On September 30, 2026, the Governor signed AB 1267 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, which ends child marriage in California (Governor's office).
What the law does
Primary recordAB 1267 repeals the provisions of California law that allowed a person under 18 to marry or enter a domestic partnership with parental consent, and it sets the minimum age for both at 18. Under the new law, no one under 18 may be issued a marriage license or establish a domestic partnership in California (GV Wire). The bill was sponsored by Unchained At Last and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
What the law replaced
Until now, California was one of the states that set no absolute minimum age for marriage. A minor could marry with a parent's consent and the approval of a court. Advocates for the change argued that the consent of a parent cannot stand in for the free choice of a child, and that marriage before 18 can trap a young person in a legal relationship they cannot leave on their own. The Governor signed the bill in his office alongside Courtney Stodden, who was married at 16 and has since become an advocate against child marriage.
When it applies
Under California's default rule, a statute enacted in a regular session takes effect on January 1 of the following year unless it says otherwise. AB 1267's presumptive operative date is therefore January 1, 2027. The law's text governs how it treats marriages entered before that date; anyone with a question about a specific marriage should consult a family-law attorney.
Why it matters to clinicians
AnalysisFor physicians and nurses who care for adolescents, the law removes a category of legal status that could complicate consent, confidentiality and safeguarding. A married minor was, in many respects, treated as emancipated; that pathway into adult legal status through marriage no longer exists in California. Mandated-reporting duties are unchanged. Clinicians who see an adolescent describing a planned or forced marriage, including one planned outside the state, should follow existing child-protection procedures.
The wider picture
California joins a growing group of states that have set 18 as an absolute minimum age for marriage, without exceptions. The movement has been led by survivors of child marriage and by advocacy organizations working state by state.