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Bill Summary · SB 341

Summary of SB 341 (Ohio, 136th General Assembly)

  • Primary purpose

    • Prohibits the marriage of individuals under 18 years old in Ohio. The bill repeals existing law that allowed 17-year-olds to marry under certain conditions, effectively mandating a minimum marriage age of 18 with no exceptions.

  • Key provisions and changes

    • Repeals current minimum-age framework for marriage:
    • Sections repealed: 3101.02, 3101.04, 3101.041, and 3101.042 of the Revised Code.
    • Repeals associated provisions in 2151.23, 2151.233, 2151.352, and 3101.01, 3101.05, and 3109.011 to align with the new standard.
    • New minimum age requirement:
    • Minimum age to marry is 18.
    • No exceptions are provided for younger individuals (i.e., no provisions for court consent, waiting periods, or counseling requirements for 17-year-olds).
    • Administrative and procedural changes:
    • The current pathway that allows a 17-year-old to marry with juvenile court consent is eliminated.
    • Probate courts (which issue marriage licenses) would no longer accommodate 17-year-old applicants for marriage.
    • The “consent to marry” framework and related counseling requirements for individuals age 17 would be removed.
    • Related statutory harmonization:
    • The bill presents the existing section 2151.23 as a composite of prior amendments for harmonization purposes.
    • Other transitional/technical provisions:
    • The bill retains certain general marriage license procedures for those 18 and older, including age documentation requirements and verification processes, but those provisions are updated to reflect the new age floor.

  • Who would be affected

    • Individuals currently under 18 seeking to marry would be directly affected, as they would no longer be able to marry in Ohio.
    • County juvenile courts and county probate (marriage license) courts would experience changes in caseload and administrative processes:
    • Juvenile courts would see a potential decrease in consent-to-marry considerations for 17-year-olds.
    • Probate courts may experience a negligible decrease or delay in processing marriage licenses due to the removal of 17-year-old marriage filings.
    • Administrative and clerical staffs in these courts would adjust forms, records, and processing workflows accordingly.

  • Procedural and timeline aspects

    • Status: Introduced and referred to committee (as of the provided timeline in 2026).
    • Effective date: The text does not specify an explicit effective date in the excerpt; if enacted, the minimum-age change would take immediate effect or on a specified effective date determined by the bill’s final passage.
    • Legislative history notes:
    • Co-sponsors include Senators DeMora, Blessing, Lang, Antonio, Craig, Liston, Smith, Weinstein, and others.
    • The fiscal note indicates negligible local cost impacts, primarily related to changes in court administrative workloads and marriage-license processing.

  • Fiscal and local impact (highlights from LSC analysis)

    • Local impact statement: Not required for this bill.
    • Estimated financial impact: Negligible decrease in administrative costs for county juvenile courts (fewer consent-to-marry determinations) and a potential negligible decrease or delay in marriage license fees collected by county probate courts, varying by jurisdiction.
    • An example data point: In 2025, Franklin County Juvenile Court received one consent-to-marry request from a 17-year-old, which was granted (illustrative of the current pre-enactment landscape).

  • Practical takeaway

    • If enacted, Ohio would no longer allow anyone under 18 to marry, tightening the state’s minimum age for marriage to 18 with no exceptions. This would shift all marriage licensing and related court considerations to align with an 18+ requirement.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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