cgabillstatus which_year sb1705 551.103 a7830266 age_of_marriage_in_the_united_states bill_num hb05442 selbilltype cgabillstatus.asp legsess billlookup 85r nonage www.legis.state.tx.us tahirih www.cga.ct.gov history.aspx 200000 www.hrw.org c.r.s marriageable 26.04 portnoy rcw www.independent.co.uk brides findlaw.com parental minors
what is the youngest age to get married in the united states
Age of Marriage in the United states - wikipedia Age of Marriage in the United states Jump to : navigation , search 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 the ability to marry ( 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 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 . 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 . State <Th_colspan="2"> Minimum age Notes Statutory age when all exceptions are taken into account General age Alabama 16 18 Alaska 14 18 Arizona none 18 No minimum age with approval of a superior court judge and parental consent . Arkansas none 18 California none 18 No minimum age with approval of a superior court judge and parental consent . Colorado none 18 No minimum age with judicial approval and parental consent . Connecticut 16 18 Since 2017 , the minimum age is 16 with parental and judicial consent . Delaware none 18 District of Columbia 16 18 Florida none 18 No minimum age in case of pregnancy Georgia 16 18 Hawaii 15 18 15 with parental or judicial consent . Idaho none 18 Illinois 16 18 Indiana 15 18 15 in the case of pregnancy with both parental and judicial consent . Iowa 16 18 Kansas 15 18 Kentucky none 18 Louisiana none 18 Maine none 18 Maryland 15 18 Massachusetts none 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 . Michigan none 18 16 with parental consent Minnesota 16 18 Mississippi none 21 females 15 -- 21 and males 17 -- 21 can marry with parental consent alone Missouri none 18 Parental consent required for ages 15 -- 17 . Judicial consent required below age 15 . Montana 16 18 Nebraska 17 19 Nevada none 18 New Hampshire 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 none 18 New York 17 18 Since 2017 , the minimum age is 17 with parental and judicial consent . North Carolina 14 18 North Dakota 14 18 14 With parental consent Ohio none 18 18 for males regardless of parental consent . 16 for females with parental consent , 18 for females without parental consent . Oklahoma none 18 Oregon 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 . '' Rhode Island none 18 South Carolina 16 18 South Dakota 16 18 Tennessee none 18 Texas 16 18 Since 2017 , the minimum age is 18 , however emancipated minors aged 16 -- 17 have an exemption to legally marry . Utah 15 18 15 with court approval and parental consent . Vermont 16 18 Virginia 16 18 In 2016 , VA made 18 the minimum age ; and 16 with court approval in special cases Washington none 18 May be waived by superior court judge . West Virginia none 18 No minimum with both parental and judicial consent Wisconsin 16 18 Wyoming none 18 See also ( edit ) Child marriage in the United States Marriageable age Minor ( law ) Parental consent References ( edit ) Jump up ^ in 2017 , Connecticut and Texas became the 24th and 25th states to set a minimum age ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ^ Jump up to : `` Understanding State Statutes on Minimum Marriage Age and Exceptions '' . Tahirih Justice Center . November 2016 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/200000-children-married-us-15-years-child-marriage-child-brides-new-jersey-chris-christie-a7830266.html Jump up ^ `` Section 30 - 1 - 4 : Minimum age for contracting marriage '' . Code of Alabama . Alabama Legislature. 1975 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . A person under the age of 16 years is incapable of contracting marriage . ^ Jump up to : `` Marriage Laws of the Fifty States , District of Columbia and Puerto Rico '' . Legal Information Institute . 2008 - 04 - 14 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` 25 - 102 . Consent required for marriage of minors '' . Arizona Revised Statutes . Arizona State Legislature . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Persons under eighteen years of age shall not marry without the consent of the parent or guardian having custody of such person . Persons under sixteen years of age shall not marry without the consent of the parent or guardian having custody of that person and the approval of any superior court judge in the state . Jump up ^ `` California Marriage Age Requirements Laws '' . findlaw.com . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` Office of the Clerk and Recorder : Marriage & Recording / License Information / Marriage of Minors '' . City and County of Denver . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ C.R.S. Colorado Revised Statutes 14 - 2 - 106 ^ Jump up to : https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB05442&which_year=2017 Jump up ^ `` Marriage Laws of the Fifty States , District of Columbia and Puerto Rico '' . Legal Information Institute . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 05 . Jump up ^ `` IC 31 - 11 - 1 : ARTICLE 11 . FAMILY LAW : MARRIAGE '' . Indiana Code 2016 . Indiana General Assembly . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` Nonage minors ; authorization of marriage '' , General Laws : Chapter 207 , Section 25 , Massachusetts General Court , retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 Jump up ^ Richards , Victoria ( 2016 - 03 - 09 ) . `` Child marriage chart reveals girls can wed at 12 in some parts of the US - as lawmakers battle to raise age to 16 '' . The Independent . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ Hayden , Meg ( 2007 - 01 - 08 ) . `` Child Brides '' . Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` Section 551.103 : MARRIAGE LICENSE ( EXCERPT ) , Act 128 of 1887 '' . Michigan Legislature. 2015 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` Title 93 - DOMESTIC RELATIONS , Chapter 1 - MARRIAGE § 93 - 1 - 5 - Conditions precedent to issuance of license ; penalty for noncompliance '' . 2013 Mississippi Code . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Every male who is at least seventeen ( 17 ) years old and every female who is at least fifteen ( 15 ) years old shall be capable in law of contracting marriage . Jump up ^ `` TITLE XLIII : DOMESTIC RELATIONS , CHAPTER 457 : MARRIAGES , Age : Section 457 : 4 '' . New Hampshire General Court . Archived from the original on 2008 - 02 - 02 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/20/us-new-york-governor-signs-anti-child-marriage-law `` Human Rights Watch : NY State Marriage Laws Update 2016 / 2017 '' . Human Rights Watch . Human Rights Watch . June 2017 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 21 . ^ Jump up to : `` Ohio 's Marriage Laws '' . Ohio State Bar Association . 2015 - 08 - 21 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` Title 23 : CHAPTER 13 , MARRIAGE LICENSE '' . Pennsylvania General Assembly . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=SB1705 Jump up ^ ( 3 ) Jump up ^ ( 4 ) Jump up ^ ( 5 ) Jump up ^ `` Marriage Licenses '' . Courts of Utah . 2016 - 04 - 04 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ Portnoy , Jenna ( 2016 - 07 - 03 ) . `` Why 13 - year - olds can no longer marry in Virginia '' . The Washington Post . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ Tsui , Anjali ( 2016 - 07 - 08 ) . `` America 's child marriage crisis : Virginia law tackles continuing issue '' . The Guardian . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Jump up ^ `` RCW 26.04. 010 Marriage contract -- Void marriages '' . Revised Code of Washington . Washington State Legislature. 2016 - 12 - 23 . Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 03 . Every marriage entered into in which either person has not attained the age of seventeen years is void except where this section has been waived by a superior court judge of the county in which one of the parties resides on a showing of necessity . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Age_of_marriage_in_the_United_States&oldid=816069714 '' Categories : Adolescence in the United States Law - related lists Marriage , unions and partnerships in the United States Minimum ages Sex laws Statutory law Youth rights in the United States Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015 Talk About Wikipedia Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 19 December 2017 , at 01 : 50 . About Wikipedia