A measure to prohibit marriage before the age of 18 has cleared the Senate with unanimous support.
Senate Bill 504 by Oklahoma Senator Warren Hamilton would eliminate a provision in current law that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent, effectively banning all underage marriages in the state.
“Eliminating the ability to marry before the age of 18 ensures that no child is forced into a marriage or a relationship that is not safe for them,” Hamilton said. “This is another step to protect minors from predators that seek to subject them to human trafficking or other forms of harm.”
Hamilton said the legislation builds on a 2025 law he authored raising the age of consent from 16 to 18, part of what he described as a broader effort to protect minors from exploitation.
“Oklahoma children deserve to grow up free from coercion and exploitation, and it is our duty to ensure such protections are in place,” Hamilton said. “This legislation closes harmful loopholes and ensures no minor, even those nearing adulthood, is placed in a marriage that puts their safety at risk.”
If signed into law, Oklahoma would join more than a dozen states that have banned child marriage since 2018.
Senate Bill 504 now moves to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, where Oklahoma Representative Nicole Miller is the author.
