Age of marriage in the United States

General age of marriage (without parental or court approval or other exceptions taken into account)

  18

  19

  21

Unlike most Western countries, half of the US states do not have a legal minimum age of marriage. While in most US states, individuals age 18 have a right to marriage (with two exceptions—Nebraska (19) and Mississippi (21)), all states allow minors to marry in certain circumstances, such as parental consent, judicial consent, pregnancy, or a combination of these situations. Most states allow parties aged 16 and 17 to marry with parental consent alone. In most states, children under 16 can be married too. In the 25 states ^[1] which have an absolute minimum age set by statute, this age varies between 13 and 17, while in 25 states there is no statutory minimum age if other legal conditions are met. Although in such states there is no set minimum age by statute, the traditional common law minimum age is 14 for boys and 12 for girls - ages which have been confirmed by case law in some states.^[2] Over the past 15 years, more than 200,000 minors married in US, and in Tennessee girls as young as 10 were married in 2001.^[3]

State	Minimum age		Notes
	Statutory age when all exceptions are taken into account[2]	General age
Alabama[4]	16	18
Alaska[5]	14	18
Arizona[6]	none	18	No minimum age with approval of a superior court judge and parental consent.
Arkansas[5]	none	18
California[7]	none	18	No minimum age with approval of a superior court judge and parental consent.
Colorado[5][8][9]	none	18	No minimum age with judicial approval and parental consent.
Connecticut[10]	16	18	Since 2017, the minimum age is 16 with parental and judicial consent.[10]
Delaware[5]	none	18
District of Columbia[5]	16	18
Florida[5]	none	18	No minimum age in case of pregnancy[11]
Georgia[5]	16	18
Hawaii[5]	15	18	15 with parental and/or judicial consent.
Idaho[5]	none	18
Illinois[5]	16	18
Indiana[12]	15	18	15 in the case of pregnancy with both parental and judicial consent.
Iowa[5]	16	18
Kansas[5]	15	18
Kentucky[5]	none	18
Louisiana[5]	none	18
Maine[5]	none	18
Maryland[5]	15	18
Massachusetts[5]	none[13]	18	Consent can be just judicial, but is normally both parental and judicial. In the absence of any statutory minimum age, one opinion is that the traditional minimum common law marriageable age of 12 for girls and 14 for boys may still be in effect.[14][15]
Michigan[16]	none	18	16 with parental consent
Minnesota[5]	16	18
Mississippi	none	21	females 15–21 and males 17–21 can marry with parental consent alone[17]
Missouri[5]	none	18	Parental consent required for ages 15–17. Judicial consent required below age 15.
Montana[5]	16	18
Nebraska[5]	17	19
Nevada[5]	none	18
New Hampshire[18]	13 for females, 14 for males	18	In cases of "special cause" with parental consent and court permission.
New Jersey	none	18	16 with parental consent and in case of pregnancy.
New Mexico[5]	none	18
New York[19]	17	18	Since 2017, the minimum age is 17 with parental and judicial consent.
North Carolina	14	18
North Dakota[5]	14	18	14 With parental consent
Ohio[20]	none	18	18 for males regardless of parental consent. 16 for females with parental consent, 18 for females without parental consent.[20]
Oklahoma[5]	none	18
Oregon[5]	17	18	Consenting parent or guardian must accompany the applicant when applying for the marriage license.
Pennsylvania	none	18	Under 16 years of age if a Judge of the Orphans Court "decides that it is to the best interest of the applicant and authorizes the issuance of the license."[21]
Rhode Island[5]	none	18
South Carolina[5]	16	18
South Dakota[5]	16	18
Tennessee[5]	none	18
Texas[22]	16	18	Since 2017, the minimum age is 18, however emancipated minors aged 16–17 have an exemption to legally marry.[23][24][25]
Utah[26]	15	18	15 with court approval and parental consent.
Vermont[5]	16	18
Virginia	16	18	In 2016, Va. made 18 the minimum age; and 16 with court approval in special cases[27][28]
Washington[5]	none	18	May be waived by superior court judge.[29]
West Virginia[5]	none	18	No minimum with both parental and judicial consent
Wisconsin[5]	16	18
Wyoming[5]	none	18

See also

• Child marriage in the United States
• Marriageable age
• Minor (law)
• Parental consent

References