Marriage license fee to be increased

Marriage license fee to be increased

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Cook County will soon be one of the most expensive places in Illinois to get a marriage or civil union license. The Cook County Board voted Tuesday to raise the fee from $40 to $60.

Commissioner Joan Murphy sponsored the ordinance. She said marriage license fees have not been increased for the last 20 years, and the new change isn’t that big of a difference.

“If you think of what was being spent 20 years ago on something and what we’re spending on it today — just look at a loaf of bread, and look at the difference that you’re spending on a loaf of bread today as compared to twenty years ago,” she said.

The plan is part of an effort by the county clerk’s office to generate revenue. According to a spokeswoman from County Clerk David Orr’s office, the fee increase will bring about $600,000 to the county.

According to the ordinance, the fee will go into affect within the next week.