19-3-30
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19-3-30.
(a)
Marriage licenses shall be issued only by the judge of the probate court or his
clerk at the county courthouse between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.,
Monday through Saturday.
(b)(1)
No marriage license shall be issued to persons of the same sex.
(2)
If one of the persons to be married is a resident of this state, the license may
be issued in any county of this state. If neither the male nor the female to be
married is a resident of this state, the license shall be issued in the county
in which the ceremony is to be performed.
(c)
The license shall be directed to any judge, including judges of state and
federal courts of record in this state, city recorder, magistrate, minister, or
other person of any religious society or sect authorized by the rules of such
society to perform the marriage ceremony; such license shall authorize the
marriage of the persons therein named and require the judge, city recorder,
magistrate, minister, or other authorized person to return the license to the
judge of the probate court with the certificate thereon as to the fact and date
of marriage within 30 days after the date of the marriage. The license with the
return thereon shall be recorded by the judge in a book kept by such judge for
that purpose.
(d)
The fact of issue of any unrecorded marriage license may be established by
affidavit of either party to a ceremonial marriage, which affidavit shall set
forth the date, the place, and the name and title of the official issuing the
license.
(e)
In the event that any marriage license is not returned for recording, as
provided in subsection (c) of this Code section, either party to a ceremonial
marriage may establish the marriage by submitting to the judge of the probate
court the affidavits of two witnesses to the marriage ceremony setting forth the
date, the place, and the name of the official or minister performing the
ceremony. The judge shall thereupon reissue the marriage license and enter
thereon the certificate of marriage and all dates and names in accordance with
the evidence submitted and shall record and cross-index same in the proper
chronological order in the book kept for that purpose.
(f)
Any other provisions of this Code section or any other law to the contrary
notwithstanding, the judge of the probate court of any county which has within
its boundaries a municipality that has a population according to the United
States decennial census of 1950 or any future such census greater than that of
the county seat of the county is authorized to appoint a clerk for the purpose
of granting marriage licenses in the municipality at an office designated by the
judge. The licenses shall be issued only between the hours prescribed in
subsection (a) of this Code section.