Wed for Better or for Worse, but in Secret : Fees: Cost of a confidential marriage license, bought by more than half the couples applying to wed in 1993, will go up $8.
For the past two decades, thousands of couples have been paying the county to keep their marriage licenses a secret.
The reasons are varied, and most unromantic.
Most seek to avoid the blood tests required for public marriage licenses, while others in longtime relationships enjoy the speed with which the licenses can establish community property rights and the ability to file joint income tax returns.
But until Tuesday, when the Board of Supervisors increased the fee for this brand of privacy by $8, few top officials in county government even knew the confidential license option existed.
Just before voting on the fee increase, board Chairwoman Harriett M. Wieder had to ask County Clerk Gary L. Granville for a quick explanation of the law, which has been on the books since 1972.
Among the betrothed, however, the secrecy provision has never been more popular. In 1993, Granville said, more couples--9,824--paid for confidential licenses than for those that are public information.
“For unmarried people who have been cohabiting for a long time, it’s convenient for them to establish their community property rights without having to go through the trouble of getting a blood test,” Granville said. About 80% of the people applying for the licenses list the same address as the person they intend to marry, he said.
Not surprisingly, the cash-strapped county is now taking advantage of this trend by increasing the price of confidentiality from $59.25 to $67.25. The money will pay for additional programs aimed at quelling family violence.
This year, the fee increase is expected to raise about $73,000 for the county’s Domestic Violence Program Trust Fund.
“Hopefully, none of the (couples) will have to seek the services of those programs,” Granville said.
With the popularity of the secret licenses, Granville said there has been some concern expressed by his colleagues throughout the state about allowing couples to skip blood tests, especially given the spread of the AIDS virus. Under state law, AIDS testing must be offered by the doctor or technician when a couple applies for a conventional marriage license, but the couple has the option of refusing that test.
Currently, Granville said, couples seeking confidential licenses are provided with health information addressing the issue.
“My feeling is that government should serve the wants of the people,” Granville said. “At that stage, I think people should be able to make decisions for themselves. They are consenting adults.”
Unfortunately for some, the confidentiality doesn’t always extend to divorce proceedings.
“In divorce, it all hangs out,” Granville said.
Marriage Secrets While the total number of marriage licenses issued in Orange County has declined about 10% since hitting a five-year high in 1990, the number of confidential licenses has increased steadily:
Standard Confidential Total 1989 14,718 6,379 21,097 1990 13,451 8,388 21,839 1991 11,025 9,450 20,475 1992 10,446 9,777 20,223 1993 9,792 9,824 19,616
How They Differ
Standard licenses
* Are public record
* Require a blood test
* Allow couples to marry anywhere in the state
Confidential licenses
* Are not public record
* Do not require a blood test
* Couple must be at least 18, live together when they apply and get married in issuing county
Trend
The percentage of confidential licenses has risen steadily in the past five years. Today, half of all marriage licenses are confidential.
1989: 30%
1993: 50% Source: Orange County Clerk; Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times
