Marriage Minimum Age in Maryland

In every aspect of our existence, laws play a significant and constant role. In this essay, we examine marriage in general and the law that establishes a person’s legal marriageable age in specific. The state of Maryland, represented by the abbreviations US-MD by ISO, MD 24 by ANSI, and Md by US, is the subject of this case study.

A marriage cannot be formally enforceable without a marriage license being presented. Residents of Maryland must submit an application for the aforementioned permission to the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the wedding will be held. There are a number of requirements for this license, and we will talk about the age limit. The Clerk mentioned above is obligated by law to issue the present party with the marriage license if the couple meets statutory age criteria that are specified in §§ 18.2-66 and 20-48 and all other regulatory standards applicable. The minimum age specified in the state of Maryland for marriage is 18 unless there is a minor who has a court order which he or she is to present during application for the license.

The law mentioned above is however subjected to the exceptions. The first exemption is applicable whereby both parties have attained the statutory age but is under 21. In the case when the marriage was not considered void, though the plaintiff’s parent(s) did not consent and they obtained the license through misrepresentation of the couple’s age(s).

Another exception may be present when a boy was 18 and a half, and the girl was 17 and a half got married in Maryland without having received their parents’ consent. There, the age of consent for females is 16 and that of males is 18. Essentially, marriage of ages between 16 and 18 of women and for men between 18 and 21 is unlawful without parental consent. However, the marriage is lawful after managing to obtain a license by misrepresenting their ages and then cohabitating in the state of Virginia.

The last exception is where a 14-year-old girl has married without any of her parent’s consent. This marriage was valid until it is annulled in a proper proceeding and it emancipates the girl from her parent(s) custody. It is precluding the mother of the girl sues.

Our main Statute of focus in the above case study is the “Void and voidable marriages 20-45.1. 20-45.1; VA ST § 20-45.1.” The above document well explains how marriage law works in Maryland.