Family · Marriage License
Legal Age to Marry, by State
The general age and the absolute minimum age to marry in each state, and the parental-consent or court-order rules that let a minor marry where the state permits it. Each cited to the statute, stated as written.
Read this first: 18 everywhere, but the exceptions differ
In all of these states, the general age to marry is 18. The variation is in whether a minor may marry with permission, and the absolute minimum age. New York and Pennsylvania set 18 with no exceptions. Florida allows a 17-year-old with acknowledged parental consent and a two-year age-gap limit. Texas and Illinois allow 16, through a court order or parental consent, and California sets no numeric minimum at all.
This is a fast-moving area. Several states raised their floor to 18 with no exceptions between 2018 and 2021, and bills to change the rule are pending in others, so each page carries a current-as-of note. These pages state the law neutrally and by number, without opinion. Every figure links to the statute, and pages still pending verification say so.
Every state in one table
The general age, the absolute minimum, and the statute in each row.
All states (10)
| State | General age | Absolute minimum | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18 (no set minimum) | No statutory floor | Cal. Fam. Code §302 |
| Florida | 18 (17 with consent) | 17 | Fla. Stat. §741.04 |
| Georgia | 18 (17 if emancipated) | 17 | O.C.G.A. §19‑3‑2 |
| Illinois | 18 (16 with consent) | 16 | 750 ILCS 5/203 |
| Michigan | 18, no exceptions | 18 | Mich. Comp. Laws §551.51 |
| New York | 18, no exceptions | 18 | N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law §15‑a |
| North Carolina | 18 (16 with limits) | 16 | N.C. Gen. Stat. §51‑2(a) |
| Ohio | 18 (17 by court consent) | 17 | Ohio Rev. Code §3101.01 |
| Pennsylvania | 18, no exceptions | 18 | 23 Pa.C.S. §1304 |
| Texas | 18 (16 by court order) | 16 | Tex. Fam. Code §2.101 |
What these pages are, and what they aren't
Each state page is a reference for the minimum marriage age and the consent or court rules, stated as written. They are deliberately not advice or commentary: the permission path, the age gap, and recent changes can all matter, so each page links to the statute and a court or attorney resource. This is legal information, not legal advice.