Title 25, Marital and Domestic Relations

(a) If a marriage is in other respects lawful and is consummated with the full belief on the part of the persons married, or either of them, that they have been lawfully joined in marriage, then the marriage is not voidable for any of the following reasons: (1) the licensing offi…

If, during the lifetime of a husband or wife with whom a marriage is still in force, a person remarries and the parties to the subsequent marriage live together as husband and wife, and one of the parties to the subsequent marriage believes in good faith that the former husband o…

A marriage contracted after January 1, 1964, is void unless a license has first been obtained as provided in this chapter. If the parties to a marriage void for failure to obtain a license validate the marriage by complying with the requirements of this chapter, the issue of the …

A licensing officer is the only official who may issue marriage licenses under this chapter.

The presiding judge in each judicial district may, if the public interest requires, appoint one or more suitable persons as marriage commissioners. The presiding judge shall describe the marriage commissioner's area of jurisdiction in the order of appointment. A marriage commissi…

(a) One of the contracting parties to a prospective marriage shall, at least three days before the time of issuance, file with the licensing officer written, verbal, or telegraphic application for a license. Before issuance of the license, each contracting party shall make a stat…

(a) A marriage license may not be issued unless both of the contracting parties are identified to the satisfaction of the licensing officer. If all requirements have been met, and there is no legal objection to the contemplated marriage, and neither party is under the influence o…

The marriage license issued by a licensing officer in this state authorizes the marriage ceremony to be performed anywhere in the state. The license shall be directed “to any person authorized by the laws of this state to solemnize marriage,” and shall authorize that person to so…

If a three-day waiting period would result in undue hardship or delay in an individual case, the licensing officer may waive the three-day requirement.

(a) [Repealed, § 8 ch 67 SLA 2022.] (b) A superior court judge may grant permission for a person who has reached the age of 16 but is under the age of 18 to marry and may order the licensing officer to issue the license if the judge finds, following a hearing at which the parents…

A licensing officer shall make available an application for a marriage license for completion by the parties who wish to be married. The officer shall keep the completed applications, a record of licenses issued, and all other information that the officer is required by law to ob…

(a) Forms for application, statements, consent of parents, affidavits, licenses, and other forms necessary to comply with this chapter shall be prescribed by the registrar and provided at the expense of the state. The registrar shall furnish all necessary forms to each licensing …

The registrar may require reports of licenses issued upon forms to be furnished by the registrar.

The registrar shall establish marriage license fees and provide for accounting for and disposing of the fees.

Nothing in this chapter repeals or abrogates any part of AS 18.50 (Vital Statistics Act). The records and requirements leading up to and including the issuance of the marriage license are included in the definition of “vital statistics” under AS 18.50. The registrar shall supply …

(a) Marriages may be solemnized (1) by a minister, priest, or rabbi of any church or congregation in the state, or by a commissioned officer of the Salvation Army, or by the principal officer or elder of recognized churches or congregations that traditionally do not have regular …

The officiating person shall determine that the parties presenting themselves to be married are the parties named in the license. If the officiating person knows of a legal impediment to the marriage, the officiating person may not perform the ceremony.

After a license has been obtained, a marriage solemnized before a person professing to be a person authorized to solemnize marriages in the state under AS 25.05.261(a) is valid regardless of a lack of power or authority in the person, if the marriage is consummated with a belief …

When a religious ceremony between two parties follows a civil ceremony between them, one license is sufficient for both ceremonies.

In the solemnization of marriage, no particular form is required except that the parties shall assent or declare in the presence of each other and the person solemnizing the marriage and in the presence of at least one competent witness that they take each other to be husband and…

A marriage contracted after January 1, 1964, is void unless the marriage has been solemnized as provided in this chapter. If the parties to a marriage void for failure to solemnize the marriage validate the marriage by complying with the requirements of this chapter, the issue of…

(a) The person solemnizing the marriage shall, on the forms provided by the bureau, complete two short-form certificates and, after that person and the witness have signed them, give one to each of the parties to the marriage. A church or congregation may design and furnish its o…

A licensing officer who knowingly issues a marriage license knowing it to be in violation of the provisions of this chapter or who wilfully and wrongfully refuses to issue a license is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction is punishable by imprisonment for not more than si…

A person who misrepresents a fact required to be stated on the application for a license or a form related to it, or a licensing officer who issues a marriage license having reason to believe that any material fact has been misrepresented, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon con…

A licensing officer who refuses or neglects to keep a complete record of each application and of each marriage license issued, or who fails to keep marriage license applications open for inspection or examination by the public during office hours is guilty of a misdemeanor and up…

A person who solemnizes a marriage without first receiving a proper marriage license from the parties as provided in this chapter or without the parties declaring to take each other as husband and wife, or without requiring the presence of one competent witness; or who solemnizes…

A person not authorized by this chapter who wilfully or knowingly undertakes to solemnize a marriage in this state is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction is punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by both.

In this chapter, (1) “bureau” means the Bureau of Vital Statistics; (2) “department” means the Department of Health; (3) “licensing officer” means the registrar or a local registrar; (4) “local registrar” means a person appointed by the state registrar under AS 18.50.080; (5) “re…

This chapter may be cited as the Alaska Marriage Code.

When property is owned by one spouse, the other has no interest that makes the property liable for the contracts or liabilities of the spouse who is not the owner of the property, except as provided in this chapter and AS 34.77.

Subject to AS 34.77, if one spouse obtains possession or control of property belonging to the other, either before or after marriage, the owner of the property may maintain an action for it, or for any right growing out of it, in the same manner and to the same extent as if they …

A conveyance, transfer, or lien executed by one spouse to or in favor of the other is valid to the same extent as between other persons.

A husband or wife may appoint the other as attorney-in-fact to control or dispose of property, and may revoke the appointment to the same extent and manner as other persons.

Subject to AS 34.77, neither spouse is liable for the debts or liabilities of the other incurred before marriage, and, except as otherwise provided, neither is liable for the separate debts of the other, nor is the rent or income of the property of one spouse liable for the separ…

Subject to AS 34.77, the property and pecuniary rights of a married person at the time of marriage or afterwards that are acquired by gift, devise, or inheritance are not subject to the debts or contracts of the other spouse, and a spouse may manage, sell, convey, or devise the p…

A married person may make contracts and may incur liabilities, and the contracts and liabilities may be enforced by or against the person to the same extent and in the same manner as if the person were unmarried.

All laws that impose or recognize civil disabilities upon a married person that are not imposed or recognized as existing as to the other spouse are repealed. For any unjust usurpation of property or natural rights a married person has the same right to appeal individually to all…

A person is considered to have arrived at majority at the age of 18, and thereafter has control of the person's own actions and business and has all the rights and is subject to all the liabilities of citizens of full age, except as otherwise provided by statute.

A person arrives at the age of majority upon being married according to law.

(a) Except as prohibited under AS 18.16.010(a)(3), (1) a minor who is living apart from the minor's parents or legal guardian and who is managing the minor's own financial affairs, regardless of the source or extent of income, may give consent for medical and dental services for …

Each parent is bound to maintain the parent's children when poor and unable to work to maintain themselves. Each child is bound to maintain the child's parents in like circumstances.

If a minor who has a parent living has property from which income is sufficient for maintenance and education in a manner more expensive than the parent can reasonably afford, considering the situation of the parent's family and all the circumstances of the case, the expenses of …

A child, born to a married woman by means of artificial insemination performed by a licensed physician and consented to in writing by both spouses, is considered for all purposes the natural and legitimate child of both spouses.

(a) A child born out of wedlock is legitimated and considered the heir of the putative parent when (1) the putative parent subsequently marries the undisputed parent of the child; (2) for acknowledgments made before July 1, 1997, the putative parent acknowledges, in writing, bein…

(a) When a birth occurs to an unmarried woman in a hospital or en route to a hospital to which the woman is later admitted, the hospital shall ensure that a staff member (1) meets with the woman before release from the hospital; (2) attempts to meet with the father of the unmarri…

(a) If there is a dispute over child custody, either parent may petition the superior court for resolution of the matter under AS 25.20.060 — 25.20.130. The court shall award custody on the basis of the best interests of the child. In determining the best interests of the child, …