Can 1st Cousin Marry each Other in Georgia- O.C.G.A § 19-3-3 – Degrees of relationship within which intermarriage prohibited; penalty

Question: Is it legal for 1st cousins to marry each other in the state of Georgia? 

Answer:  Yes, O.C.G.A. § 19-3-3 describes who are prohibited from marry each other and first cousins are not prohibited from marrying each other in Georgia.

Specifically, O.C.G.A. § 19-3-3 states: 

Degrees of relationship within which intermarriage prohibited; penalty; effect of prohibited marriage (a) Any person who marries a person to whom he knows he is related, either by blood or by marriage, as follows:

(1) Father and daughter or stepdaughter;

(2) Mother and son or stepson;

(3) Brother and sister of the whole blood or the half blood;

(4) Grandparent and grandchild;

(5) Aunt and nephew; or

(6) Uncle and niece

shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than three years.

(b) Marriages declared to be unlawful under subsection (a) of this Code section shall be void from their inception.

Law Source: Justia Law