.

Marriage Licenses

Marriage licenses are to be acquired from the Dare County Register of Deeds, located in Manteo, North Carolina on Roanoke Island at the Dare County Justice Center, 962 Marshall C Collins Dr., Room 165A. Please call 252.475.5970 or visit Dare County’s Marriage License webpage.

For additional information on getting married in the Outer Banks, please visit:

Outer Banks Visitors Bureau

Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce

Outer Banks Wedding Association

Please contact the town at 252.255.1234 or at info@townofduck.com with questions.