Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-2-104

Current through 11/5/2024 election

Section 14-2-104 - Formalities

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3) of this section, a marriage is valid in this state if:

(a) It is licensed, solemnized, and registered as provided in this part 1; and

(b) It is only between one man and one woman.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 14-2-112, any marriage contracted within or outside this state that does not satisfy paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section shall not be recognized as valid in this state.

(3) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to repeal or render invalid any otherwise valid common law marriage between one man and one woman:

(a) Entered into prior to September 1, 2006; or

(b) Entered into on or after September 1, 2006, that complies with section 14-2-109.5.

C.R.S. § 14-2-104

L. 73: R&RE, p. 1016, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 90-1-4. L. 2000: Entire section amended, p. 1054, § 1, effective May 26. L. 2006, 1st Ex. Sess.: (3) amended, p. 9, § 1, effective July 18.

(1) In Kitchen v. Herbert, 755 F.3d 1193 (10th Cir. 2014), the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the fundamental right to marry, establish a family, raise children, and enjoy the full protection of a state's marital laws. A state may not deny the issuance of a marriage license to two persons, or refuse to recognize their marriage, based solely upon the sex of the persons in the marriage union.

(2) In Bishop v. Smith, 760 F.3d 1070 (10th Cir. 2014), the Tenth Circuit held that Oklahoma's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage that states "Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by precluding same-sex couples from receiving an Oklahoma marriage license. The Tenth Circuit has jurisdiction over Colorado in addition to Utah and Oklahoma, and section 31 of article II of the state constitution is similar to the constitutional provisions of those states. On January 16, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court granted petitions for writs of certiorari in consolidated cases from Sixth Circuit states that also had similar provisions.

(3) In Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. __ (2015), the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted state constitutional and statutory provisions similar to section 31 of article II of the state constitution and to this provision and held that the right to marry is a fundamental right and that the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out of state.

For the validity or recognition of marriages in this state, see section 31 of article II of the state constitution; for cases construing constitutional and statutory provisions similar to section 31 of article II of the state constitution, see the editor's note under section 31 of article II.