The days of common law marriage in Alabama will soon end.

A bill passed by the Alabama Legislature earlier this year abolishes common-law marriage - a union in which people present themselves as married despite not having a formal ceremony or getting a marriage license- after Jan. 1, 2017. Common-law marriage entered into before Jan. 1, 2017 will still be valid.

The change comes in part due to the recent Supreme Court rulings related the legalizing same-sex marriages, according to former circuit judge R.A. "Sonny" Ferguson.

"The recent rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same sex marriages nationwide have raised questions about the impact to common law marriages. The dilemma is what to do with it now," Ferguson wrote in a recent online post about the change in marriage law. "Some have argued to abolish it completely; others have suggested amending it but leaving it in place. As a compromise, Alabama has decided to abolish it going forward, beginning Jan. 1, 2017."

Alabama was already one of the last states to recognize common law marriage. Alabama's change leaves only Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas and Utah as the only states with some form of the unions on the books. The legal definition for common law marriage differs from state to state but usually includes requirements related to how long a couple must live together, age and proof of relationship, such as using the same last name, or having a joint bank account.

Those factors can be open to interpretation, however, and that's when problems arise, especially if one partner in a common-law marriage seeks to end the relationship.There's no such thing as common law divorce, meaning a mere separation won't end the union.

"The reasons why states like celebratory marriages, statutory marriages is because there is a fine line: You're either married or you're not. With common law, it's not so clear," family lawyer Michele Zavos told NPR. "You always have to go and prove (your side) and there's always this uncertainty. The law doesn't like uncertainty. The law likes bright lines. So I think more and more states are recognizing that and getting rid of it."