King County saw a 52 percent increase in the number of marriage licenses during the first months after same-sex marriages were legalized, drawing couples from across the United States, Germany, Australia, and other countries.
Washington's first same-sex marriage license was issued in King County on Dec. 6, 2012, and data obtained by KIRO 7 shows that between that day and March 31, there were 4,295 marriage licenses issued. During the same previous period, 2,826 licenses were issued.
Spouses in King County don't have to indicate their sexual orientation, and there is no difference in marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
"However, I think it's reasonable to infer that the 52 percent increase in our business in the last four months is largely due to same-sex couples," King County Communication Manager Cameron Satterfield said.
Seattle Municipal Court judges said Thursday has been an especially popular day for same-sex marriages. The fee for ceremonies is $80 Mondays through Thursday and jumps on Fridays to $225, which is the weekend minimum.
County and municipal court staff said they expect to see a permanent increase in marriage license applications, though the number will likely decrease "as other states pass marriage equality laws," Satterfield said.
The number of King County marriage licenses between January and April was up 26 percent from the same period last year, data shows.
Most of the same-sex couples married in Washington – 63 percent – were women, according to state data, and 14 percent of all couples were from outside Washington.
It's not clear exactly how much tax revenue has been collected, though the Visit Seattle tourism organization points to nearly a dozen hospitality offers from Seattle hotels last December, including the Edgewater, Fairmont Olympic, the Westin and Sheraton. Within hours on Dec. 6, King County set new highs for marriage licenses and the increased numbers over months continued to set records.
Data released last week from the Department of Health, which tracks marriage information, showed nearly 2,500 same-sex couples were married in Washington between Dec. 6, 2013 and March 31. That was more than 20 percent of the 11,661 Washington marriages during that period.
King County, the state's largest county, had a third of the same-sex marriages. Only four of Washington's 39 counties did not have any same-sex marriages through March: Ferry, Asotin, Garfield counties in Eastern Washington and Wahkiakum County in southwest Washington.
Click below to see a December 2012 video from the first day for same-sex marriages in Washington.