This data is open to the public? Really?

Yes, in most states, a basic marriage license "log" or marriage license index is considered to be public information, even if the actual certificates or licenses may have strict privacy rules under the state's vital records laws. In New York, this was upheld in a New York State Freedom of Information case from 1993, formally Gannett Co., Inc. v. City Clerk’s Office, City of Rochester, 596 NYS 2d 968, affirmed unanimously, 197 AD 2d 919 (1993). That ruling does require that any data deemed to be too personally intrusive, such as the street addresses of the license applicants, must be removed before making the data public.

How did this data get online? Who built this website?

This data was provided to the not-for-profit activist group Reclaim The Records by the New York City Clerk's Office. Reclaim The Records had requested a copy of the data in December 2015 through the New York State Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). The City Clerk's Office refused to comply with their request and a lawsuit was initiated in March 2016. The City Clerk's Office settled the case in September 2016, providing the data, and reimbursing Reclaim the Records' attorneys fees. You can read the whole story, along with copies of the actual court filings, here.

Who built the original database?

The New York City Clerk's Office built this database for their own in-house use. Their version of the database also includes two columns for the spouses' dates of birth, which were removed for privacy reasons before handing the data over as part of the legal settlement.

I would like all of my data (or someone else's data) removed from this website and/or the original files. This is an invasion of privacy.

Legally it isn't, and we will not assist you in censoring public documents.

This data set only covers 1950-2017. What about people married in other years?

No database exists (yet) for pre-1950 licenses, but the original handwritten ledgers were microfilmed. The 1908-1929 index microfilms were recently digitized and put online for free public use; they were won in a 2015 Freedom of Information lawsuit. And the 1930-1972 index microfilms were won in a separate 2016 Freedom of Information lawsuit, and were uploaded to the Internet Archive in early 2017.

There is also a totally separate record database that indexes the NYC Health Department marriage certificates up through 1937, which was created by the combined volunteer efforts of two non-profit genealogical groups. Note that marriage certificates and marriage licenses are not the same thing. Read more about the many different kinds of New York City marriage records.

Can I use the raw data files for [a school project / a for-profit website / personal research / something else]?

Sure! This data is in the public domain. Have a ball. But please let us know how you're using it, so we can link to your website or project, and show off all the cool stuff people have done with this open data.