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Virginia Code

Va. Code Ann. § 20-13 (2026)

License and solemnization required

✓ current as of May 2026
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Every marriage in this Commonwealth shall be under a license and solemnized in the manner herein provided.

Code 1919, § 5071.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 20 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1976–2026 · leading case: MacDougall v. Levick, 805 S.E.2d 775 (Va. 2017).
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MacDougall v. Levick, 805 S.E.2d 775 (Va. 2017). · cites it 68× “3 This time lapse, he contended, violated Code § 20-13 and rendered the marriage void ab initio, thus placing him outside the equitable powers of the divorce court and allowing him to repudiate his marital agreement.”
Richard S. Levick v. Deborah MacDougall, 782 S.E.2d 182 (Va. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 19× “That statute’s requirements remain materially unchanged in our current Code § 20-13. For nearly its entire history, from the earliest colonial times down to the present day, the legislature has spelled out what formalities are required to contract a lawful marriage in Virginia.”
In re Hukma Kulmiye, 77 Va. Cir. 67 (Fairfax Cir. Ct. 2008). · cites it 8× “Reading those two statutes together, a marriage in Virginia that was performed pursuant to a marriage license issued in Virginia can be affirmed despite defects in the license or if it was mistakenly believed that the officiant was authorized to perform marriages in Virginia.”
Gottlieb v. Crouch, 44 Va. Cir. 268 (Arlington Cir. Ct. 1998). · cites it 7× “Under Va. Code § 20-13, “Every marriage in this Commonwealth shall be under license and solemnized in the manner herein provided.”
In re Ejigu, 79 Va. Cir. 349 (Fairfax Cir. Ct. 2009). · cites it 2× “§20-13 (“Every marriage in this Commonwealth shall be under a license and solemnized in the manner herein provided.”
MacDougall v. Levick, 87 Va. Cir. 160 (Fairfax Cir. Ct. 2013). · cites it 43× “The marriage statute, Va. Code § 20-13, presents the starting point for any analysis as to the validity of a marriage.”
Deborah MacDougall v. Richard S. Levick (Va. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 18× “That statute’s requirements remain materially unchanged in our current Code § 20-13. For nearly its entire history, from the earliest colonial times down to the present day, the legislature has spelled out what formalities are required to contract a lawful marriage in Virginia.”
Hazelwood v. Hazelwood, 556 P.2d 345 (N.M. 1976). “We further know that neither New Mexico, Utah nor Virginia, in which last mentioned state this “de facto marriage” supposedly was consummated and existed, recognizes any marriage consummated therein which is not formally consummated by contract and solemnized before an official.”
Richard S. Levick v. Deborah MacDougall, 776 S.E.2d 456 (Va. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 12× “That statute’s requirements remain materially unchanged in our current Code § 20-13. For nearly its entire history, from the earliest colonial times down to the present day, the legislature has spelled out what formalities are required to contract a lawful marriage in Virginia.”
Deborah MacDougall v. Richard S. Levick (Va. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 12× “That statute’s requirements remain materially unchanged in our current Code § 20-13. For nearly its entire history, from the earliest colonial times down to the present day, the legislature has spelled out what formalities are required to contract a lawful marriage in Virginia.”
Deborah MacDougall v. Richard S. Levick (Va. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 12× “That statute’s requirements remain materially unchanged in our current Code § 20-13. For nearly its entire history, from the earliest colonial times down to the present day, the legislature has spelled out what formalities are required to contract a lawful marriage in Virginia.”
Shepenyuk v. Abdelilah (N.C. Ct. App. 2023). · cites it 4× “” Va. Code Ann. § 20-13 . Consistent with the plain language of the statute, the Supreme Court of Virginia previously has held “no marriage or attempted marriage, if it took place in this State, can be held valid here, unless it has been shown to have been under a license, and…”
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