Getting a Reno marriage license- a sure bet by Meg Mincolla, Contributing writer   Getting a Reno marriage license quickly is a safe bet in a town you may come to in hopes of a 'quick' jackpot. The process of getting a marriage license can be daunting to those couples anxious to begin their new life together. Such couples should realize Reno's licensing procedure requires only 10 minutes. Reno's licensing process begins at the courthouse's 75 Court St. marriage license office, where a couple must present one piece of state-issued identification each and the $35 licensing fee. The couple then must answer a few questions regarding each individual's previous and current residence, status of any previous marriages, and maiden name and birth state of mother. Once the questions are answered, the couple receives two copies of their marriage license. One copy is for the couple to keep, the other is for the wedding officiator to sign and return to the courthouse within 10 days of the ceremony. "The whole process takes about 10 minutes. The couple comes in, shows one piece of identification and answers the questions," marriage supervisor Marietta Draeger said. As opposed to states such as Louisiana and Texas, Nevada has no waiting period or medical requirements to obtain a marriage license. If the opposite sex couple is both over the age of 18, and neither first cousins nor currently married, they can receive a marriage license. Those under 18 must have a notarized statement of parental consent authorizing the minor to marry. "There aren't too many we turn away. We just want to see people be happy," Draeger said. Reno's marriage license bureau issues 26,000 to 28,000 licenses per year. Some of these licenses are issued to newly reunited couples. "We get reunited high school sweethearts sometimes. You know- those who get back together after 10 or 15 years. Those are the neat ones," Draeger said. The marriage licensing bureau is open every day, including all holidays, from 8 a.m. to midnight. This is in contrast to other states, such as New Mexico and North Carolina, whose clerk and recorder offices are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. States are given jurisdiction over their own marriage licensing requirements. Nevada's requirements are laid out in Nevada Revised Statutes 122.040 through 122.061. These statutes also specify how the licensing fee is to be appropriated. Statute 122.060 mandates the fee be placed into the state's general fund, with a portion of it being placed into the fund's account for aid of domestic violence victims. EDITOR'S NOTE: The fees have changed since this story was posted. For current, accurate information about fees and procedures, please contact the Washoe County Clerk's office. These statutes establish townships with more than 15,500 as commissioner townships. In such townships, Commissioners of Civil Marriages take over the performance of civil marriages from justices of the peace. Washoe County, in which Reno is located, has been a commissioner township since 1974. Couples who choose to have a civil marriage ceremony must go to the Office of the Commissioner Marriages, located across Sierra St. from the Marriage Bureau. There is another $35 fee for the civil ceremony. In 1997, 15.4 percent of couples who had been granted a marriage license in Reno were married by the Commissioner of Civil Marriages. One of these 4,070 couples was Danielle and Carlos Kincaid. "We just went into the marriage bureau, showed ID, answered a few questions and walked right next door to the commissioner. The whole thing, including the ceremony, took 30 minutes," Danielle Kincaid said. Deputy Commissioner of Marriages Bette Nahas speculates on why Reno's marriage licensing process takes only 10 minutes, and is available through midnight. "Well, it is the 24-hour town," Nahas said.   copyright May 1998 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost