How Old Do You Have To Be To Marry In CT? You Might Be Surprised

Democratic State Rep. Michelle Cook (D-65th) is proposing to set the age at which people in Connecticut can obtain a marriage license at 18, because currently there is no requirement.

Her bill, H.B. 5442, is designed in part "to prevent forced marriages." Currently, all that's needed for anyone under the age of 18 to obtain a marriage license is the consent of a parent, and the consent of a probate judge if that person is under the age of 16, reports the Waterbury Republican-American.

The bill would prohibit child marriages in the state, because no one under the age of 18 would be allowed to obtain a marriage license, there would be no exceptions.

Cook's proposed legislation was suggested by Litchfield residents Matthew and Audrey Blondin, according to the publication, who discovered Connecticut's lack of an age requirement when reading an article about similar legislation proposed in New York.

According to the Blondin's research, nearly 200 people under the age of 18 - more than half of them girls - have been married over the past five years, four of whom were 15 years old or younger.

Click here to read the full story on the Waterbury Republican-American website.

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