Remove Exception to Marry with Judicial Approval

Second Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO REREVISED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted in the Second House SENATE BILL 26-048 LLS NO. 26-0181.01 Shelby Ross x4510 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Hinrichsen and Marchman, Amabile, Ball, Bridges, Coleman, Cutter, Danielson, Daugherty, Exum, Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kipp, Kolker, Lindstedt, Mullica, Roberts, Sullivan, Wallace HOUSE SPONSORSHIP State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Appropriations A BILL FOR AN ACT CONCERNING LIMITING THE AGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARTIES TO A MARRIAGE THAT REQUIRES JUDICIAL APPROVAL WHEN ONE PARTY IS A MINOR.

May 6, 2026 HOUSE House Committees State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Appropriations HOUSE Amended 2nd Reading May 5, 2026 Senate Committees 3rd Reading Unamended Joseph and Garcia, Story, Titone Current law requires an individual to be at least 18 years old in order to obtain a marriage license; except that a minor who is 16 or 17 years old may obtain a marriage license with judicial approval. The bill repeals this exception, therefore requiring that an individual be at least 18 years old to obtain a marriage license. Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.

Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law. Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.

March 30, 2026 SENATE SENATE Amended 2nd Reading March 27, 2026 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.) 3rd Reading Unamended Bill Summary

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 14-2-108, amend (1) as follows:

14-2-108. Judicial approval.

(1) The juvenile court, as defined in section 19-1-103, after a reasonable effort has been made to notify the parents or legal guardians of each underage party, may order the county clerk and recorder pursuant to subsection (2) of this section to issue a marriage license and a marriage certificate form to a person sixteen or seventeen years of age OLD, AS LONG AS THE AGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES TO THE MARRIAGE DOES NOT EXCEED TEN YEARS.

SECTION 2.

Act subject to petition - effective date - applicability. (1) This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1

(3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.

(2) This act applies to marriage licenses issued on or after the applicable effective date of this act.