What should the minimum age be for someone to marry legally in Massachusetts? The recent enactment of a state law settled that debate once and for all.
Until recently, a person under 18 could be married, provided they obtained parental consent. Massachusetts law (MGL c.207, s. 25) did not specify the minimum age at which a person could marry with a parent’s blessing. Such a union required a judge’s approval. Whether or not to allow a minor to marry was up to the judge’s discretion.
Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont now require an individual to be 18 to marry. Maine says people under 18 can marry with parental consent. In New Hampshire, an individual can marry as young as 16 with parental approval.
Two states — Hawaii and Kansas — have a minimum marriage age of 15. Five states — California, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Washington — have no minimum age but require parental or court approval for unions involving individuals under 18.