How many states require parental consent for minors to get married?
Executive summary
As of mid‑2025, reporting and compilations suggest that a majority of U.S. states still allow some form of under‑18 marriage through parental consent, judicial approval, or other exceptions, while a growing minority—commonly cited as around 16 states—ban under‑18 marriage without exceptions (for example: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington) [1] [2]. Detailed counts vary by source because some lists and datasets treat territories, clerks’ authority, and statutory waivers differently [3] [4].
1. What the headline numbers mean — “require parental consent” vs. “allow exceptions”
Many sources distinguish between states that “require parental consent” as one pathway to marry under 18 and states that permit under‑18 marriage only with judicial approval or other narrow circumstances; most states fall into the first, broader category where parental consent can permit marriage for 16–17‑year‑olds or even younger in specific cases [4] [5]. WorldPopulationReview and MOST Policy Initiative emphasize that although 18 is the nominal majority age, the legal landscape is dominated by exceptions [5] [6].
2. How many states actually let minors marry with parental consent?
Available sources do not provide a single, undisputed count stated in the same way across reports. Several compilations say "most states allow minors to marry with parental consent" and note ranges (many allowing 16–17 year‑olds; some allowing younger in special cases) [4] [6]. WorldPopulationReview’s tables state that “most states have a minimum marriage age for minors with parental consent, ranging from 12–17,” which implies a large majority permit parental‑consent marriages, but it does not publish one explicit tally of states that “require parental consent” as the only route [5].
3. The growing band of absolute bans — about 16 states
Multiple sources list roughly 16 states that have ended child marriage by setting 18 as an absolute minimum with no parental or judicial exceptions; sources repeatedly name the same states (for example: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington) [1] [2]. Journalistic coverage and encyclopedic summaries track reform progress and show the number of full bans rising since 2018 [7] [1].
4. Why counts differ — clerks, judicial waivers, pregnancy and territory quirks
Discrepancies in the tallies stem from technicalities: some states allow clerks (not judges) to issue licenses to minors; others have pregnancy or emancipation carve‑outs; some territories set different ages altogether; and some states do not set a numeric floor for minors if parental consent is given [4] [8]. WorldPopulationReview notes special cases such as Nebraska, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia having different ages for marrying without parental consent, further complicating a single national count [5] [8].
5. Recent legislative trends and political context
Since 2018 there has been an active reform movement: advocates have pushed legislatures to remove exceptions that enable child marriage, and several states have enacted bans. Reporting notes bipartisan debate, with opponents sometimes invoking religious liberty and proponents pushing child‑welfare and safety rationales [7] [2]. Coverage from 2023–2025 documents a steady momentum toward eliminating exceptions, but progress is uneven and subject to state political dynamics [7] [1].
6. Practical takeaway for someone asking “how many states require parental consent?”
Available sources do not present a single, universally agreed numeric answer framed exactly as “require parental consent” because statutes vary: many states allow parental consent as one of multiple paths, some require both parental and judicial approval, and others ban all exceptions entirely [4] [6]. If you need a precise, up‑to‑date state‑by‑state tally framed in a single way (e.g., “states that allow marriage under 18 with parental consent alone”), consult the state statutory compilations or the WorldPopulationReview/FindLaw state pages cited here and check the text for each state [5] [9] [4].
Limitations and next steps: my synthesis relies only on the provided sources, which themselves differ in methodology and cutoffs; for a legally definitive answer for a specific state, review that state's statute or an up‑to‑date legal table such as Tahirih’s compilation or FindLaw [4] [9].