Oregon Lawmakers Ban Child Marriage, Raise Marrying Age to 18

Oregon Governor signs bill into law, banning child marriage

 

It’s official – starting next year, you’ll have to be 18 years old to get married in Oregon.

 

Governor Tina Kotek signed the popular bill banning child marriage into law yesterday (May 28, 2025), following overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Oregon House and Senate. Only three legislators voted against raising the legal marriage age (Rep. Jami Cate [R]; Rep. Darin Harbick [R]; Sen. Noah Robinson [R]), with ten legislators abstaining/excused. 

 

The law goes into effect on the first day of the new year, January 1, 2026, as is standard for most new laws and amendments passed in Oregon. 

 

Currently, children who are 17 years old can marry in Oregon with written permission from a parent or guardian living in the state; and if these minors don’t have a parent living in-state but are residents themselves, they don’t need adult permission to marry.

 

However, starting next year, these special provisions are repealed, and minors will not be able to marry in Oregon under any circumstances.

 

Read the full text of Oregon Senate Bill 548: An Act Relating to Marriage

 

Where is child marriage banned in the US? 

 

Oregon joins a growing number of states where the marriage of minors has been banned or limited in recent years. In 2024 alone, Washington State, Virginia, and New Hampshire outlawed child marriages, and The Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2024 (S. 4990) was introduced in the US Congress. And earlier this year, child marriages were banned in Washington, DC with wide support.

 

Including Oregon, child marriage is now illegal in 17 US states and commonwealths, as well as DC. Here's the complete list at the time of writing:

 

District of Columbia, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Washington, Michigan, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware

 

 

How will this change affect AMM Ministers who officiate weddings in Oregon? 

 

Raising the legal marriage age in Oregon will not impact the role of AMM Ministers who solemnize marriage there. Because marriage licenses are issued by the clerk’s office, it will be the clerk’s responsibility to confirm that each person is old enough to get married when they issue the license. 

 

However, all ministers who perform marriage ceremonies should confirm the names of the people they’re marrying before the wedding. This can be done by comparing a person’s government-issued ID or photo ID card to the name printed on their marriage license. 

 

To become a wedding officiant in Oregon, click the links below! 

 

• Become a Wedding Officiant in Oregon
   
• Get Ordained In Oregon
   
• How To Officiate a Wedding in Oregon

 

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More Oregon Wedding Ideas and Inspiration

 

• How Much Does it Cost to Get Ordained Online in Oregon to Officiate a Wedding?
   
• Oregon Officiant Training Quiz
   
• How to Get Married in Oregon - Planning a Wedding in the Beaver State
   

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