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Harris County exact answer

Can a minor apply for a marriage license in Harris County?

This answer belongs to the issuing office and task named above. It does not substitute a statewide summary or infer a rule the office does not publish.

Direct answer

In Harris County, an applicant under 18 may marry only after being granted a court order removing the disabilities of minority for general purposes, and must give that order to the county clerk. A Texas resident presents an order granted under Family Code Chapter 31; a non-resident minor presents a certified copy of an order filed with Texas under Section 31.007. A person under 18 may not be a party to an informal (common-law) marriage at all. Parental consent, notarised or in person, is not a route to a license in Texas.

Published rule and conditions

Minor applicant rule
An applicant under 18 may marry only after being granted a court order removing the disabilities of minority for general purposes, and must give that order to the county clerk. A Texas resident presents an order granted under Family Code Chapter 31; a non-resident minor presents a certified copy of an order filed with Texas under Section 31.007. A person under 18 may not be a party to an informal (common-law) marriage at all.

Parental consent, notarised or in person, is not a route to a license in Texas.

Applies in some cases

A person under 18 years of age may not marry unless the person has been granted by this state or another state a court order removing the disabilities of minority of the person for general purposes.

Issuing office

Harris County Clerk's Office, Personal Records Department

Open the issuing office

Official sources for this answer

  • Texas Family Code, Title 1, Chapter 2 — The Marriage RelationshipTexas Legislative Council — Texas Constitution and Statutes - checked July 26, 2026

    Sec. 2.201. EXPIRATION OF LICENSE. If a marriage ceremony has not been conducted before the 90th day after the date the license is issued, the marriage license expires. Sec. 2.204. 72-HOUR WAITING PERIOD; EXCEPTIONS. (a) Except as provided by this section, a marriage ceremony may not take place during the 72-hour period immediately following the issuance of the marriage license. (b) The 72-hour waiting period after issuance of a marriage license does not apply to an applicant who: (1) is a member of the armed forces of the United States and on active duty; (2) is not a member of the armed forces of the United States but performs work for the United States Department of Defense as a department employee or under a contract with the department; (3) obtains a written waiver under Subsection (c); or (4) completes a premarital education course described by Section 2.013, and who provides to the county clerk a premarital education course completion certificate indicating completion of the premarital education course not more than one year before the date the marriage license application is filed with the clerk. Sec. 2.101. GENERAL AGE REQUIREMENT. A county clerk may not issue a marriage license if either applicant is under 18 years of age, unless each underage applicant shows that the applicant has been granted by this state or another state a court order removing the disabilities of minority of the applicant for general purposes. Sec. 2.206. RETURN OF LICENSE; PENALTY. (a) The person who conducts a marriage ceremony shall record on the license the date on which and the county in which the ceremony is performed and the person's name, subscribe the license, and return the license to the county clerk who issued it not later than the 30th day after the date the ceremony is conducted.

Answer boundary

MarriageLicenseCheck is an independent reference, not the issuing office or legal advice. Applicant facts, timing, prior marriages, and document type can change the result. The official office decides what it will accept.

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