Marriage laws for each state have been compiled. This is the most up-to-date list on the Web what shows which states accept cousin marriages. Click on a state below for actual marriage statutes. cousincouples.org does not guarantee the accuracy of the information available on the various state laws. This information is for entertainment purposes and does not constitute legal advice.
| States that allow cousin marriages | States that prohibit cousin marriages |
| Alabama | Arkansas |
| Alaska | Delaware |
| Arizona *E1 | Idaho |
| California | Iowa |
| Colorado | Kansas |
| Connecticut | Kentucky¹ |
| Florida | Louisiana |
| Georgia | Michigan |
| Hawaii | Minnesota ² |
| Illinois *E1 | Mississippi |
| Indiana *E1 ¹ | Missouri |
| Maine *E3 | Montana |
| Maryland | Nebraska |
| Massachusetts | Nevada ¹ |
| New Jersey | New Hampshire |
| New Mexico | North Dakota |
| New York | Ohio ¹ |
| North Carolina *E2 | Oklahoma |
| Rhode Island | Oregon |
| South Carolina | Pennsylvania |
| Tennessee | South Dakota |
| Utah *E1 | Texas |
| Vermont | Washington ¹ |
| Virginia | West Virginia |
| Wisconsin *E1 ¹ | Wyoming |
| E1 | Permitted when couples will not bear children |
| E2 | Prohibits double first cousins only |
| E3 | Genetic counseling required prior to marriage |
¹ Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin currently prohibit marriage between first cousins once removed.
² Exemption : some marriages are permitted by the established customs of aboriginal culture – see state law
U.S. State Laws Explained |
|
| Second cousins may legally marry | All States |
| First cousins may legally marry | AK, AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, MD, MA, NJ,
NM, NY, NC, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA and Washington DC |
| First cousins and first cousins once removed prohibited | AR, DE, IA, ID, KS, LA,
NH, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, OR, OK, PA, SD, TX, WV, WY IN, KY, NV, OH, WA, WI |
| First cousins and first cousins once removed prohibited only if they can bear children or are over a certain age | AZ, IL, ME,
UT IN, WI |
| First cousins may marry if the submit to genetic counseling | ME |
| Only double first cousins prohibited | NC |
| Cousin marriages allowed only if permitted by aboriginal culture of the couple | MN |
| Cousins may legally evade state laws and marry elsewhere (Interpretation of law unclear) (Not legal but Ethridge v.Shaddock may have set a precedent to overturn) |
IN*, KS, LA, NE, OK, PA, WA, WV,
WY MI AR** |
| Cousins are prohibited from marrying, but
are not defined as incest (defined as incest only if over 18) (defined as incest only if under 18) |
ID, LA, MN, MO, MT, OR, PA, WA, WV,
WY AZ SD |
| Cousin marriage is defined as incestuous only if couple is of reproductive age or ability | WI |
| Cousin marriage is defined as incestuous | All prohibited states, excluding those listed in the previous two (2) categories |
| Half cousins can marry (absolute, apparent) | NE,NV AZ, KS, MT, OK |
| Adopted cousins may marry with proof of eligibility | LA, MS, OR, WV |
| Uncle/Niece and other consanguineous marriages allowed if permitted by aboriginal culture | CO, MN |
| Uncle-in-law/Niece-in-law marriages allowed | CT |
* Indiana
While most marriages are void if contracted elsewhere to evade Indiana’s law, cousin marriages do not fall under the statute which would make it void:
IC 31-11-8-6
Sec. 6. A marriage is void if the parties to the marriage:
For more information, you should consult the book, Forbidden Relatives — it has more detailed information on each state. Also you should post your question on the message board.
Copyright 2006-2019 KC & Christie Schuler Smith for CUDDLE International and cousincouples.org
