Maine § 19-A §653 Filing of cautions

Maine Statutes

§ 19-A §653 — Filing of cautions

Maine § 19-A §653

Title 19-ADOMESTIC RELATIONS

Part 2MARRIED PERSONS

Ch. 23MARRIAGE

This text of Maine § 19-A §653 (Filing of cautions) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 19-A, § 19-A §653 (2026).

Text

1.Filing; enter notice. A person who believes that parties are about to contract marriage when either of them cannot lawfully do so may file a caution and the reasons for the caution in the office of the clerk where notice of their intentions is required to be filed or with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. If either party applies to enter notice of their intentions, the clerk or State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall withhold the license until the judge of probate from the county involved approves the marriage. If the license has already been issued and the parties have not yet been married, the office of the clerk or the State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall notify the parties that they may not marry until the judge of probate from the county involved approves the marriage

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1.
Filing; enter notice.
A person who believes that parties are about to contract marriage when either of them cannot lawfully do so may file a caution and the reasons for the caution in the office of the clerk where notice of their intentions is required to be filed or with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. If either party applies to enter notice of their intentions, the clerk or State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall withhold the license until the judge of probate from the county involved approves the marriage. If the license has already been issued and the parties have not yet been married, the office of the clerk or the State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall notify the parties that they may not marry until the judge of probate from the county involved approves the marriage.
2.
Procedure.
Before the judge of probate may approve a marriage, the court must give due notice and an opportunity to be heard to all concerned parties. The judge of probate shall determine whether the parties may lawfully contract marriage within 7 days unless the judge of probate certifies that further time is necessary for that purpose. In that case, a license must be withheld until the expiration of the certified time. The clerk or State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall deliver or withhold the license in accordance with the final decision of the judge of probate.
3.
Judgment for costs.
If the judge of probate determines that the parties may lawfully contract marriage, the judge shall enter judgment against the person filing the caution for costs and issue execution for costs.