Child marriage is finally banned in California but remains legal in 32 other states

California has become the latest state to officially ban child marriage, outlawing anyone under the age of 18 from saying ‘I do’ from 1 January 2027.

Bill AB01267, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in late September, is described by Sara Tasneem—a child marriage survivor and campaigner—as a ‘historic milestone [and] a testament to the relentless, collaborative efforts of everyone who refused to give up on protecting children’, as per Equality Now.

Prior to the ruling, California was one of three US states to allow a minor of any age to marry as long as they had the written consent of just one parent, even a non-custodial parent, and judicial approval.

Now, thanks to advocates who argued that under-18s cannot fully consent to marriage and that tying the knot early is a form of abuse, the practice will end by 2027.

“This is a long overdue measure to protect young Californians and minors. Today, California kids are safer than ever before,” Newsom said Wednesday (30 September) in a written statement.

The Governor signed the bill in his office with advocate Courtney Stodden, 32, whose parents allowed her to marry actor Doug Hutchison, then 51, when she was only 16.

“Governor Newsom’s action today made clear to me and to survivors of child marriage everywhere that we should never have been expected to carry this burden,” Stodden said.

“I’m deeply grateful to Unchained At Last and every survivor who fought to make this possible — California is a victory, but I’m not stopping here. I will keep fighting until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states.”

Prior to the ban, it was believed that around 9,000 girls were married each year in California, with most involving the young people marrying adult men, as reported by the advocacy group Unchained At Last.

The Golden State has become the 17th to completely ban child marriage without exception. It joins a list which includes Oregon, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Michigan.

32 states, including South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and Indiana, allow children aged 16 and over to tie the knot, while there is no age limit in New Mexico and Mississippi.

To get married in Hawaii, you must be over the age of 15, while the youngest marriage age allowed in Florida is 17, as per data provided by Unchained At Last.

Cal Matters wrote that the California marriage law change has been a ‘long time coming’, with state lawmakers initially introducing legislation that would have made California the first state to pass an absolute ban on marriages for those younger than 18 almost a decade ago.

Officials initially faced opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Children’s Law Centre and Planned Parenthood—the latter of which only stopped fighting the proposal for the first time this year.

The American Civil Liberties Union claimed the bill would ‘remove the critical benefits and legal protections that marriage can provide to minors’.

During the Assembly floor vote in August, Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a Santa Cruz Democrat, said: “For more than nine years, legislators who came before us, colleagues serving today, survivors and advocates, have worked to move California toward ending child marriage.

“Let us be the legislature that finishes this work. … Children are children, and marriage is an adult decision.”