Increases the marriage ceremony fee and the marriage license fee in the city of New York

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why John Liu says this is needed

The New York City Clerk's Marriage Bureau serves tens of thousands of couples each year from across the city, the nation and the world. In 2023 alone, the office issued over 70,000 marriage licenses and performed more than 44,000 civil ceremonies. These services require trained personnel, secure and modernized recordkeeping systems, fraud prevention measures, accessible facilities and compliance with evolving technology and accessibility standards. The fee for a marriage license is $25 pursuant to Dom Rel § 15(5) and the fee for a civil marriage ceremony is $25 pursuant to Dom Rel § 11-A(1)(d). Both fees were last increased, each from $5 to $25 on July 10, 1990, 1990 N.Y. ALS 424, 1990 N.Y. LAWS 424, 1990 N.Y. A.N. 8622. Thus, there has only been an increase of $20 in the 12 years between 1978 and 1990 and it has been 34 years since the last marriage license and civil marriage ceremony fee increase for the New York City. In the rest of New York State outside of the New York City the marriage license fee is $30 pursuant to Dom Rel § 15(4). On average, town or city clerk's collect an additional $10 fee for release of the marriage certificate after the marriage ceremony, bringing the total fee for a marriage license outside of New York City to $40. The fee for the rest of New York State was increased from $15 to $30 in 2003 per 2003 N.Y. ALS 62, 2003 N.Y. LAWS 62, 2003 N.Y. A.N. 2106. The current fee structure falls well below the actual cost of service delivery. The City Clerk has determined that the average cost to issue a marriage license is approximately $70 and the cost to perform a civil ceremony is approximately $56. The proposed increases, to $60 for a license and $55 for a ceremony, are calibrated to more closely align with those costs while remaining reasonable and accessible. Even with these adjustments, New York City's fees will remain consistent with, and in many cases lower than, comparable major jurisdictions. Large urban centers such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas charge significantly higher fees for similar services, often exceeding $90 or $100 for licenses alone. At the same time, in other parts of New York State, total costs associated with marriage licenses and ceremonies frequently meet or exceed the levels proposed here when additional local fees are included. The bill preserves local control by maintaining the New York City Coun- cil's authority to set ceremony fees within the updated cap, ensuring flexibility and accountability going forward. This legislation is both practical and responsible. It ensures that the cost of providing marriage services is not disproportionately borne by taxpayers and allows the City Clerk to continue meeting demand without compromising service accessibility or modernization efforts. After more than 30 years without adjustment, this update is overdue and necessary to bring the law into alignment with current conditions.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.