Want of jurisdiction or authority to solemnize marriage; affect on marriage.
MCL 551.16
in effect551.16. Want of jurisdiction or authority to solemnize marriage; affect on marriage.
Sec. 16.
A marriage solemnized before an individual professing to be a district judge, common pleas court judge, district court magistrate, municipal judge, judge of probate, judge of a federal court, mayor, the county clerk or, in a county having more than 2,000,000 inhabitants, an employee of the county clerk designated by the clerk to solemnize marriages, or a minister of the gospel or cleric or religious practitioner shall not be considered or adjudged to be void, nor shall the validity of the marriage be affected, on account of a want of jurisdiction or authority by that individual if the marriage was consummated with a full belief on the part of the individuals married, or either of them, that they were lawfully joined in marriage.
R.S. 1846, Ch. 83; CL 1857, 3219; CL 1871, 4730; How. 6220; CL 1897, 8599; CL 1915, 11373; CL 1929, 12701; CL 1948, 551.16; Am. 1972, Act 211, Eff. July 1, 1972; Am. 1975, Act 175, Imd. Eff. July 20, 1975; Am. 1979, Act 24, Imd. Eff. June 6, 1979; Am. 2006, Act 419, Imd. Eff. Sept. 29, 2006
Source: Michigan Legislature (legislature.mi.gov)URL: https://legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-551-16Fetched: 10/20/2026