Here’s Where in New Jersey You Can Marry Your First Cousin

Kissing cousins may lead to marry cousins.

How about here in New Jersey?

In what parts of the state is it actually legal to marry your first cousin?

Get our free mobile app

This may come as a bit of a shock, but it New Jersey, it's perfectly legal to marry your first cousin!

The whole state - not just the redneck parts. LOL

It's legal in the Garden State to marry your first cousin, but that's where the line is drawn. You can't marry your siblings, or parents. Here are the legal details courtesy of  law.justia.com:

37:1-1 Certain marriages or civil unions prohibited.

37:1-1. Certain marriages or civil unions prohibited.

a.A man shall not marry or enter into a civil union with any of his ancestors or descendants, or his sister or brother, or the daughter or son of his brother or sister, or the sister or brother of his father or mother, whether such collateral kindred be of the whole or half blood.

b.A woman shall not marry or enter into a civil union with any of her ancestors or descendants, or her sister or brother, or the daughter or son of her brother or sister, or the sister or brother of her father or mother, whether such collateral kindred be of the whole or half blood.

c.A marriage or civil union in violation of any of the foregoing provisions shall be absolutely void.

New Jersey is not alone in the allowed-to-marry-your-cousin law. According to the Washington Post, twenty states and the District of Columbia allow first cousins to marry. Six other states permit it, but only under specific circumstances - like one or both parties cannot have children.

Pennsylvania does not allow cousins to marry.

What's that? Family reunion is coming up?