Nevada's lenient laws attract many for marriage, divorce by Koji Ueda, Outpost Contributor About 120.000 people get married and about 12.000 people divorced each year in Nevada, because Nevada's state law is relatively lenient. Based on the total population in Nevada, the marriage rate per 1000 people is 88.1 people, which is the highest in the United States. Hawaii, which has the second highest marriage rate of, is 15.8 people, according to Statistical Abstract of the United States 1997 published by U.S National Center for Health Statistics. In Nevada, people, who are older than 16, can get married, but 16 and 17 year-olds have to have their parents' written permission. Nevada's law does not require a blood test or a waiting period to get a marriage license. The fee for the license is $35. " The license is valid as soon as you walk away from counter to have a marriage ceremony which is proof of marriage," Washoe County Clerk Office Supervisor Marietta Draeger said. The license is valid only in Nevada for one year. People are not legally marriage until after the marriage ceremony takes place. Usually, it takes10 minutes to get a marriage license and 15 minutes for a marriage ceremony, Draeger said. Office hours for the clerk's office are 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday include holidays. Everybody in the world can get married in Nevada. "I was really surprised because it was so easy and speedy," a Japanese student at the University of Nevada, Reno, who wanted to remain anonymous, said. "When I got married about one year ago, I did not feel that this was really happening, because it took only 20 minutes." This easy and speedy marriage system and the casinos make Nevada a popular marriage place, because some people combine marriage with other activities, such as gambling and entertainment, Draeger said. People also come from outside of Nevada to get divorced in this state. People have to live six weeks in Nevada for divorce. People, who came from all over the world, can divorce in Nevada, even if one of them lives in other country. The divorce rate per 1000 people is 8.1 people in Nevada. The rate in New Mexico and Oklahoma, which are tied for the second highest rate of divorce, is 6.7 people. The difference between Nevada and other states is "a large number of nonresidents marrying and divorcing in Nevada, combines with Nevada's small population, and results in disproportionately high statistics," according to the Nevada Department of Human Resources. About 90 percent of all people who get married in Nevada come from other states. After residency requirements are met getting a divorce in Nevada doesn't take long. "If both parties are coming and asking for a divorce, it take as little as a week," law clerk Michael V. Kattelman, who works at family courts, said. "If the parties have some issues of property and children, it takes as long as two or four years." "It was very easy to divorce," Odie Heing, who divorced six month ago, said. "Only what I did for divorce was sign the paper," Nevada law uses the no fault system for divorce. In other words, people do not need any reason to divorce. "Because it is easy to get married and divorced, many people don't take marriage seriously," Kattelman said. "I don't think it should be changed," law clerk Jody Buie, who works for Judge Charles McGeez at family courts, said. "I like the no fault system because people have free access to do what they hope." Although many people are still coming to Nevada from other states, most other states' laws are getting easier to get married and divorce recently. For instance, in California a blood test is no longer requirement to get married.   copyright May 1998 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost