Silly government rules (and the price of convenience)

When I filed my passport application yesterday at Hennepin County Government Center, I was told they couldn't accept my birth certificate.

Around 6 months ago a quirky policy went into effect whereby a county-issued birth certificate can't be used for a passport application being filed in that same county. It's an attempt to prevent a clerk from doing a friend a favor.

I was born in Hennepin County, so I couldn't file my passport application in Hennepin County using their birth certificate. Rather than try to make it back to file in my home county, I went with plan B.

Plan B: The Hennepin County clerk sold me a new state-issued birth certificate for $16, which he promptly printed and attached to my passport application.

Apparently, it doesn't matter if a Hennepin County clerk hands me the birth certificate; as long as it's technically issued by the state of Minnesota, Hennepin County can now file my birth certificate.