In the past, it was not unheard of for girls as young as 11 and 12 to be married to adult males.
After much work on the part of advocates for children’s protection, that is no longer the case.
All but one state now has a minimum age for marriage and many also have a maximum age gap that is allowed.
With the current laws in place, many younger children, especially females, are safer.
Let’s see where things stand in each state:
| State | Without Parental Consent | With Parental Consent |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 18 | 16 |
| Alaska | 18 | 16 |
| Arizona | 18 | 16 |
| Arkansas | 18 | 17 |
| Colorado | 18 | 16 |
| Connecticut | 18 | 16 |
| Florida | 18 | 17 |
| Georgia | 18 | 17 |
| Hawaii | 18 | 16 |
| Idaho | 18 | 16 |
| Illinois | 18 | 16 |
| Indiana | 18 | 16 |
| Iowa | 18 | 16 |
| Kansas | 18 | 16 |
| Louisiana | 18 | 16 |
| Maine | 18 | 16 |
| Maryland | 18 | 17 |
| Michigan | 18 | 16 |
| Missouri | 18 | 16 |
| Montana | 18 | 16 |
| Nebraska | 19 | 17 |
| Nevada | 18 | 17 |
| New Hampshire | 18 | 16 |
| New Mexico | 18 | 16 |
| North Carolina | 18 | 16 |
| North Dakota | 18 | 16 |
| Ohio | 18 | 17 |
| Oklahoma | 18 | 16 |
| Oregon | 18 | 17 |
| South Carolina | 18 | 16 |
| South Dakota | 18 | 16 |
| Tennessee | 18 | 17 |
| Texas | 18 | 16 |
| Utah | 18 | 16 |
| Vermont | 18 | 16 |
| Washington | 18 | 17 |
| West Virginia | 18 | 16 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 16 |
| Wyoming | 18 | 16 |
Contents
Age of Consent Vs Parental Permission
Age of consent refers to the ability to make a decision for yourself.
People who meet the minimum age requirement in their state do not need the approval or permission of a parental figure as long as they meet the state requirements regarding ID and licensing requirements.
When parental consent is allowed, it involves getting written permission from a parental figure.
There are age limits for this also.
In a few cases, judicial permission is also required when a couple is under the age of consent.
Age of Consent
In nearly every state, the age of consent is 18.
This means a couple both need to be at least that age in order to obtain a marriage license.
In the past, it was often popular to visit a nearby state when the age of consent was lower in the neighboring state, but having a consistent age has eliminated that.
The only state that has an age of consent higher than 18 years old is Mississippi, which set the age of consent at 21.
Parental Permission Required
There is more variation from one state to another regarding parental permission, but there are still minimum age requirements, and often limitations as to how much of an age gap is allowed.
Currently, 36 states have a minimum age of 16 years old, and five have a limit of 17 years old.
Kentucky, Louisiana, and West Virginia all have eliminated the parental permission option and the partners must be 18 years old.
Hawaii and Missouri have a minimum age of fifteen with parental permission and both Massachusetts and New Hampshire allow fourteen-year-olds to marry with parental permission.
The Exceptions
There are a few exceptions that must be noted.
Both California and Kansas allow those old enough to have parental consent to marry only after they have the consent and authorization from a judge.
In California, there is also a thirty-day wait period required.
The age of consent in Nebraska is 19.
The District of Columbia has the age of consent set at 16 years of age.
United States Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: United States Safety Review
| OVERALL RISK | LOW |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK | LOW |
| PICKPOCKETS RISK | MEDIUM |
| NATURAL DISASTERS RISK | LOW |
| MUGGING RISK | LOW |
| TERRORISM RISK | MEDIUM |
| SCAMS RISK | LOW |
| WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK | LOW |
| TAP WATER RISK | LOW |
Frequently Asked Questions
What state has the highest age of consent, and what is its minimum age with parental permission?
Mississippi has the highest age of consent at 21 years of age.
With parental permission, however, males as young as 17 can marry and girls as young as 15 can do so.
What restrictions does California place on people under 18 who want to marry?
California requires parental permission for those underage, and it also requires that they wait for thirty days and get permission from the courts before they can marry.
Are there any states that allow online marriages?
There are four states that allow online marriages, although they differ in the requirements that must be adhered to.
These states are California, New York, Colorado, and Ohio.
In most cases, they require a teleconference-type service with the presence of at least one witness.
The minimum age for marriage in most states is now 18, with some exceptions and limitations.
In my opinion, setting a consistent age of consent across all states has helped to protect younger children from being married off at an early age.
It’s surprising to see how much things have changed over the years. The thought of young girls being married off at such an early age feels so foreign now, especially with all the progress made in child protection. I wonder how the differing laws in each state shape the experiences of young people when it comes to relationships and marriage. It makes you think about the lasting impact these laws have on communities.
So, we finally figured out that maybe marrying off kids isn’t a great idea? What a groundbreaking revelation. It’s like we’ve discovered fire or something.
Reading this, it’s honestly kind of wild that we’re still talking about 14 and 15 year olds being able to get married at all. It feels like the laws have one foot in the present and one stuck in some old idea of what family and adulthood are supposed to look like. That 30 day wait in California really jumped out at me too, like even the system knows this is a huge decision but still lets it happen.
Around here I actually felt kind of relieved that most states now have minimum ages, but I was pretty surprised to see Mississippi set the age at 21 and a bit unsettled that Massachusetts and New Hampshire still allow fourteen-year-olds with parental permission while California makes you get a judge’s okay and wait thirty days.
Around here we just assumed you had to be 18, so I was pretty surprised to learn Mississippi sets it at 21, California and Kansas make you get a judge’s OK and California even has a thirty day wait, and seeing that 36 states have a minimum of 16 made me feel a bit safer about kids.
Around here I felt oddly relieved to see that all but one state now has a minimum marriage age, especially knowing girls as young as 11 and 12 used to be wed to grown men and that places like California even require a judge’s okay plus a thirty-day wait when parental consent is involved.