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Jon Collins
ST. PAUL, Minn.

Marriage license deadline today for Aug. 1 weddings, both straight and gay

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Today is the last day for Minnesotans to apply for marriage licenses in order to get married on Aug. 1 -- the same day that same-sex marriage becomes legal in the state.

Some counties chose to make the same-sex marriage applications available early. Hennepin County started accepting early applications on June 6 and other metro counties followed suit.

But counties across the state differed in their approaches. St. Louis County in northeast Minnesota will start offering the applications today.

St. Louis County Recorder Mark Monacelli said the county attorney's office offered a legal opinion that argued that offering the license applications too early could have potentially opened the door to complications in divorce proceedings.

"Maybe it's splitting hairs, maybe it's very remote, but in legal cases sometimes attorneys grab onto certain things," Monacelli said. "We just felt like it was in the best interests of our clients and customers and the county just to wait until July 26."

There's a five-day waiting period for marriage licenses in the state. Most Minnesota counties are making allotments for the waiting period so couples can get married as soon as same-sex marriage is legalized.

But not all counties are doing that. Benton County won't offer the license application to same-sex couples until Aug. 1, according to the county reporter.