Connecticut marriage laws require both people to be at least 18, unmarried, mentally capable of consent, and not closely related. You get a marriage license from the town clerk where the ceremony will happen, pay a $50 fee, and hold the ceremony within 65 days before a judge, justice of the peace, or member of the clergy. Beyond the wedding itself, marriage in Connecticut carries a defined set of rights around property, support, taxes, and retirement benefits.
Who Can Legally Marry
Four eligibility rules apply to every marriage performed in Connecticut.
Both people must be at least 18. Connecticut eliminated all exceptions for minors in 2023.
Neither person can already be married. Bigamy is a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.1Justia. Connecticut Code 53a-190 – Bigamy
Close relatives cannot marry. The prohibition covers a person’s parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew, stepparent, and stepchild. Any marriage between these relatives is automatically void.2Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-21 – Prohibited Marriages
Both people must have the mental capacity to understand marriage and consent voluntarily. If either applicant is under the supervision of a conservator or guardian, written consent from that conservator or guardian is required before the license can issue.
Getting the Marriage License
You apply in person at the town clerk’s office in the Connecticut town where the ceremony will take place.3Connecticut Department of Public Health. License to Get Married Both applicants must appear, but not necessarily together. Bring valid government-issued identification.
The application asks for each person’s full name, age, birthplace, residence, occupation, Social Security number, and marital history (single, widowed, or divorced). You sign under oath.
The fee is $50, made up of a $15 base fee and a $35 statutory surcharge, and it is nonrefundable.4Justia. Connecticut Code 7-73 – Fees for Marriage Licenses Connecticut does not require a blood test or medical exam.
Once issued, the license is valid for 65 days from the date of application.5Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-24 – Marriage License Requirements If the ceremony does not happen in that window, you apply and pay again. Connecticut has no waiting period, so you can marry the same day the license is issued.
Who Can Perform the Ceremony
Connecticut recognizes marriages performed by three categories of officiants:6Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-22 – Persons Authorized to Solemnize Marriages
- Active and retired judges, including federal judges and judges from other states who are authorized to perform marriages in their own jurisdictions.
- Family support magistrates, family support referees, state referees, and Connecticut-appointed justices of the peace.
- Any ordained or licensed member of the clergy from Connecticut or another state. Ceremonies performed according to the customs of any religious denomination are valid.
A marriage performed by anyone outside these categories is void. And a public official who issues marriage licenses cannot officiate a marriage under a license their own office issued.
After the Ceremony
The officiant notes the date, time, and place of the ceremony on the license and submits it to the registrar of vital records in the town where the marriage took place.3Connecticut Department of Public Health. License to Get Married Once recorded, the license becomes the marriage certificate. Certified copies can be requested from the town clerk’s office where the marriage was filed, and you will need one for name changes, insurance enrollment, and other legal purposes.
Out-of-State and Same-Sex Marriages
Connecticut recognizes marriages performed in other states and countries as long as they were legal where performed and do not violate Connecticut’s core eligibility rules. A marriage that meets those standards carries the same legal weight in Connecticut as one performed here.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Connecticut since the 2008 Connecticut Supreme Court decision in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, which held that restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples violated the state constitution’s equal protection guarantee.7Connecticut Judicial Branch. Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health All married couples receive identical rights and responsibilities regardless of gender.
Common Law Marriage Is Not Recognized
Connecticut does not create common law marriages. Living together, sharing finances, and holding yourselves out as a couple does not produce a legal marriage here, no matter how long it goes on. The Connecticut Supreme Court confirmed the rule in Boland v. Catalano (1987).8Connecticut General Assembly. Office of Legislative Research Report 2025-R-0165 – Common-Law Marriage in Connecticut and Other States
One exception: if you established a valid common law marriage in a state that recognizes them, Connecticut will honor it once you move here, provided you can prove the marriage met that state’s requirements.9Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Assembly OLR Report – Common-Law Marriage
Rights and Responsibilities That Come With Marriage
Marriage in Connecticut triggers legal consequences that reach well beyond the ceremony.
Property
Connecticut is an equitable distribution state. If the marriage ends, a court can assign any portion of either spouse’s property to the other, and “equitable” does not automatically mean equal. Judges weigh the length of the marriage, each person’s age and health, earning capacity, income, liabilities, employability, and each spouse’s contribution to acquiring or preserving marital assets.10Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-81 – Assignment of Property and Transfer of Title Connecticut courts can reach both marital and premarital property in this analysis.
Spousal Support
Either spouse can be ordered to pay alimony when a marriage dissolves. Courts weigh the length of the marriage, the reasons for the dissolution, each person’s income and earning potential, health, and financial needs.11Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-82 – Alimony If a court orders alimony that ends only on death or remarriage, it must explain the reasons for that open-ended timeline.
Federal Taxes
Married couples can file federal taxes jointly. For 2026, the standard deduction for a married couple filing jointly is $32,200, compared with $16,100 for single filers.12Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 Filing status is set by whether you are married on the last day of the tax year.13Internal Revenue Service. Filing Status Married couples can also file separately if that produces a better result.
Social Security
Marriage can unlock Social Security spousal benefits. A lower-earning or non-working spouse can receive up to half of the higher-earning spouse’s primary insurance amount. To qualify, the receiving spouse must be at least 62 or caring for a child under 16, and claiming before full retirement age reduces the benefit.14Social Security Administration. Benefits for Spouses
Prenuptial Agreements
Under the Connecticut Premarital Agreement Act, engaged couples can spell out in advance how they will handle property, spousal support, life insurance beneficiary designations, retirement plan interests, and other financial matters.15Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 815e – Marriage A prenup cannot negatively affect a child’s right to support.
The agreement must be in writing and signed by both people. A Connecticut court will refuse to enforce it if the challenger shows any of the following:16Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-36g – Enforcement of Premarital Agreement
- The agreement was not signed voluntarily.
- The terms were unconscionable when the agreement was signed or when enforcement is sought.
- The other party did not provide a fair and reasonable disclosure of property, income, and debts.
- The challenging party had no reasonable chance to consult with their own attorney.
The fairness and transparency standards later codified in the Act trace back to the Connecticut Supreme Court’s 1980 decision in McHugh v. McHugh.
Ending a Marriage
Connecticut allows no-fault and fault-based divorce, and permits annulment in limited circumstances.
No-Fault Divorce
Most Connecticut divorces proceed as no-fault dissolutions based on irretrievable breakdown. If both spouses agree the marriage is over, they can submit a written statement along with an agreement on custody, support, and property.17Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-51 – Stipulation of Parties and Finding of Irretrievable Breakdown Couples also qualify for no-fault dissolution by living apart due to incompatibility for at least 18 continuous months with no reasonable prospect of reconciliation.18Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-40 – Grounds for Dissolution of Marriage
Fault-Based Divorce
Connecticut also recognizes several fault-based grounds:18Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-40 – Grounds for Dissolution of Marriage
- Adultery, defined as voluntary sexual intercourse with someone other than your spouse.
- Fraudulent contract, where one spouse deceived the other about something fundamental to the marriage.
- Willful desertion for at least one year with total neglect of marital duties.
- Seven full years of absence with no word from the missing spouse.
- Habitual intemperance (chronic substance abuse).
- Intolerable cruelty.
- Imprisonment for life, or conviction for an infamous crime involving a violation of marital duty with a prison term exceeding one year.
- Confinement for mental illness totaling at least five years within the six years before the divorce complaint was filed.
Fault grounds are less common because they add cost, time, and conflict. The reason for a divorce can still factor into alimony and property decisions.
Annulment
Annulment declares that a valid marriage never existed. Some marriages are automatically void, meaning they were never legal regardless of any court action; bigamous marriages and marriages between close relatives fall in this category.2Justia. Connecticut Code 46b-21 – Prohibited Marriages Other marriages are voidable, meaning they are treated as valid unless a spouse challenges them. Voidable grounds include fraud or misrepresentation about something essential to the marriage, consent obtained through force or duress, and lack of mental capacity at the ceremony.19Connecticut General Assembly. Grounds for a Legal Annulment
Retirement Accounts and Alimony Taxes
Dividing a 401(k), pension, or other employer-sponsored retirement plan in a Connecticut divorce requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). Without a valid QDRO, the plan administrator is legally required to pay benefits only to the plan participant, no matter what the divorce decree says.20U.S. Department of Labor. Qualified Domestic Relations Orders Under ERISA – A Practical Guide to Dividing Retirement Benefits Skipping the QDRO or getting it wrong can mean losing your share of what is often the largest marital asset.
For federal taxes, alimony paid under any divorce or separation agreement executed after December 31, 2018, is neither deductible by the payer nor counted as income to the recipient.21Internal Revenue Service. Alimony and Separate Maintenance Pre-2019 agreements still follow the old rule, where the payer deducted alimony and the recipient reported it as income, unless the agreement has been modified to adopt the new treatment.