Increased fee for marriage waiver

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners have agreed to increase the fee for a marriage waiver.

During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners acted on Clerk Pattie Bender’s request to raise the fee from $5 to $25. In a memo to commissioners, Bender explained that when a couple applies for a marriage license, the law requires a three-day waiting period before a license can be issued.

In most cases, couples agree to waive the three-day period, which requires staff to immediately prepare paperwork and issue the license as quickly as possible.

Bender said the goal of the increase is less about making money and more about encouraging couples to apply for the license within a period of time well before three days of the service, for the benefit of staff and the demands put on it as a result of a waiver.