If the Governor or any former Governor of this state, any judge, city recorder, magistrate, minister, or other person authorized to perform the marriage ceremony joins together in matrimony any man and woman without a license or the publication of banns or if the person performing the marriage ceremony knows of any disability of either of the parties which would render a contract of marriage improper and illegal, that person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
History. Cobb’s 1851 Digest, pp. 818, 819; Code 1863, § 4441; Code 1868, § 4482; Code 1873, § 4566; Code 1882, § 4566; Penal Code 1895, § 637; Penal Code 1910, § 677; Code 1933, § 53-9901; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 19; Ga. L. 1983, p. 884, § 4-1; Ga. L. 2010, p. 394, § 5/SB 238.
Law reviews.
For comment, “By the Power Vested in Me? Licensing Religious Officials to Solemnize Marriage in the Age of Same-Sex Marriage,” see 63 Emory L.J. 979 (2014).
Structure Georgia Code
Chapter 3 - Marriage Generally
Article 2 - License and Ceremony
§ 19-3-30. Issuance, Return, and Recording of License
§ 19-3-30.1. Premarital Education; Fees; Special Requirements if Marriage Applicant Is 17 Years Old
§ 19-3-31. Issuance of Licenses at Satellite Courthouses in Certain Counties
§ 19-3-32. Penalty for Improper Issuance of License
§ 19-3-33. Application for Marriage License; Contents; Supplement Marriage Report
§ 19-3-33.1. Use of Surname in Application for Marriage License
§ 19-3-34. Marriage Application to Be Filed; Use as Evidence; Transmission to the State Registrar
§ 19-3-35. Issuance of License to Applicants Otherwise Eligible
§ 19-3-35.1. Aids Brochures; Listing of Hiv Test Sites; Acknowledgment of Receipt
§ 19-3-36. Proof of Age of Applicants
§ 19-3-39. Certification and Recordation of Marriage After Publication of Banns
§ 19-3-40. Blood Test for Sickle Cell Disease; Information to Be Provided
§ 19-3-41. Department of Public Health Marriage Manual; Distribution; Rules and Regulations
§ 19-3-41.1. Fact Sheet for Distribution by Premarital Education Providers; Requirements
§ 19-3-42. Effect on Marriage Due to the Lack of Authority in Person Officiating
§ 19-3-43. Marriage in Another State; Effect in This State
§ 19-3-44. Return of License to Parties
§ 19-3-46. Forfeiture for Officiating at Marriage Without License or Banns
§ 19-3-47. Penalty for Filing False Information in Application for License
§ 19-3-48. Penalty for Officiating at Illegal Marriage Ceremony
§ 19-3-49. Acceptance by Judges of Tips, Consideration, or Gratuities