Southold Has Slow Start to Same-Sex Marriage Registry

Deputy Clerk Linda Cooper said she was expecting a line out the door for same-sex marriage licenses on Monday morning — the first day the historic documents became available in townships throughout New York State.

But only two couples had come to register as of 1 p.m.

"We had been getting a lot of calls in the days leading up to this," Cooper said. "So I was expecting more people."

The became a New York State law on Sunday, and several municipalities around the state opened up for special hours for couples who couldn't wait to make it official. But Southold Town Clerk Elizabeth Neville said she decided not to open on Sunday simply because she never has for any other holiday or special circumstance before.

"I'm just trying to be consistent," she said last week.

The new document is a gender-neutral license, but the same procedures apply to same-sex couples as they do to heterosexual couples. Each person needs to bring a birth certificate and a photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport of naturalization certificate. Also, if either person has been married and divorced previously, he or she needs to bring a copy of their divorce decree.

Southold Town Hall is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call the Town Clerk’s office at 631-765-1800 or click here for more information.