Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 46b — FAMILY LAW · Chapter 815e — Marriage
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-21 (2026)

(Formerly Sec. 46-1). Marriage of persons related by consanguinity or affinity prohibited

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section CT-CGAcga.ct.gov (official) JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
No person may marry such person's parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, parent's sibling, sibling's child, stepparent or stepchild. Any marriage within these degrees is void.

(1949 Rev., S. 7301; P.A. 78-230, S. 3, 54; P.A. 09-13, S. 6.)

History: P.A. 78-230 changed wording slightly and substituted “may” for “shall”; Sec. 46-1 transferred to Sec. 46b-21 in 1979; P.A. 09-13 made provision prohibiting a man or woman marrying person of the opposite sex related within certain degrees of consanguinity or affinity applicable regardless of sex of such other person, effective April 23, 2009.

See Sec. 53a-191 re incest.

Annotations to former section 46-1:

Does not prohibit marriage with deceased husband's brother. 12 C. 94. “Sister” includes half-sister for purpose of incest prosecution. 132 C. 165. The marriage of a niece and her uncle in Italy, though valid there and contracted without intent to evade the law of this state, held not valid in this state. 148 C. 288. Relationship of niece-in-law and uncle-in-law held not within enumerated relationships for crime of incest. 158 C. 461.

Annotations to present section:

Former section cited. 182 C. 344. Relationship as half-uncle and half-niece is void. 213 C. 637.

(Return to Chapter
Table of Contents)		 (Return to
List of Chapters)		 (Return to
List of Titles)

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 29 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1980–2026 · leading case: Singh v. Singh, 569 A.2d 1112 (Conn. 1990).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Singh v. Singh, 569 A.2d 1112 (Conn. 1990). · cites it 26× “That motion alleged that, although the judgment found that they were uncle and niece and, therefore, not legally qualified to marry, in fact, since the wife’s mother is the husband’s half sister, the wife is the husband’s half niece and not his niece.”
State v. John M., 894 A.2d 376 (Conn. App. Ct. 2006). · cites it 23× “" Section § 46b-21 provides: "No man may marry his mother, grandmother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, stepmother or stepdaughter, and no woman may marry her father, grandfather, son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew, stepfather or stepson.”
Kerrigan v. Comm'r of Pub. Health, 957 A.2d 407 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 8× “See General Statutes § 46b-21. The plaintiffs also share the same interest in a committed and loving relationship as heterosexual persons who wish to marry, and they share the same interest in having a family and raising their children in a loving and supportive environment.”
State v. John F.M., 940 A.2d 755 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 19× “In arriving at this conclusion, the Appellate Court noted that § 53a-72a (a) (2) criminalizes sexual intercourse between persons who are prohibited from marrying under General Statutes § 46b-21, which, in turn, references only male-female unions within certain degrees of kindred.”
State v. George B., 785 A.2d 573 (Conn. 2001). · cites it 8× “General Statutes § 53a-72a (a) provides in relevant part: “A person is guilty of sexual assault in the third degree when such person ... (2) engages in sexual intercourse with another person whom the actor knows to be related to him or her within any of the degrees of kindred…”
State v. Snook, 555 A.2d 390 (Conn. 1989). · cites it 5× “General Statutes § 46b-21 provides: “No man may marry his mother, grandmother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, stepmother or stepdaughter, and no woman may marry her father, grandfather, son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew, stepfather or stepson.”
Dep't of Pub. Saf. v. Freedom of Info. Comm'n, 6 A.3d 763 (Conn. 2010). · cites it 4× “2010) § 46b-21 provides: “No person may marry such person’s parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, parent’s sibling, sibling’s child, stepparent or stepchild.”
State v. Joseph V., 196 Conn. App. 712 (Conn. App. Ct. 2020). · cites it 4× “’’ General Statutes § 46b-21 provides: ‘‘No person may marry such person’s parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, parent’s sibling, sibling’s child, stepparent or stepchild.”
Carabetta v. Carabetta, 438 A.2d 109 (Conn. 1980). · cites it 4× “NOTES [1] Now General Statutes § 46b-21. [2] Now General Statutes § 46b-24.”
State v. Faraday, 842 A.2d 567 (Conn. 2004). “person or a third person, or (B) by the threat of use of force against such other person or against a third person, which reasonably causes such other person to fear physical injury to himself or herself or a third person, or (2) engages in sexual intercourse with another person…”
State v. Anthony L., 179 A.3d 1278 (Conn. App. Ct. 2018). · cites it 3× “6 The state argues that the defendant did not preserve his claim that the uncharged misconduct was the most direct evidence of his guilt because at trial, the defendant objected to that evidence only on the ground that it was more prejudicial than probative. We review the…”
State v. James G., 844 A.2d 810 (Conn. 2004). “” A “daughter” falls within the degree of kindred specified in § 46b-21. General Statutes (Rev to 1999) § 53-21 provides in relevant part: “Any person who .”
Show all 29 citing cases →
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.