1. In each county whose population is 100,000 or more but less than 700,000, in which a commercial wedding chapel has been in business for 5 years or more, the board of county commissioners shall:

(a) Ensure that an office where marriage licenses may be issued is open to the public for the purpose of issuing such licenses from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. every day, including holidays; or

(b) Provide for the establishment of a program whereby a commercial wedding chapel that has been in business in the county for 5 years or more is authorized to issue marriage licenses to qualified applicants during the hours when an office where marriage licenses may be issued pursuant to paragraph (a) is not open to the public.

2. In each county whose population is less than 100,000, in which a commercial wedding chapel has been in business in the county for 5 years or more, the board of county commissioners may provide for the establishment of a program whereby a commercial wedding chapel that has been in business in the county for 5 years or more is authorized to issue marriage licenses to qualified applicants during the hours when an office where marriage licenses may be issued is not open to the public.

3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a program established pursuant to subsection 1 or 2 must authorize each commercial wedding chapel that has been in business in the county for 5 years or more to begin issuing marriage licenses upon filing with the county clerk a completed registration form prescribed by the board of county commissioners, along with a performance bond in the amount of $50,000. The performance bond must be conditioned upon the faithful performance of all statutory duties related to the issuance of marriage licenses and compliance with the provisions of NRS 603A.010 to 603A.290, inclusive, that ensure the security of personal information submitted by applicants for a marriage license.

4. A commercial wedding chapel shall refer any application for a marriage license for a minor applicant who is 17 years of age to the county clerk for review and issuance of the marriage license pursuant to NRS 122.040.

5. The county clerk of the county in which a commercial wedding chapel that issues marriage licenses pursuant to this section is located shall provide to the commercial wedding chapel, without charge, any materials necessary for the commercial wedding chapel to issue marriage licenses. The number of marriage licenses that the commercial wedding chapel may issue must not be limited.

6. A commercial wedding chapel that issues marriage licenses pursuant to this section shall comply with all statutory provisions governing the issuance of marriage licenses in the same manner as the county clerk is required to comply, and shall:

(a) File the original application for a marriage license with the county clerk on the first available business day after completion of the application;

(b) Collect from an applicant for a marriage license all fees required by law to be collected; and

(c) Remit all fees collected to the county clerk, in the manner required by the standard of practice adopted by the county clerk.

7. The records of a commercial wedding chapel that issues marriage licenses pursuant to this section which pertain to the issuance of a marriage license are public records and must be made available for public inspection at reasonable times. Such a commercial wedding chapel shall comply with the provisions of NRS 603A.010 to 603A.290, inclusive, in the same manner as all other data collectors to ensure the security of all personal information submitted by applicants for a marriage license.

8. The persons to whom a commercial wedding chapel issues a marriage license may not be joined in marriage in any county other than the county in which the marriage license is issued.

9. A commercial wedding chapel that violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(Added to NRS by 2011, 2043; A 2013, 341; 2017, 4080; 2019, 3663)