An Act To Allow and Recognize a Legal Name Change upon Marriage
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0170
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: BAILEY, CHENETTE
Amends: 19-A MRSA §651, 19-A MRSA §654, 19-A MRSA §656

Legislative Document
No. 170
H.P. 126
House of Representatives, January 19, 2017
An Act To Allow and Recognize a Legal Name Change upon 
Marriage
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative BAILEY of Saco.
Cosponsored by Senator CHENETTE of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  19-A MRSA §651, sub-§2, as repealed and replaced by PL 2013, c. 424, 
Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
2.  Application.  The parties wishing to record notice of their intentions of marriage 
shall submit an application for recording notice of their intentions of marriage.  The 
application may be issued to any 2 persons otherwise qualified under this chapter 
regardless of the sex of each person and must include the names of both parties.  If a 
party intends to change that party's name upon marriage, the application must include the 
proposed new name of that party.  The application must include a signed certification that 
the information recorded on the application is correct and that the applicant is free to 
marry according to the laws of this State.  The applicant's signature must be 
acknowledged before an official authorized to take oaths.  An application recording 
notice of intention to marry is not open for public inspection for 50 years from the date of 
the application except that: 
A.  The names of the parties for whom intentions to marry are filed and the intended 
date of marriage are public records and open for public inspection; and 
B.  A person with a researcher identification card under Title 22, section 2706, 
subsection 8 is permitted to inspect records and may be issued a noncertified copy of 
an application. 
Sec. 2.  19-A MRSA §654, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2011, c. 111, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
3.  Statement including officiant and witnesses.  The marriage license returned 
must contain a statement giving the names of the parties united in marriage, place and 
date of the marriage, the new name of either party if either party intends to change that 
party's name, the signature of the person by whom the marriage was solemnized and the 
names of the 2 witnesses.  The person who solemnized the marriage shall add the title of 
the office by virtue of which the marriage was solemnized, the residence of the person 
who solemnized the marriage and: 
A.  The date ordained or authorized by a religious faith to perform marriages; 
B.  The date the notary public's commission expires;  
C.  The date the lawyer was admitted to the Maine Bar; or 
D.  The date the person's temporary registration certificate was issued under section 
655, subsection 1-A. 
Sec. 3.  19-A MRSA §656, sub-§3 is enacted to read: 
3.  Name change.  If the marriage license indicates that a party intends to change that 
party's name under section 654, subsection 3, the new name indicated on the license 
becomes effective upon completion of the marriage license pursuant to subsection 2. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows a person who is getting married to change that person's name by 
indicating the new name on the application for recording notice of intent to marry, which 
becomes effective upon the completion of the marriage license.