How Old Do You Have to Be to Get Married?
A verified, sourced US guide: 18 lets you marry anywhere with no restrictions, but the rules below that age depend entirely on your state, and are changing fast.
The Short Answer
At 18, you can get married in every US state with no parental consent and no court approval required. That part of the law does not vary. Below 18, it depends entirely on where you live: 16 states currently ban marriage under 18 with zero exceptions, Oklahoma has enacted a ban that takes effect November 1, 2026, and the remaining states still allow it in some form, typically with parental consent, judicial approval, or both, with the exact age floor set state by state.
This is not a static list. Since 2018, a state has passed a completed ban roughly once a year on average, and the trend has only accelerated: three states banned it in 2025 alone. Anything you read about a specific state's rule, including in this guide, should be verified against current statute before you rely on it for a real marriage license application.
Everywhere: 18
In all 50 states, you can marry at 18 with no exceptions of any kind required. No parental consent, no judge's permission, nothing changes this floor.
Under 18: Depends on the State
In 16 states plus soon Oklahoma, marriage under 18 is banned outright. In the other 33, it may still be possible with parental consent and/or judicial approval, with rules that differ state to state.
The Trend Is Toward 18 Everywhere
Sixteen states have banned marriage under 18 since 2018, and Oklahoma's ban takes effect in late 2026. The number of states allowing exceptions keeps shrinking, not growing.
16
States with a completed ban
In force as of 2026, no exceptions
1
State with a pending ban
Oklahoma, effective Nov 1, 2026
33
States where it varies
Consent/judicial rules differ by state
~297K
Minors married in US, 2000-2018
Journal of Adolescent Health, 2021 study
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Minimum Marriage Age by State: All 50 States
Verified against Unchained At Last's child marriage tracker as of 2026. States without a completed ban are marked "varies" rather than assigned a specific age, because consent and judicial-approval rules differ by state and change through ordinary legislative sessions. Always confirm with your state's vital records office before applying for a license.
| State | Minimum Age | Exceptions / Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Alaska | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Arizona | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Arkansas | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| California | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Colorado | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Connecticut | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2023) |
| Delaware | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2018) |
| Florida | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Georgia | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Hawaii | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Idaho | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Illinois | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Indiana | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Iowa | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Kansas | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Kentucky | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Louisiana | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Maine | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2025) |
| Maryland | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Massachusetts | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2022) |
| Michigan | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2023) |
| Minnesota | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2020) |
| Mississippi | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Missouri | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2025) |
| Montana | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Nebraska | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Nevada | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| New Hampshire | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2024) |
| New Jersey | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2018) |
| New Mexico | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| New York | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2021) |
| North Carolina | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| North Dakota | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Ohio | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Oklahoma | 18 (ban effective Nov 1, 2026) | No statutory minimum today; ban enacted May 2026, not yet in force |
| Oregon | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2025) |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2020) |
| Rhode Island | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2021) |
| South Carolina | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| South Dakota | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Tennessee | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Texas | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Utah | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Vermont | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2023) |
| Virginia | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2024) |
| Washington | 18 | No exceptions (in force since 2024) |
| West Virginia | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Wisconsin | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
| Wyoming | Under 18 possible | Consent and/or judicial approval rules vary, verify with the state |
Note: laws are actively changing. The 33 "varies" states may have bills in progress in 2026. This table is not legal advice; confirm current requirements with your state before applying for a marriage license.
The 16 States That Have Banned Marriage Under 18, and Oklahoma's Pending Ban
These are the states with a completed ban already in force, plus the one state whose ban has been signed into law but has not yet taken effect. Source: Unchained At Last, "Child Marriage in the U.S." , cross-checked against Wikipedia's marriage age summary .
Oklahoma's legislature passed the ban in May 2026 and Governor Kevin Stitt allowed it to become law without a signature. It replaces a previous policy that had no statutory minimum age at all, and it will make Oklahoma the 17th state with a completed ban once it takes effect. Source: Unchained At Last, "Oklahoma just banned child marriage!" (2026) .
Washington, D.C. (2025), American Samoa (2018), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (2020) have also banned marriage under 18, per the same tracker; they are territories/districts and are not counted in the 50-state totals above.
Parental Consent vs. Judicial Approval: What Is the Difference?
Parental Consent
A parent or legal guardian signs a form at the marriage license office consenting to the marriage. In states that still allow this, requirements for which parent(s) must sign vary. There is usually no independent third-party review of whether the marriage is in the minor's best interest.
Criticism
Advocacy groups including Unchained At Last argue this provides no independent check, since a minor's consent can be shaped by family pressure that a signature on a form does not capture.
Judicial Approval
A judge holds a hearing to evaluate whether the marriage is in the minor's best interest. In theory this provides an independent safeguard beyond parental sign-off.
Criticism
The Tahirih Justice Center, which compiles state marriage-age statutes, notes that judges are often given little to no statutory guidance for these decisions, and that minors are seldom appointed their own counsel, which it argues lets courts function closer to a rubber stamp than an independent gatekeeper. Source: Tahirih Justice Center .
Common Myths About Marriage Age Laws
Myth: The federal government sets one national marriage age.
Fact: Marriage law in the US is set state by state, not federally. There is no single national minimum age. Each state legislature sets its own rules, which is why the map looks so different from one border to the next.
Myth: Age of consent and marriage age are the same law.
Fact: They are separate legal frameworks. Age of consent governs sexual activity and varies with the age gap between partners. Marriage age governs who can obtain a marriage license. A state's rules for one do not automatically apply to the other.
Myth: If a state bans marriage under 18, there is truly no way around it.
Fact: In the 16 states (soon 17, once Oklahoma's ban takes effect) with a completed ban, this is accurate: there is no parental consent or judicial approval exception left. In every other state, some exception still exists, which is exactly why the "varies" states in the table below need to be checked directly.
Myth: Judicial approval means a judge carefully vets every underage marriage.
Fact: The Tahirih Justice Center, which compiles state marriage-age statutes, has found that many states give judges little to no statutory guidance for these hearings and rarely require minors to have their own legal counsel, which weakens the safeguard in practice.
Timeline of US Marriage Age Reform (2018 to 2026)
Delaware and New Jersey become the first US states to ban marriage under 18 with no exceptions.
Pennsylvania and Minnesota pass completed bans.
Rhode Island and New York pass completed bans, bringing the total to six states.
Massachusetts passes a completed ban. England and Wales pass the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act (in force February 2023).
Vermont, Connecticut, and Michigan pass completed bans, bringing the total to ten states.
Washington, Virginia, and New Hampshire pass completed bans, bringing the total to thirteen states.
Maine, Oregon, and Missouri pass completed bans, bringing the total to sixteen states.
Oklahoma's legislature passes a completed ban in May 2026; it takes effect November 1, 2026, making Oklahoma the 17th state.
Source: Unchained At Last's child marriage tracker and the UK's Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022.
International Comparison: Minimum Marriage Age Around the World
UNICEF defines child marriage as any union where either party is under 18. Here is where a handful of major economies stand, each verified against a primary legal source.
| Country | Minimum Age | Exceptions | Reform Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 18 (varies by state below 18) | 16 states ban it entirely; 33 states allow it with consent/court approval | Reforming, state by state |
| United Kingdom (England & Wales) | 18 | No exceptions since Feb 27, 2023 | Complete |
| Germany | 18 | No exceptions since Jul 22, 2017 (narrow hardship clause for pre-existing marriages only) | Complete |
| Japan | 18 (both sexes) | No exceptions since Apr 1, 2022 | Complete |
| Canada | 16 (federal floor) | No marriage under 16 anywhere; 16-17 needs parental/court consent depending on province | Partial |
| Australia | 18 (general minimum) | Narrow court order can allow marriage from 16 in exceptional circumstances | Near complete |
What the Research Shows About Marriage Before 18 in the US
The push to raise the minimum age is backed by a peer-reviewed study, not just advocacy. Here is what it found.
~297,000 minors
Scale
An estimated 297,033 minors were married in the US between 2000 and 2018, according to a 2021 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health produced by Unchained At Last with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funding.
96% were 16-17
Ages Involved
The vast majority, 96%, of minors married in that period were 16 or 17 years old, though the study documented some cases as young as 10.
78% girls, adult men
Who Was Involved
78% of minors married in this data were girls wed to adult men age 18 or older, a pattern researchers point to when discussing power imbalance concerns.
Divorce is harder
Legal Vulnerability
The Tahirih Justice Center has documented that in some states a minor who is married cannot file for divorce without the same parental consent that let them marry in the first place, a gap that a completed ban closes.
Documented, not universal
Associated Outcomes
Researchers and groups including Tahirih Justice Center have documented associations between marriage before 18 and higher rates of school dropout and reduced long-term economic outcomes; these are population-level associations, not a guaranteed outcome for any individual.
3 states banned it in 2025
Reform Pace
Maine, Oregon, and Missouri all passed completed bans in a single year, 2025, showing the reform pace has accelerated rather than slowed.
If You Are 17 or 18 and Planning to Get Married
Here is a practical checklist if you are at or approaching the legal marriage age and considering marriage.
Verify your state's current minimum age law directly with the county clerk or state vital records office. Do not rely on outdated internet lists, including this one, without checking the date.
If you are under 18, confirm in writing what your state currently requires: parental consent, judicial approval, or both, and get the exact form requirements from the county clerk before showing up.
If you are turning 18 soon, it is often simpler to wait for your birthday to avoid the additional paperwork and any risk that a consent or approval requirement is denied or delayed.
Both parties need valid government-issued ID (such as a birth certificate and a state ID or passport) to apply for a marriage license regardless of age.
If parental consent is required, confirm in advance exactly which parent or guardian must sign, since custody situations can complicate this.
For a judicial approval hearing, consult a family law attorney beforehand. Most minors do not automatically get independent legal representation, but having it can materially change the outcome.
Key Terms in Marriage Age Law
A marriage age floor of 18 that cannot be overridden by any exception, consent, or court order. In force in 16 US states as of 2026, with Oklahoma's taking effect November 1, 2026.
Written permission from a parent or legal guardian allowing a minor to marry. In states that still allow it, this can lower the effective minimum age below 18.
A court process where a judge evaluates whether a proposed underage marriage is in the minor's best interest, separate from or in addition to parental consent.
UNICEF's definition: any formal or informal union where at least one party is under 18. Used internationally as the baseline for comparing countries.
A separate legal concept from marriage age, governing the legal age to consent to sexual activity. It varies by state and by the age gap between partners, and should not be confused with the marriage age.
A person under 18 who has been legally released from parental control by a court. Emancipation may affect marriage eligibility depending on state law.
The legal permit obtained before a marriage ceremony. The issuing office checks age, ID, and consent requirements at this point, which is where age rules are actually enforced.
Sources
Every state count, effective year, and statistic on this page is checked against the following primary sources. If you find one out of date, the law has almost certainly moved since this page was last updated; check the source directly.
Related Marriage Guides
Why Minimum Marriage Age Laws Are Changing So Fast
Marriage age law is one of the fastest-moving areas of US family law right now. Since 2018, state after state has replaced its old parental-consent and judicial-bypass exceptions with a flat, no-exceptions floor of 18. Delaware and New Jersey went first in 2018; by 2026, 16 states have completed the process and Oklahoma has enacted a ban that takes effect November 1, 2026.
The reform wave is documented by Unchained At Last, a nonprofit that has tracked and helped pass this legislation state by state, and it is backed by peer-reviewed research: a 2021 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, produced by Unchained At Last with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, estimated that roughly 297,000 minors married in the US between 2000 and 2018, the large majority of them girls marrying adult men.
Because the list of banned states keeps growing and the remaining states change their consent and judicial-approval rules independently, any specific age or exception you read online, including on this page, should be treated as a starting point, not a final answer. Confirm current requirements with your county clerk or state vital records office before relying on them.
Reading the State Table: What "Varies" Means
Below, states are grouped into three categories: a completed ban (18, no exceptions, already in force), a pending ban (enacted into law but not yet in effect), and "varies." The "varies" label is intentional. Outside the 16 states with a completed ban, minimum ages, consent requirements, and judicial approval rules differ from state to state and change through ordinary legislative sessions, sometimes more than once in a few years.
Rather than assign a specific age to every one of those states from secondary sources that frequently disagree with each other, this guide lists them as "varies" and points to the primary trackers, Unchained At Last and the Tahirih Justice Center, that maintain statute-level detail and update it as laws change. If you need the exact current rule for a specific state, those two sources plus the state's own statutes are the most reliable places to check.
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Minimum Marriage Age FAQ
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Everywhere in the US, you can marry at 18 with no restrictions. Below 18, the rules depend entirely on your state: 16 states currently ban marriage under 18 with no exceptions at all, Oklahoma's ban is enacted and takes effect November 1, 2026, and the remaining states allow marriage before 18 only with some combination of parental consent and/or a judge's approval, with the exact age and process varying by state.
It depends entirely on the state. In the 16 states with a completed ban (and Oklahoma once its ban takes effect), the answer is no under any circumstances. In the remaining states, it may be possible with parental consent, judicial approval, or both, but the specific age floor and process vary by state and change frequently as legislatures act. Always confirm current law directly with your state before assuming a rule.
As of 2026, 16 states have a completed ban with no exceptions: Delaware and New Jersey (2018), Pennsylvania and Minnesota (2020), Rhode Island and New York (2021), Massachusetts (2022), Vermont, Connecticut, and Michigan (2023), Washington, Virginia, and New Hampshire (2024), and Maine, Oregon, and Missouri (2025). Oklahoma's ban was enacted in May 2026 and takes effect November 1, 2026, which will make it the 17th state. Source: Unchained At Last's child marriage tracker.
In some states, a minor can ask a judge for permission to marry instead of, or in addition to, getting parental consent. The Tahirih Justice Center, which tracks state marriage-age statutes, has documented that judges in these hearings are often given little statutory guidance and that minors are rarely appointed their own legal counsel, which advocacy groups argue undermines the hearing's purpose as an independent safeguard.
It is mixed. The UNICEF standard defines child marriage as any union where either party is under 18. Countries including the UK (England and Wales, since February 2023), Germany (since July 2017), and Japan (since April 2022) have set an 18 minimum with no exceptions nationwide. Canada's federal minimum is 16 with no exceptions below that age. Australia's general minimum is 18 but allows a narrow court-ordered exception from 16 in exceptional circumstances. The US remains unique in that marriage law is set state by state rather than nationally.
No, and confusing the two is a common mistake. Age of consent laws govern the legal age to consent to sexual activity and vary by state and by the age gap between partners. Marriage age laws are a separate legal framework governing who may obtain a marriage license, with their own minimums, consent requirements, and judicial approval rules. A person can theoretically fall on different sides of these two thresholds depending on the state.