Submitted by Thurston County Auditor
OLYMPIA – Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman announced that marriage licenses will be issued to all 15 couples who entered the lottery to be the first to receive their marriage licenses in Thurston County at midnight tonight. Wyman originally planned to issue 10 licenses to couples selected from a random drawing at the Auditor’s office on Monday.
“We reviewed our plan and decided that inviting the other five couples to be a part of this historic event was the right thing to do,” Wyman said. “When we talked to the couples who were selected at the drawing, all of them were excited about having the opportunity, and they all wanted the other five couples to join in the celebration.”
Thursday, December 6 is the first day that same-sex marriage licenses will be issued in Washington state, and the Thurston County Auditor’s Office will have extended hours on Thursday and Friday to accommodate the expected rush on marriage licenses. After the midnight license event, the Auditor’s office will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 6, and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 7.
Couples are encouraged to fill out the online portion of the marriage license application before coming to the Auditor’s office to complete the process. Go to www.co.thurston.wa.us/auditor and click on the “Online Marriage Application” button under Quick Links for the online marriage license application.
Couples who want to obtain a marriage license need to be at least 18 years of age and must plan to wed within 63 days of receiving their marriage license. Washington State law requires a three-day waiting period once your marriage license is issued before you can be married.
For more details and instructions for the online and in-person portions of the marriage license application, visit www.co.thurston.wa.us/auditor or call the Licensing Division at (360) 786-5406.
