Oklahoma's ban on marriage under 18 takes effect Sunday, among more than 200 new state laws

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 31) — Beginning Sunday, Nov. 1, Oklahomans must be at least 18 to marry. There are no exceptions.

Senate Bill 504 removes the parts of state law that allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with a parent's consent and let younger children marry with a judge's permission, including in some pregnancy cases. The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy says the change makes Oklahoma the 17th state to end child marriage, KOCO reported.

The bill, by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, and Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, cleared the Senate 45-0 but passed the House 51-36, according to legislative records. Gov. Kevin Stitt let it become law without his signature in May.

Hamilton told Oklahoma Voice the measure is "one more thing we can do to protect children from predators." Joe Dorman, CEO of the child advocacy institute, told KOCO that marrying young makes it much less likely a teenager will finish school. A 2021 analysis by the nonprofit Unchained at Last, cited by KOCO, estimated that more than 8,400 minors were married in Oklahoma from 2000 to 2018.

The marriage law is one of more than 200 taking effect Sunday, Oklahoma Voice reported. Among the others:

Senate Bill 1325 requires some people charged with domestic violence and released on bond to wear a GPS device that the victim can track.

Senate Bill 2170 requires supervised visits for anyone with substantiated findings of child sexual abuse by the Department of Human Services.

House Bill 4454 bars marijuana edible packaging that appeals to children, including cartoons, toys and candy-like shapes.

Senate Bill 1327 gives the appointment of the state tourism director back to the Tourism and Recreation Commission instead of the governor.

Other measures name wheat the state crop, add several official state insects, and let the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority begin planning a new Arkansas River bridge near Bixby.