Family · Marriage License
Legal Age to Marry in Texas
The general age and absolute minimum age to marry in Texas, the parental-consent or court rules for a minor where permitted, and recent changes. Cited to the statute and stated as written.
The rule and exceptions in Texas
The general age, the permission path for a minor where allowed, and the absolute minimum.
A 2017 law (S.B. 1705) ended parental-consent-only minor marriage and set the effective under-16 bar. Sources describing "16 with parental consent" predate that change and are out of date.
| The rule in this state | What it means |
|---|---|
| 18 without a court order | A person 18 or older may marry without any order or consent. |
| Under 18 requires a court order | A county clerk may not issue a license if either applicant is under 18 unless each underage applicant has a court order removing the disabilities of minority for general purposes, under Family Code §2.101. |
| Parental consent alone is not enough | Before 2017, a 16- or 17-year-old could marry with parental consent. A 2017 law replaced that with the court-order requirement, so parental consent by itself no longer authorizes a minor marriage. |
| Under 16 barred in practice | To have the disabilities of minority removed, the minor must generally be 17, or at least 16 and living apart from parents and self-supporting, so a person under 16 cannot obtain the order and cannot marry. |
| Exceptions and limits | What it means |
|---|---|
| Removal-of-disabilities order | The removal-of-disabilities proceeding is the sole route for a minor. The court appoints an attorney for the minor and grants the order only if marriage is in the minor’s best interest. |
| No pregnancy route | Texas does not provide a pregnancy-based exception to the court-order requirement. |
What to know
Neutral, factual points about applying for a marriage license in Texas. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- At 18 or older, no order is needed
A person 18 or older can obtain a Texas marriage license without a court order or consent.
- A minor must seek a court order
A 16- or 17-year-old must obtain a court order removing the disabilities of minority for general purposes. Parental consent alone will not do since 2017.
- Understand the under-16 bar
Because the order generally requires the minor to be at least 16, a person under 16 cannot marry in Texas.
- Confirm the current law
Check the current Family Code §2.101 and the removal-of-disabilities rules, or consult a licensed Texas attorney, before relying on the rule.
Marriage-license rules and any minor exceptions turn on the current statute and your facts. This resource can connect you with a court self-help center or a licensed attorney.
→ State Bar of Texas — Lawyer ReferralThis is general legal information, not legal advice, and it states the law as written. Minimum-age laws have changed in several states recently, so confirm the current statute with a court resource or a licensed attorney.
The Texas law in detail
In Texas the general age to marry is 18. A person that age or older needs no order or consent. For a minor, Family Code §2.101 provides one route: a county clerk may not issue a license to anyone under 18 unless each underage applicant has a court order removing the disabilities of minority for general purposes. A 2017 law changed this area significantly. Before then, a 16- or 17-year-old could marry with parental consent; the 2017 statute replaced that with the court-order requirement, so parental consent by itself no longer authorizes a minor marriage. Because the order to remove disabilities generally requires the minor to be at least 16, and often 17, a person under 16 cannot obtain it and cannot marry. The removal-of-disabilities proceeding is the sole path, and the court grants the order only where it finds marriage in the minor’s best interest, with no pregnancy-based exception. This page states the law as written, and sources describing an older "16 with parental consent" rule predate the 2017 change.
Common questions
What is the legal age to marry in Texas?
The general age is 18. A 16- or 17-year-old may marry only with a court order removing the disabilities of minority, under Family Code §2.101, and no one under 16 may marry.
Can a 16-year-old marry with parental consent in Texas?
Not on consent alone. Since 2017, a minor must obtain a court order removing the disabilities of minority. Parental consent by itself no longer authorizes a minor marriage.
Can anyone under 16 marry in Texas?
No. The court order to remove the disabilities of minority generally requires the minor to be at least 16, so a person under 16 cannot obtain it and cannot marry.
Does pregnancy allow a minor to marry in Texas?
No. Texas does not provide a pregnancy-based exception to the court-order requirement for a minor.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.