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Which US states completely ban marriage under 18 as of 2024 or 2025?
Executive summary
As of 2024 the number of U.S. states that had enacted “bright‑line” bans making 18 the minimum marriage age with no exceptions rose to at least 13, with Washington, Virginia and New Hampshire joining that group in 2024 [1]. Reporting and advocacy groups show continued progress in 2025 — several organizations list additional states and D.C. that adopted no‑exception bans in 2025 — but sources disagree on the exact count and which measures had taken effect by mid‑2025 [2] [3] [4].
1. What “completely ban marriage under 18” means — and why wording matters
A “complete ban” or “bright‑line” law sets 18 as the minimum age and removes parental consent, judicial exceptions, or military exceptions; advocacy groups use that phrase to distinguish these laws from reforms that merely raise minimum ages or narrow exceptions [4]. Federal summaries note a range of legislative approaches — some states eliminated nearly all exceptions while others only limited them — so whether a state “completely bans” under‑18 marriage depends on statutory text and effective date [5] [4].
2. Which states passed no‑exception bans by the end of 2024 (reporting consensus)
Multiple advocacy groups and nonprofit trackers report that by the end of 2024 the following states had enacted no‑exception bans: Delaware and New Jersey [6]; Pennsylvania and Minnesota [7]; Rhode Island and New York [8]; Massachusetts [9]; Vermont, Connecticut and Michigan [10]; and in 2024, Washington, Virginia and New Hampshire [2] [3] [1]. Equality Now summarizes that in 2024 Washington, Virginia and New Hampshire each enacted laws setting 18 as the age with no exceptions [1].
3. Why different counts (13, 16, 17+) appear in sources
Trackers diverge because they update on different timetables and treat territories/DC differently. For example, some 2025 updates include Washington, D.C., Maine, Oregon and Missouri as later additions, producing a count of 16 total state/territory bans by mid‑2025 [2] [3] [4]. Other organizations cited a figure of 13 states that had banned child marriage as of 2024, reflecting the snapshot at that year’s end [1] [11]. Differences also arise when sources count only states (excluding D.C. or territories) or include laws signed in one year that take effect the next [4] [11].
4. Which sources to trust — strengths and blind spots
Advocacy groups such as Unchained At Last, Tahirih Justice Center and Equality Now maintain state‑by‑state trackers and emphasize legal text and effective dates; they’re comprehensive on policy changes but may emphasize momentum and advocacy wins [3] [4] [12]. Wikipedia and aggregated pieces compile timelines but depend on those same primary reports and can show later updates that shift totals [2]. Congressional summaries and bill texts place reforms in broader federal context but don’t replace state‑law verification [5]. None of the provided sources is a single definitive statutory database; they present overlapping but not identical snapshots [2] [4] [1].
5. Practical implications: why the distinction matters on the ground
Whether a state “completely bans” marriage under 18 determines if minors can still marry via parental permission, judicial waiver, or military exceptions — openings advocates say have allowed forced or coerced marriages to continue despite reforms [5] [1]. Advocacy reports stress that full bans remove loopholes that previously allowed marriages of 15–17‑year‑olds in many states [3] [1].
6. Short‑term outlook and legislative momentum
Advocates and trackers reported multiple bills active in 2024–2025 and noted that 2025 saw a cluster of additional bans and territory/DC action, indicating momentum beyond the 2024 baseline; however, exact state counts changed as laws were signed and took effect [2] [3] [4]. Congressional proposals like the Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2024 aim to complement state action, but federal law had not replaced state variability as of the cited reporting [5] [13].
7. How to verify the current list for your use
For the most current, legally precise list consult the text and effective dates of each state’s statute or authoritative trackers maintained by Unchained At Last, Tahirih Justice Center or Equality Now; the sources provided here document the major milestones and note that counts differ by update cycles [3] [4] [12].
Limitations: This roundup relies solely on the provided sources, which show slightly different tallies and effective‑date conventions; available sources do not mention an official, single authoritative federal list that fixes the count across 2024–2025 [2] [4].