Ohio Marriage Age Requirements Laws

Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed September 14, 2020

Overview of State Marriage Age Requirements

State laws set age limits for marriage while allowing certain exceptions for minors with extenuating circumstances. For example, most states (including Ohio) allow minors to get married with the consent of the juvenile court. Ohio's marriage requirement laws permit anyone over 18 to get married to whomever they want.

What are the Marriage Age Requirement Laws in Ohio?

Many states have updated their marriage age requirement laws in recent years, including Ohio. In the state of Ohio, the minimum age to get married is 17 years old, and it requires judicial consent. The parties must also not be more than four years apart in age.

Ohio counties typically maintain online marriage license registration services and will perform civil ceremonies for a fee of roughly $60.

Do I Need to Consult with an Attorney Prior to Getting Married?

In most cases, marriage does not require the help of an attorney. But if you are below the legal marriage age requirement and have extenuating circumstances (such as a pregnancy), an experienced family law attorney can help protect your interests. Also, you will need a lawyer if you plan to sign (or are confronted with) a prenuptial agreement.

The brief table below outlines the basic parameters of Ohio's marriage age requirements, with links to related materials. See Marriage Requirements Basics: Consent, Age, and Capacity for more information, and check FindLaw's extensive Marriage Law section for more articles and resources covering a wide variety of topics.

State	Ohio
Topic	Marriage age requirements
Definition	The marriage age requirement law in Ohio allows people as young as 17 to get married, but they must have judicial consent and cannot be more than four years apart in age.
Code Sections	3101.01 to 3101.05
Minimum Legal Age With Parental Consent	N/A
Minimum Legal Age Without Parental Consent	18
Other	Minors who are 17 are permitted to marry with judicial consent as long as they are not more than four years apart in age.

Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact an Ohio family law attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.

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