Minnesota May Scrap 5 Day Wait for Marriage License

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's five-day wait for a marriage license, a law which dates back to the Great Depression, could soon be a thing of the past.

Most states don't make couples wait so long between applying for a license and receiving one. The only way to avoid the wait in Minnesota currently is to get a judge to sign a waiver.

Changing the wait time has the support of the legislators and county officials.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Hennepin County treasurer Mark Chapin says the law first appeared in Minnesota in 1931. Chapin says the law may have been the result of concern about whether people could support each other or their children.

House and Senate committees have approved eliminating the wait. It still needs final floor votes before going on to the governor.