NM marriage license fees more than doubling this summer
A woman signs a marriage license at the Doña Ana County Clerk's Office's Romance at the Rotunda event on Feb. 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy the Doña Ana County Clerk's Office)
Money can't buy you love, but it can get you a $55 New Mexico marriage license this summer.
New Mexico Marriage license fees will more than double next month from the current $25 fee thanks to Senate Bill 290, sponsored by Sen. Linda Trujillo (D-Santa Fe) during the legislative session held earlier this year. Out of the total new charge, the county clerk's office keeps $20; another $20 will go to the state's Children's Trust Fund; and $15 will benefit each county's general fund.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill on April 8 and the fee increase goes into effect on June 20.
According to the fiscal impact report, the fee increase is estimated to bring in an additional $195,000 in revenue each year – including about $32,500 for the Children's Trust Fund, which currently receives most of its revenue from special license plate sales. The fund is administered by the Children, Youth and Families Department's Family Services Division. Trust fund grants are awarded to 'community-based organizations' throughout the state working to help prevent or treat child abuse and neglect.
Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin told Source NM that the marriage license fee has not increased since the 1990s, and previous efforts to pass an increase failed.
'This is my seventh year that I'm starting [as county clerk]. We have been pushing for an increase that was, I think, reasonable, but also would be impactful for each of the counties in terms of their funds,' López Askin said. However, she noted: 'It's not just about increasing revenue. It's also about collectively supporting children across the state.'
New Mexico's license fee will still be on the lower side, compared to neighboring states such as Texas and Arizona, which both charge over $80, according to the Doña Ana County Clerk's Office. Doña Ana County Chief Deputy County Clerk Caroline Zamora said many people from El Paso, Texas travel to her office for marriage licenses because of the cheaper fee.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
17-year-old boy dies after June 3 Russian attack on Sumy, death toll rises to 6
A 17-year-old boy wounded in Russian attacks on downtown Sumy on June 3 died in the hospital, raising the death toll to six, regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported on June 10. Russia launched five attacks on the northeastern Ukrainian city using multiple launch rocket systems earlier this month, striking a densely populated area and injuring 28 people, including three children. The boy, whose name was not disclosed, succumbed to his injuries several days after the strike. "Russia is once again targeting what is most precious to us — our children, our future. Seventeen years old is just the beginning of life's journey. And that journey has been brutally cut short," Hryhorov wrote on Telegram. The barrage set two vehicles ablaze, heavily damaged a medical facility, and shattered homes across multiple residential buildings. Emergency workers completed their response at the site by 7 p.m. local time on June 3, and demining teams removed remnants of undetonated ordnance. President Volodymyr Zelensky said one of the projectiles failed to explode but tore through the wall of a nine-story apartment building. The attack came less than 24 hours after Russia and Ukraine held the second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, which yielded only a preliminary prisoner exchange agreement and no broader ceasefire progress. Sumy Oblast, which shares a long border with Russia, has been repeatedly shelled and targeted by drone strikes since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. In late May, Zelensky warned that Russia had concentrated 50,000 troops near the border in preparation for a possible renewed offensive to establish a "buffer zone" along Ukrainian territory. Since the beginning of the full-scale war in 2022, 632 Ukrainian children have been confirmed killed, according to Ukraine's national database. Read also: Russian missile and drone barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, killing 2 and injuring 12, damaging maternity hospital We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Governor's Office: Operation Zia Shield is different than situation in California
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The situation in California comes as the New Mexico National Guard looks to help Albuquerque police fight crime. A spokesperson for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sent this statement: In Albuquerque, the deployment of the National Guard represents a fundamentally different approach to public safety than what we're witnessing in California. New Mexico National Guard members are working collaboratively with local law enforcement at the direct request of the city's police chief, and the Guard is supporting, not replacing, law enforcement officers in their efforts to combat illegal drugs and violent crime. In California, President Trump disregarded Gov. Newsom's authority as commander-in-chief and deployed armed members of the National Guard to Los Angeles even though State and local law enforcement stated emphatically that they did not need the assistance. Gov. Lujan Grisham's measured approach in Albuquerque aims to strengthen public safety through cooperation and partnership, while helping to address real community needs. The president's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles is inflaming social tensions rather than resolving them. Michael Coleman, Communications Director, Office of New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller echoed a similar sentiment, saying that, unlike Los Angeles, the National Guard here will be doing non-enforcement activities. But Republican state Senator Bill Sharer, of Farmington, disagreed, saying, 'The governor….has no business opposing similar actions taken by the president to improve public safety.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Saying 'I do' in New Mexico will now cost twice as much as marriage license fee increases
Formalizing a marriage these days is often not the difficult part; walk in and the paperwork is there waiting for you. But in New Mexico, it's about to become more than twice as expensive. For the first time in decades, the cost of a marriage license in New Mexico will increase, jumping from $25 to $55, effective June 20, following the passage of bipartisan legislation during the 2025 legislative session updating the fee structure. While the price is more than doubling, New Mexico's fee remains lower than in Texas or Arizona, where the cost can exceed $80. Some states charge as much as $115. According to a news release from the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office, the fee change supports long-term recordkeeping, child welfare programs and local services across the state. Santa Fe County is one of New Mexico's most popular wedding destinations. 'Most people only think about their marriage license once — on their wedding day,' Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark said in a statement. 'But it's a legal document that can be needed decades later to access benefits, prove identity or navigate end-of-life paperwork. We want to ensure your record will be securely stored, easy to find, and legally valid when you need it." Senate Bill 290, signed by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham this year, was sponsored by Sen. Linda Trujillo, D-Santa Fe. It increases marriage license fees and changes how they are distributed. The changes will result in increased funds for counties, according to a Legislative Finance Committee fiscal impact report for the bill. With the updated fee, the fund is expected to gain an estimated $32,500 annually to expand prevention programs and family support services statewide. Beginning June 20, according to the County Clerk's Office, the $55 marriage license fee will be distributed as follows: * $20 to county clerk's offices * $20 to the Children's Trust Fund, which supports community-based programs to prevent child abuse and neglect * $15 to the county general fund The Children's Trust Fund, administered by the Children, Youth and Families Department, previously relied mostly on specialty license plate revenue, the release from the clerk's office said. The higher fees could give pennywise couples an excuse to hold off on the nuptials; however, the Legislative Finance Committee analysis noted even with New Mexico's comparatively low license fees, the state's marriage rate has been skidding for the last decade. "In 2022, New Mexico had the lowest marriage rate in the country at 4.2 per 1,000 people," the report said. "Nevada, Utah, and Colorado were among the highest at 25.9, 9.9, and 7.5 per 1,000, respectively."
