Tying the knot in Los Angeles County will cost couples more money after the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to increase the cost of marriage licenses, civil wedding ceremonies, and ceremony witness services.
The cost of a marriage license fee will increase from $91 to $176, the confidential marriage license fee from $85 to $220, the marriage ceremony fee from $35 to $44, and the marriage ceremony witness fee from $20 to $26.
In a letter to board members, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan stated that current fees “no longer reflect the actual costs to the RR/CC to perform these services and do not take into account inflationary factors or mandated minimum wage increases.”
The county last substantially amended its marriage license fees in 2009. A $1 increase was imposed by the state in 2014. Fees for marriage ceremonies and witnesses were last updated in 2015.
The price increases will take effect on Oct. 17, 30 days after the board’s vote.
“The proposed fee increase is significant as approximately 42% of this increase is attributed to cost-of-living adjustments for LA County employees since 2009, with the remainder reflecting several operational enhancements and mandated changes that have significantly impacted workload and administrative costs,” Logan wrote in the letter.
According to Logan, his office conducted a survey of marriage fees charged in San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Contra Costa, San Bernardino, San Francisco, and Ventura counties. The average fee for a marriage license was $100, and $107 for a confidential license, the results showed.
San Diego County charges the most for confidential and public marriage licenses at $144 and $129, respectively. On the other hand, Orange County charges the least, at $61 and $66, respectively.
In August, Riverside increased its marriage license fee to $111 for a standard license and $122 for a confidential one.
Due to the price increases, RR/CC’s annual revenue will increase to roughly $5.1 million, according to Logan’s letter.
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