California Bans Child Marriage, Setting Minimum Age at 18

California has officially banned child marriage after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation setting the minimum age for marriage at 18 without exceptions.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation alongside Courtney Stodden, a child-marriage survivor and advocate. [Photo: courtneyastodden Facebook]

Assembly Bill 1267, authored by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, was signed into law on Sept. 30 and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

The law prohibits anyone under 18 from obtaining a marriage license or entering into a domestic partnership, eliminating previous exceptions that allowed minors to marry with parental consent or a court order.

Newsom called the measure a "long overdue" step to protect young Californians.

He signed the legislation alongside Courtney Stodden, a child-marriage survivor and advocate.

Stodden's parents allowed her to marry actor Doug Hutchison when she was 16 and he was 50.

She has since become an advocate for ending child marriage and said California's action was a victory for survivors. California previously had no statutory minimum age for marriage, although minors could marry under certain circumstances with parental and judicial involvement.

State officials and advocates estimate that about 35,000 minors were married in California between 2000 and 2021.

With the new law, California becomes the 18th US state to completely prohibit child marriage without exceptions, according to the governor's office. Stodden said she would continue advocating for similar protections nationwide.