Michigan Marriage Laws | § 551.203

Michigan Compiled Laws 551.203

Private file of papers; forwarding duplicate to state registrar; recordation of filing in private register; inspection of files and records; request and identification; court order; petition to unseal marriage record; court order; findings; petition by surviving party; forwarding copy of license and marriage certificate to county clerk; access

(1) The judge of probate shall file a complete set of all papers in each case in a private file, and, within 10 days after the marriage, shall forward a duplicate to the state registrar. The state registrar shall file the duplicate in a private file and record the filing in a private register. Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3), the file in the probate court, and the duplicate and record in the state department of health and human services, shall be open to inspection only upon the written request and proper proof of identification of 1 or both of the partners to the marriage, or upon the written order of a judge of the circuit court of this state, and only for the use designated in the order. The order shall be made only upon the written request of the person or persons who were married under this act, or if necessary for the protection of property rights arising from or affected by the marriage. (2) Except as provided in subsection (3), after both parties to a marriage made private under this act are over 18 years of age, both parties may petition the court to unseal the record of their marriage. If the court receives a petition under this subsection or subsection (3), the court shall enter an order to unseal the record of the marriage upon finding all of the following: (a) The petitioners were married without publicity under section 1. (b) The petitioners are both over 18 years of age at the time of filing the petition. (c) Both of the petitioners wish to unseal the record of the marriage. (3) If a party to a marriage made private under this act is deceased and the surviving party is 18 years of age or older, the surviving party may petition the court to unseal the record of the marriage. (4) Upon entering an order under subsection (2), the court shall forward a copy of the license and certificate of marriage to the county clerk in the county in which the license was issued. If the court unseals a record of a marriage under this section, the court shall forward a copy of the record to the state registrar. (5) Access to a record of marriage unsealed under subsection (2) or (3) is the same as access to a vital record provided under part 28 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.2801 to 333.2899.

1897, Act 180, Eff. Aug. 30, 1897 ;-- CL 1897, 8614 ;-- Am. 1899, Act 232, Eff. Sept. 23, 1899 ;-- CL 1915, 11389 ;-- CL 1929, 12719 ;-- CL 1948, 551.203 ;-- Am. 1979, Act 133, Imd. Eff. Oct. 30, 1979 ;-- Am. 2017, Act 200, Eff. Mar. 15, 2018

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§ 551.7 Persons authorized to solemnize marriage; records; return of licenses and certificates; disposition of fees charged by mayor or county clerk
§ 551.202 Application for marriage license; form; fee; performing marriage ceremony; permit; record; marriage certificate; execution of papers in duplicate; delivery of marriage certificate to parties
§ 551.9 Solemnization of marriage; form; declaration by parties; witnesses
§ 551.16 Want of jurisdiction or authority to solemnize marriage; affect on marriage
§ 551.101 Marriage license; requirements; place to obtain, delivery to person officiating
§ 551.110 License, certificate or certified copy record as evidence
§ 551.103 Persons capable of contracting marriage; age requirement; proof of age; filling out license; written consent; compliance; filing consent; signing, certification, and copy of license; fee; allocation for family counseling services; return and disposition of unexpended funds; waiver of fee; additional fee for nonresidents; delivery of license and certificate to officiating individual; recording information; forwarding licenses and certificates to state registrar; imposition of fee by certain charter counties
§ 551.201 Issuance of marriage license without publicity; conditions; application; notice; consent; exceptions; order
§ 551.271 Marriages solemnized in another state validated
§ 551.251 Legal marriage of minor; parental and marital rights and duties; guardian ad litem.
§ 551.1 Marriage between individuals of same sex as invalid contract
§ 551.3 Incapacity; persons man prohibited from marrying
§ 551.2 Marriage as civil contract; consent; license; solemnization
§ 551.4 Incapacity; persons woman prohibited from marrying
§ 551.5 Bigamy prohibited
§ 551.14 Unlawful marriage by person authorized to solemnize marriage; penalty
§ 551.15 Ceremony performance with knowledge of lack of authority or legal impediment; penalty
§ 551.17 Denominational modes of solemnization; effect of chapter
§ 551.18 Certificates and records of marriage as evidence
§ 551.109 Filing reports of marriage; record
§ 551.51 Age of consent
§ 551.102 Blank form for marriage license and certificate; preparation, contents, and distribution; furnishing blank forms of affidavit of competency; filing affidavit; electronic filing; license as matter of record; transmission to department of community health; social security number; application exempt from disclosure.
§ 551.103a Marriage license; time of delivery; solemnization of marriage required
§ 551.104 Certificate completion; officiating person duty; original license return; record
§ 551.105 County clerk; violation of act, misdemeanor, penalty
§ 551.106 Person officiating at marriage; violation of act, misdemeanor, penalty
§ 551.107 Failure to return certificate; misdemeanor, penalty
§ 551.108 Marriage license; false statement in application, perjury
§ 551.111 License or certificate errors; evidence, correction
§ 551.203 Private file of papers; forwarding duplicate to state registrar; recordation of filing in private register; inspection of files and records; request and identification; court order; petition to unseal marriage record; court order; findings; petition by surviving party; forwarding copy of license and marriage certificate to county clerk; access
§ 551.204 Privileged communications; violation of confidence as misdemeanor; publicity as misdemeanor; penalties; libel action; neglecting to make proper return; section inapplicable to license unsealed under section 3(2) or (3).
§ 551.272 Marriage not between man and woman invalidated