New Marriage Law Not Enforced Through County Clerks

A new Tennessee law will no longer allow online-ordained ministers to legally marry individuals.

Dekalb County Clerk James L. Poss said the law will not be enforced through the county office.

“In all honesty, the new law doesn’t affect our job whatsoever. Our job is to issue a marriage license for individuals to get married,” Poss said. “It’s up to those individuals to find the person that is going to be the officiant for their ceremony.”

Poss said individuals wishing to get married must check the credentials of the officiant before signing the license.

“Our job as county clerks is not to require proof or verify that an officiant is, in fact, a minister or another authorized person,” Poss said.

The law limits official officiants to clergy, county, and state officials. State senators and other lawmakers can marry individuals under the new law as well.

“[I] don’t foresee any issues that are going to cause any problems within our office, simply because it is a law not set by our office,” Poss said. “It is a law set by our state lawmakers. It’s a law that county clerks across the state, as well as myself, will follow and abide by.”

The state will be responsible for checking the authenticity of officiants’ credentials. The new law takes effect on July 1.