{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-38.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-38.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-38.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-38.1.html"}],"law_id":70728,"edition_id":1,"section_id":70728,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-38.1","catch_line":"Certain marriages prohibited","history":"1975, c. 644; 1978, c. 647; 2020, c. 900.","full_text":"The following marriages are prohibited:\n\n1\n\nA marriage entered into prior to the dissolution of an earlier marriage of one of the parties;2\n\nA marriage between an ancestor and descendant, or between siblings, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood or by adoption;3\n\nA marriage between an uncle or aunt and a nephew or niece, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":255149,"text":"The following marriages are prohibited:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":255150,"text":"A marriage entered into prior to the dissolution of an earlier marriage of one of the parties;","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":255151,"text":"A marriage between an ancestor and descendant, or between siblings, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood or by adoption;","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":255152,"text":"A marriage between an uncle or aunt and a nephew or niece, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood.","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2"}},"ancestry":[{"id":15552,"edition_id":1,"name":"Unlawful Marriages Generally","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:56:16","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:56:16","permalink":{"id":178293,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15552,"identifier":"3","token":"20\/3","url":"\/20\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12711,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":178075,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12711,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":77716,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-38","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-38\/","token":"20\/3\/20-38","metadata":false},{"id":70728,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-38.1","catch_line":"Certain marriages prohibited","url":"\/20-38.1\/","token":"20\/3\/20-38.1","metadata":false},{"id":82332,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-39","catch_line":"Prohibition continues notwithstanding dissolution of previous marriage","url":"\/20-39\/","token":"20\/3\/20-39","metadata":false},{"id":77159,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-40","catch_line":"Punishment for violation of such prohibition; leaving Commonwealth to avoid","url":"\/20-40\/","token":"20\/3\/20-40","metadata":false},{"id":59324,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-41","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-41\/","token":"20\/3\/20-41","metadata":false},{"id":64601,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-43","catch_line":"Bigamous marriages void without decree","url":"\/20-43\/","token":"20\/3\/20-43","metadata":false},{"id":74726,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-44","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-44\/","token":"20\/3\/20-44","metadata":false},{"id":83346,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-45","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-45\/","token":"20\/3\/20-45","metadata":false},{"id":78040,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-45.1","catch_line":"Void and voidable marriages","url":"\/20-45.1\/","token":"20\/3\/20-45.1","metadata":false},{"id":62016,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-45.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-45.2\/","token":"20\/3\/20-45.2","metadata":false},{"id":84354,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-46","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-46\/","token":"20\/3\/20-46","metadata":false},{"id":77779,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-48","catch_line":"Minimum age of marriage","url":"\/20-48\/","token":"20\/3\/20-48","metadata":false},{"id":66513,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-49","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-49\/","token":"20\/3\/20-49","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":77716,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-38","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-38\/","token":"20\/3\/20-38","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":82332,"structure_id":15552,"section_number":"20-39","catch_line":"Prohibition continues notwithstanding dissolution of previous marriage","url":"\/20-39\/","token":"20\/3\/20-39","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-38.1\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1975. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 644 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1975 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1978, chapter 647; in 2020, chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0900\">900<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":82332,"section_number":"20-39","catch_line":"Prohibition continues notwithstanding dissolution of previous marriage","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-39\/"},{"id":77159,"section_number":"20-40","catch_line":"Punishment for violation of such prohibition; leaving Commonwealth to avoid","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-40\/"},{"id":78040,"section_number":"20-45.1","catch_line":"Void and voidable marriages","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-45.1\/"},{"id":78456,"section_number":"20-89.1","catch_line":"Suit to annul marriage","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-89.1\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":178299,"object_type":"law","relational_id":70728,"identifier":"20-38.1","token":"20\/3\/20-38.1","url":"\/20-38.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-38.1\/","token":"20\/3\/20-38.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Certain marriages prohibited","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-38.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>The following marriages are prohibited:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section id=\"1\"><p><span class=\"prefix-number\">1.<\/span> A marriage entered into prior to the dissolution of an earlier marriage of one of the parties; <a id=\"paragraph-255150\" class=\"section-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/vacode.org\/20-38.1\/#1\"><i class=\"fa fa-link\"><\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section id=\"2\"><p><span class=\"prefix-number\">2.<\/span> A marriage between an ancestor and descendant, or between siblings, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood or by adoption; <a id=\"paragraph-255151\" class=\"section-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/vacode.org\/20-38.1\/#2\"><i class=\"fa fa-link\"><\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section id=\"3\"><p><span class=\"prefix-number\">3.<\/span> A marriage between an uncle or aunt and a nephew or niece, whether the relationship is by the half or the whole blood. <a id=\"paragraph-255152\" class=\"section-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/vacode.org\/20-38.1\/#3\"><i class=\"fa fa-link\"><\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCERTAIN MARRIAGES PROHIBITED (\u00a7 20-38.1)\n\nThe following marriages are prohibited:\n\n1. A marriage entered into prior to the dissolution of an earlier marriage of\none of the parties;\n\n2. A marriage between an ancestor and descendant, or between siblings, whether\nthe relationship is by the half or the whole blood or by adoption;\n\n3. A marriage between an uncle or aunt and a nephew or niece, whether the\nrelationship is by the half or the whole blood.\n\nHISTORY: 1975, c. 644; 1978, c. 647; 2020, c. 900.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}