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Wiz Imp

(8,202 posts)
3. The general legal age for marriage in almost all states is 18.
Fri Nov 14, 2025, 10:53 PM
Friday

19: Nebraska
21: Mississippi
18: All other states

16 states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington) do not allow underage marriage under any circumstances.

The other states allow an underage person to marry in the following circumstances - If one or more of the following apply:
-consent of the parents or legal guardians of the minor
-consent of a court clerk or judge
-if the minor is emancipated.

Most states still have a minimum age even with parental permission
-4 states have no official minimum age, but still require either parental consent, court approval or both: California, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
-2 states have a minimum age of 15: Hawaii and Kansas.
-20 states have a minimum age of 16.
-8 states have a minimum age of 17.

However, many states have been revisiting and raising their marriage age laws recently. Since 2017, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, Delaware, Tennessee, New Jersey, Missouri & Ohio have changed their law to set or raise their minimum legal age for marriage.

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