How Many Times Can You Get Married?
As many times as you want. The catch is one spouse at a time, and some states make you wait.
Is there a limit to how many times you can get married?
No. No US state limits how many times you can get married. You can only be married to one person at a time, so each marriage must end by divorce, annulment or death first. Some states add a wait after divorce or after the license. You can remarry the same person, too.
- Lifetime limit: None in any US state
- Spouses at once: One (bigamy is a crime)
- Same person again: Allowed, after a final divorce
How many times can you get married in each state?
The answer is unlimited in every state. What changes from state to state is how long you wait, after the license and after a divorce.
Tap a chip to group the states, or pick yours. Each row names the law we checked.
- 20No waitMarry the day you get the license, and no wait after a divorce.
- 17License waitA set delay between the license and the ceremony.
- 13Wait after divorceA set delay before a divorced person can marry again.
| State | License wait | Wait after divorce | Law checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | NoneNo license since 2019, you file a signed marriage certificate | 60 daysSame ex exempt, longer if the divorce is appealed | Ala. Code 30-1-9.1, 30-2-10 |
| Alaska | 3 daysClerk can waive it for hardship | None | AS 25.05.091, 25.05.161, 25.24.180 |
| Arizona | None | None | A.R.S. 25-121, 25-325 |
| Arkansas | None5 business days if an applicant is under 18 | Not confirmed | Ark. Code 9-11-102 |
| California | NoneLicense valid 90 days | 6 monthsMinimum from service before the divorce is final | Cal. Fam. Code 350, 356, 2339 |
| Colorado | NoneLicense valid 35 days | None | C.R.S. 14-2-106, 14-10-120 |
| Connecticut | NoneMarry within 65 days of applying | None | Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-24, 46b-67 |
| Delaware | 24 hoursClerk can shorten it for good cause | None | 13 Del. C. 107, 1518 |
| District of Columbia | NoneOld wait repealed in 2014 | 30 daysDecree takes effect 30 days after docketing | D.C. Code 16-920, 46-409 (repealed) |
| Florida | 3 daysWaived with a premarital course, or for non-residents | None | Fla. Stat. 741.04, 741.0305 |
| Georgia | None | None | O.C.G.A. 19-3-2, 19-3-30 |
| Hawaii | NoneLicense valid 30 days, Hawaii only | NoneBring the decree if the divorce is under 30 days old | HRS ch. 572, Hawaii Dept. of Health |
| Idaho | None | None | Idaho Code 32-207, 32-403 |
| Illinois | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 750 ILCS 5/203 (could not be opened) |
| Indiana | None | None | IC 31-11-4-4, 31-11-8-2 |
| Iowa | 3 daysA judge can waive it in an emergency | None | Iowa Code 595.4, 595.19 |
| Kansas | 3 daysA judge can waive it in an emergency | Until finalA marriage before the decree is final is voidable | K.S.A. 23-2505, 23-2713 |
| Kentucky | NoneLicense valid 30 days | NoneA decree lets either spouse marry again | KRS 402.020, 402.105, 403.010 |
| Louisiana | 24 hoursA judge or justice of the peace can waive it | None | La. R.S. 9:241, La. Civ. Code art. 88 |
| Maine | NoneLicense valid 90 days | NoneBring the certified decree | 19-A M.R.S. 651, 652, 701 |
| Maryland | 48 hoursStarts 6 a.m. on the second day after issue | Not confirmed | Md. Code, Fam. Law 2-405, county court clerks |
| Massachusetts | 3 daysA court order can waive it | 90 daysDivorce is not final until 90 days after judgment nisi | Boston City Registry guidance |
| Michigan | 3 daysCounted from the application day, clerk can waive for good cause | None | MCL 551.5, 551.103a |
| Minnesota | NoneLicense valid 6 months | NoneUnless the breakdown finding is contested on appeal | Minn. Stat. 517.08, 518.145 |
| Mississippi | None | Court can barOnly a spouse divorced for adultery, can be lifted after 1 year | Miss. Code 93-1-5, 93-5-25 |
| Missouri | NoneOld wait removed, license valid 30 days | None | RSMo 451.040, 452.360 |
| Montana | NoneLicense valid 180 days | None | MCA 40-1-212, 40-4-108 |
| Nebraska | Not confirmed | 6 monthsNo one may marry anyone until the decree is 6 months old | Neb. Rev. Stat. 42-372 |
| Nevada | NoneLicense valid 1 year | None | NRS 122.040, 125.130 |
| New Hampshire | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | RSA ch. 457 (could not be opened) |
| New Jersey | 72 hoursBetween applying and issue, a court can waive it | None | N.J.S.A. 37:1-4 |
| New Mexico | None | Not confirmed | NMSA 40-1-10 |
| New York | 24 hoursAfter the license is issued, a judge can waive it | None | N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law 8, 13-b |
| North Carolina | None | None | N.C.G.S. 51-8, 50-11 |
| North Dakota | None | Set by decreeThe judgment says when each spouse may remarry | N.D.C.C. 14-03-11, 14-05-02 |
| Ohio | NoneLicense valid 60 days | None | Ohio Rev. Code 3101.01, 3101.05 |
| Oklahoma | None72 hours if an applicant is under 18 | 6 monthsSame ex exempt, marrying anyone else counts as bigamy | 43 O.S. 5, 123 |
| Oregon | 3 daysA judge or the clerk can waive it for good cause | None | ORS 106.077, 106.020 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 daysA court can waive it in an emergency | None | 23 Pa.C.S. 1303, 1304 |
| Rhode Island | None | 3 monthsDivorce is not final until 3 months after the decision | R.I. Gen. Laws 15-2-1, 15-5-23 |
| South Carolina | 24 hoursBetween filing the application and the license | None | S.C. Code 20-1-220, 20-1-80 |
| South Dakota | None | NoneThe judgment restores both to unmarried status | SDCL 25-1-10, 25-4-1 |
| Tennessee | NoneLicense valid 30 days | Not confirmed | Tenn. Code Ann. 36-3-103, 36-3-104 |
| Texas | 72 hoursWaived for military, by a judge, or with the Twogether in Texas course | 30 daysSame ex exempt, a court can waive it | Tex. Fam. Code 2.204, 6.801, 6.802 |
| Utah | NoneLicense valid 32 days | NoneFinal on entry unless the court sets a later date, up to 6 months | Utah Code 81-2-302, 81-2-403, 81-4-406 |
| Vermont | NoneLicense valid 60 days | 90 daysDecree nisi becomes final after 90 days | 18 V.S.A. 5131, 15 V.S.A. 554 |
| Virginia | NoneLicense valid 60 days | NoneA court can bar it while an appeal is pending | Va. Code 20-14.1, 20-118 |
| Washington | 3 daysCounted from the application, license valid 60 days | NoneThe decree is final when entered | RCW 26.04.180, 26.09.150 |
| West Virginia | NoneOld wait repealed in 2023 | NoneA divorce is absolute | W. Va. Code 48-2-101, 48-5-101 |
| Wisconsin | 3 daysClerk can shorten it for a fee up to $25 | 6 monthsA marriage inside the window is void | Wis. Stat. 765.03, 765.08 |
| Wyoming | NoneLicense valid 1 year | None | Wyo. Stat. 20-1-103, 20-1-105 |
Swipe through 51 states
Sources: each state's marriage and divorce code, checked 29 September 2026 on the official legislature or agency site where it loaded and a published statute copy (FindLaw, public.law, Onecle) otherwise. "Not confirmed" means we could not confirm that cell from the law itself. Waits and waivers change, so confirm with your county clerk.
Planning the paperwork itself? See marriage license requirements by state, how to get a marriage license and the state-by-state wedding guide.
Why you can only be married to one person at a time
Bigamy means marrying while already married. Every state treats the second marriage as void and makes bigamy a crime. The penalty depends on the state.
California
Bigamy is punished by a fine up to $10,000, up to one year in county jail, or state prison.
Source: Cal. Penal Code § 283Texas
Bigamy is a felony of the third degree, higher if the other person is 17 or younger.
Source: Tex. Penal Code § 25.01Utah
Since May 2020, bigamy between consenting adults is an infraction. Inducing it is a felony.
Source: Utah S.B. 102 (2020)The second marriage to someone who is already legally married is void and may be annulled, while there is no effect on the first marriage.
Watch: is there a limit in any state?
American Marriage Ministries, a nonprofit that ordains wedding officiants, covers the same ground in under three minutes: no cap, bigamy laws and waits after divorce.
How Many Times Can You Get Married in Each State? Ask AMM!, American Marriage Ministries on YouTubeHow many times can you marry the same person?
As many times as you like. The law treats it like any new marriage, so the same four steps apply every time.
- Step 1, Before anythingMake sure the divorce is finalThe court has to enter the final decree. Until it does, you are still married to each other, and a new license is not possible.
- Step 2, Check your stateWait out any remarriage period13 jurisdictions in the state table above set a wait after divorce. Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas exempt a couple remarrying each other.
- Step 3, At the clerkApply for a new marriage licenseYou apply like any couple: IDs, the fee and any license waiting period. The old license does not carry over.
- Step 4, The day itselfHold the ceremony and file itAn officiant solemnizes it and the license is returned for recording. Legally it is a new marriage with a new date.
Still married and want to say it again? That is a vow renewal, not a new legal marriage, and there is no license or limit. Nervous about round two? Read scared to get married again.
Which states make you wait to remarry?
Most states let you marry again as soon as the decree is final. These 13 set a waiting period, each with its own exceptions.
Waits run from the final decree unless the card says otherwise. If you divorced in one state and marry in another, ask a family lawyer which rule applies.
Did there used to be a limit on how many times you can marry?
Not a numeric one. The laws people half remember were about marrying two people at once, or about who could remarry after a divorce.
- 1878Supreme Court upholds the federal bigamy banReynolds v. United States (98 U.S. 145) upheld a bigamy conviction in the Utah Territory. The target was more than one spouse at a time, never a lifetime count.Source: Cornell LII
- 1996The 29th marriageGlynn 'Scotty' Wolfe married for the 29th time in June 1996, to Linda Essex, the record holder among women with 23.Source: Guinness World Records
- 2020Utah downgrades bigamyS.B. 102 made bigamy between consenting adults an infraction. One legal spouse at a time still applies.Source: Utah Legislature
- TodayMississippi keeps a guilty-party barA Mississippi court can bar a spouse divorced for adultery from marrying again, and lift the bar after one year. It is the only fault-based remarriage bar we found in any state code.Source: Miss. Code Ann. 93-5-25
- 2026Our check: no cap anywhereOn 29 September 2026 we read the marriage codes of 48 states and DC. None of them limits how many times you can marry.Source: State table
How many people can you legally marry at once?
One. Serial marriage is legal everywhere in the US, plural marriage is legal nowhere.
Allowed
- Marrying again after a divorce, annulment or a spouse’s death, any number of times
- Remarrying the same person after a final divorce
- Renewing your vows with your current spouse, as often as you like
Not allowed
- A second marriage while the first is still valid (void, and a crime)
- Marrying before a divorce is final, even if you have filed
- Treating a valid common-law marriage as over without a divorce
Sources: Cornell LII on bigamy and common-law marriage.
The most times anyone has married, and how common remarriage is
The records sit at the extreme end. Pew’s census analysis shows the everyday picture: remarriage is common and has grown since 1960.
They married each other in June 1996, his 29th wedding. Each earlier marriage had ended first, which is why every one of them was legal.
- 42MAlmost 42 million Americans had been married more than once in 2013, up from 22 million in 1980
- 57%of divorced or widowed adults had remarried, about the same share as in 1960
- 1 in 4Almost one in four married people were remarried, up from 17% in 1980 and 13% in 1960
- 50%of previously married adults 65 and older had remarried, up from 34% in 1960
Source for the four numbers: Pew Research Center, Four-in-Ten Couples are Saying “I Do,” Again (2014, census data for 2013).
What remarrying changes about money and paperwork
A new marriage can end benefits tied to the last one. Check these before the license, not after.
- Social Security survivor benefitsRemarry before 60 (50 if you have a disability) and you cannot get survivor benefits on a late spouse’s record while married. At 60 or later, remarriage does not affect them.Source: SSA, who can get survivor benefits
- AlimonyIn California, spousal support ends when the receiving spouse remarries unless you agreed otherwise in writing. Other states set their own rules.Source: Cal. Family Code § 4337
- A new prenupAn old agreement from a first marriage to the same person may not cover the new one. Weigh it with a lawyer.Should I sign a prenup?
- Your name and beneficiary formsDecide which name you use, then update wills, insurance and retirement beneficiaries so they match the new marriage.Name change after marriage
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Divorce, annulment or death: what clears the way to marry again
Only a marriage that has legally ended frees you to marry again. Here is how each ending works.
| How it ends | What it does | Can you marry again? | Paper to keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce | Ends a valid marriage by court decree | Yes, once the decree is final and any state wait has passed | Divorce decree or certificate |
| Annulment | A court rules the marriage was never valid | Yes, once the judgment is entered | Annulment judgment |
| Death of a spouse | The marriage ends on the date of death | Yes, with no legal waiting period | Death certificate |
| Common-law marriage | Counts as a full marriage where it was validly formed | Only after a divorce, same as a licensed marriage | Divorce decree |
Swipe through 4 endings
Sources: Cornell LII entries on divorce, annulment and common-law marriage, checked 29 September 2026. Clerks may ask for the paper in the last column, so keep a copy.
Definitions: divorce, annulment, common-law marriage (Cornell LII). For the full document list see documents for marriage.
Remarriage terms, defined
- Bigamy
- Marrying someone while still legally married to someone else. The second marriage is void.
- Polygamy
- Having more than one spouse at the same time. Not legal in any US state.
- Void marriage
- A marriage the law treats as never having existed, such as a bigamous one.
- Annulment
- A court ruling that a marriage was invalid from the start.
- Divorce decree
- The final court order that ends a valid marriage. Your remarriage clock starts here.
- License waiting period
- Time a state makes you wait between getting the license and holding the ceremony.
- Remarriage waiting period
- Time a state makes you wait after a divorce before you can marry someone new.
- Common-law marriage
- A marriage formed without a license in states that allow it. Ending it takes a divorce.
- Vow renewal
- A ceremony for a couple who are still married. It is not a new legal marriage.
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How Many Times Can You Get Married: FAQ
Lifetime limits, marrying the same person again, waits after divorce and what happens if someone marries twice.
As many times as you like. No US state limits the number of marriages in a lifetime. The rule is one spouse at a time: each earlier marriage has to end by divorce, annulment or death before you marry again.
No. On 29 September 2026 we read the marriage codes of 48 states and DC (the other sites would not load), and none caps the number of marriages. What differs is timing: 17 set a wait between the license and the ceremony, and 13 set a wait after a divorce.
There is no limit on that either. You can divorce and remarry the same person as often as you want, as long as the divorce is final before the new license. You apply for a fresh license and hold a new ceremony each time.
One. Every state treats a second marriage while the first is still valid as bigamy. The second marriage is void, and bigamy is a crime, from a misdemeanor or felony in California to a third-degree felony in Texas.
Not a numeric one. The restrictions people remember were about timing and fault. The closest thing still on the books is Mississippi, where a court can bar a spouse divorced for adultery from marrying again and lift the bar after one year (Miss. Code Ann. 93-5-25).
The second marriage is void from the start, so it gives neither spouse the rights of a legal marriage, and the person who married twice can be prosecuted for bigamy. The first marriage stays in force until it is ended.
There is no limit in Texas. Texas does set timing rules: 72 hours license wait (waived for active-duty military, by a judge for good cause, or with a Twogether in Texas course certificate) and 30 days after a divorce (neither ex can marry someone new until the 31st day after the decree is signed, but they can remarry each other at any time and a court can waive it for good cause).
In most states you can remarry as soon as the divorce decree is final. 13 jurisdictions add a wait: Alabama (60 days), California (6 months), District of Columbia (30 days), Kansas (until final), Massachusetts (90 days), Mississippi (court can bar), Nebraska (6 months), North Dakota (set by decree), Oklahoma (6 months), Rhode Island (3 months), Texas (30 days), Vermont (90 days), Wisconsin (6 months). Check the table for exceptions and waivers.