Title XXX — DOMESTIC RELATIONS

451.010. Marriage a civil contract. — Marriage is considered in law as a civil contract, to which the consent of the parties capable in law of contracting is essential. ­­-------- (RSMo 1939 § 3360) Prior revisions: 1929 § 2973; 1919 § 7298; 1909 § 8279

451.020. Certain marriages prohibited — official issuing licenses to certain persons guilty of misdemeanor. — All marriages between parents and children, including grandparents and grandchildren of every degree, between brothers and sisters of the half as well as the whole blood,…

451.022. Public policy, same sex marriages prohibited — license may not be issued. — 1. It is the public policy of this state to recognize marriage only between a man and a woman. 2. Any purported marriage not between a man and a woman is invalid. 3. No recorder shall issue a mar…

451.030. Bigamous marriage void. — All marriages, where either of the parties has a former wife or husband living, shall be void, unless the former marriage shall have been dissolved. ­­-------- (RSMo 1939 § 3362) Prior revisions: 1929 § 2975; 1919 § 7300; 1909 § 8281

451.040. Marriage license required, waiting period — presence not required, when — application, contents — license void when — common law of marriages void — lack of authority to perform marriage, effect — online applications, procedure. — 1. Previous to any marriage in this stat…

451.080. Recorder to issue license — form of. — 1. The recorders of the several counties of this state, and the recorder of the City of St. Louis, shall, when applied to by any person legally entitled to a marriage license, issue the same which may be in the following form: ­ ­ 2…

451.090. Issuance of license prohibited, when — proof of age. — 1. No recorder shall issue a license authorizing the marriage of any male or female under eighteen years of age. 2. The recorder shall state in every license whether the parties applying for same are of age. Applican…

451.100. Marriages solemnized by whom. — Marriages may be solemnized by any clergyman, either active or retired, who is in good standing with any church or synagogue in this state. Marriages may also be solemnized, without compensation, by any judge, including a municipal judge. …

451.110. Certificate of marriage to be given. — Every person solemnizing marriages under this chapter shall issue and deliver to the parties to such marriage a certificate thereof, which shall be furnished in blank by the officer who issues such license, setting forth the names a…

451.115. Marriages illegally solemnized — penalty. — Every person who shall solemnize any marriage, having knowledge of any fact which renders such marriage unlawful or criminal in either of the parties under any law of this state, or, having knowledge or reasonable cause to beli…

451.120. Penalty for solemnizing marriage without license, or failing to keep a record thereof. — Any person who shall solemnize any marriage wherein the parties have not obtained a license, as provided by this chapter, or shall fail to keep a record of the solemnization of any m…

451.130. Penalty for failure to issue, record or return license. — 1. If any recorder willfully neglect or refuse to issue a license to any person legally entitled thereto on application, on payment or tender of the fee provided for in section 451.150, or shall fail to refuse to …

451.150. Licenses to be recorded — fee. — The recorder shall record all marriage licenses issued in a well-bound book kept for that purpose, with the return thereon, for which he shall receive a fee of ten dollars to be paid for by the person obtaining the same. ­­-------- (RSMo …

451.151. Additional fee for issuing marriage license or certified copies — amount to be collected by county recorder, duty to deposit — how. — 1. In addition to any other fee for the issuance of a marriage license there is hereby imposed a fee of twenty dollars to be paid by the …

451.160. Names of children born before marriage shall be recorded. — The reputed father and mother of children who were born before the ceremony of marriage is performed, as provided by this chapter, may, at the time of solemnization of said marriage, give to the officer the name…

451.170. Lost record of marriage supplied, how. — In any county in this state where the record of any marriage has been lost or destroyed, such record may be supplied by the minister or officer who solemnized any such marriage, by filing in the recorder's office of such county a …

451.180. New certificate obtained, how. — In all counties in this state where records of marriages have been destroyed by fire or otherwise, any person whose record of marriage has been destroyed, or the heirs or descendants of such person, may obtain from the officer or minister…

451.190. Record supplied by certificate of witnesses, how. — If the minister or officer who solemnized any marriage, the record of which has been lost or destroyed, be dead, refuse to give a certificate as required by section 451.170, or his whereabouts be unknown, it shall be la…

[Repealed or reserved.]

451.210. Rerecording where marriage records are destroyed — fee. — In all counties of this state where the records of marriages have been burned or otherwise destroyed, the recorder of deeds or other officer whose duty it may be to record certificates of marriages shall purchase …

451.220. Marriage contracts to be in writing, acknowledged or proved. — All marriage contracts whereby any estate, real or personal, in this state, is intended to be secured or conveyed to any person or persons, or whereby such estate may be affected in law or equity, shall be in…

451.230. How acknowledged or proved — to be recorded, where. — Such marriage contracts shall be acknowledged or proved before the same officer and certified in the same manner as deeds of conveyance for land are or shall be required by law to be acknowledged or proved and certifi…

451.240. Contract so recorded shall impart notice, to whom. — When any such marriage contract is deposited in the recorder's office for record, it shall, as to all property affected by it in the county where the same is deposited, impart full notice to all persons of its contents…

451.250. Married persons to hold real and personal property as separate property — liable for what. — 1. All real estate and any personal property, including rights in action, belonging to any man or woman at his or her marriage, or which may have come to him or her during covert…

451.260. Rents of married person's real estate exempt from liability for spouse's debts, when. — The rents, issues and products of the real estate of any married person, and all moneys and obligations arising from the sale of such real estate, and the interest of such person's sp…

451.270. Property of married person exempt from debts of spouse incurred before marriage. — A spouse's property, except such as may be acquired from the other spouse, shall be exempt from all debts and liabilities contracted or incurred by his or her spouse before their marriage.…

451.290. Wife deemed femme sole, when. — A married woman shall be deemed a femme sole so far as to enable her to carry on and transact business on her own account, to contract and be contracted with, to sue and be sued, and to enforce and have enforced against her property such j…

451.300. Conveyance of property when one of the spouses is disabled and under conservatorship or a guardian ad litem is appointed. — The spouse of any person who is under conservatorship may join with the conservator in making partition of his or her own real estate held in joint…

452.025. Verified pleadings, form and content. — 1. All pleadings required to be verified under this chapter may at the time of execution be made by the acknowledgment thereof by the petitioner or respondent made before an officer authorized to administer oaths under the laws of …

452.075. Remarriage of former spouse ends alimony. — When a divorce has been granted, and the court has made an order or decree providing for the payment of alimony and maintenance, the remarriage of the former spouse shall relieve the spouse obligated to pay support from further…

452.080. Decree for alimony — a lien, when. — Upon a decree of divorce, the court may, in its discretion, decree alimony in gross or from year to year. When alimony is decreed in gross, such decree shall be a general lien on the realty of the party against whom the decree may be …

452.110. Decree as to alimony only subject to review. — No petition for review of any judgment for divorce, rendered in any case arising pursuant to this chapter, shall be allowed, any law or statute to the contrary notwithstanding; but there may be a review of any order or judgm…

452.1200. Short title. — Sections 452.1200 to 452.1258 may be cited as the "Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act". ­­-------- (L. 2024 S.B. 912)

452.1202. Definitions. — In sections 452.1200 to 452.1258: (1) "Adult" means an individual who has attained eighteen years of age or an emancipated minor; (2) "Caretaking authority" means the right to live with and care for a child on a day-to-day basis. The term includes physica…

452.1204. Remedies for noncompliance. — In addition to other remedies under law of this state other than sections 452.1200 to 452.1258, if a court finds that a party to a proceeding under sections 452.1200 to 452.1258 has acted in bad faith or intentionally failed to comply with …

452.1206. Jurisdiction. — 1. A court may issue an order regarding custodial responsibility under sections 452.1200 to 452.1258 only if the court has jurisdiction under sections 452.700 to 452.930. 2. If a court has issued a temporary order regarding custodial responsibility pursu…

452.1208. Notification required of deploying parent. — 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4 of this section and subject to subsection 3 of this section, a deploying parent shall notify in a record the other parent of a pending deployment not later than seven days after…

452.1210. Duty to notify of change of address. — 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 of this section, an individual to whom custodial responsibility has been granted during deployment pursuant to sections 452.1214 to 452.1222 or sections 452.1224 to 452.1244 shall not…

452.1212. General consideration in custody proceeding of parent's military service. — In a proceeding for custodial responsibility of a child of a service member, a court may not consider a parent's past deployment or possible future deployment in itself in determining the best i…

452.1214. Form of agreement. — 1. The parents of a child may enter into a temporary agreement under sections 452.1214 to 452.1222 granting custodial responsibility during deployment. 2. An agreement under subsection 1 of this section must be: (1) In writing; and (2) Signed by bot…

452.1216. Nature of authority created by agreement. — 1. An agreement under sections 452.1214 to 452.1222 is temporary and terminates pursuant to sections 452.1246 to 452.1252 after the deploying parent returns from deployment, unless the agreement has been terminated before that…

452.1218. Modification of agreement. — 1. By mutual consent, the parents of a child may modify an agreement regarding custodial responsibility made pursuant to sections 452.1214 to 452.1222. 2. If an agreement is modified under subsection 1 of this section before deployment of a …

452.1220. Power of attorney. — A deploying parent, by power of attorney, may delegate all or part of custodial responsibility to an adult nonparent for the period of deployment if no other parent possesses custodial responsibility under law of this state other than sections 452.1…

452.1222. Filing agreement of power of attorney with court. — An agreement or power of attorney under sections 452.1214 to 452.1222 must be filed within a reasonable time with any court that has entered an order on custodial responsibility or child support that is in effect conce…

452.1224. Definition. — In sections 452.1224 to 452.1244, "close and substantial relationship" means a relationship in which a significant bond exists between a child and a nonparent. ­­-------- (L. 2024 S.B. 912)

452.1226. Proceeding for temporary custody order. — 1. After a deploying parent receives notice of deployment and until the deployment terminates, a court may issue a temporary order granting custodial responsibility unless prohibited by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 50 U.…

452.1228. Expedited hearing. — If a motion to grant custodial responsibility is filed under subsection 2 of section 452.1226 before a deploying parent deploys, the court shall conduct an expedited hearing. ­­-------- (L. 2024 S.B. 912)

452.1230. Testimony by electronic means. — In a proceeding under sections 452.1224 to 452.1244, a party or witness who is not reasonably available to appear personally may appear, provide testimony, and present evidence by electronic means unless the court finds good cause to req…

452.1232. Effect of prior judicial order or agreement. — In a proceeding for a grant of custodial responsibility pursuant to sections 452.1224 to 452.1244, the following rules apply: (1) A prior judicial order designating custodial responsibility in the event of deployment is bin…

452.1234. Grant of caretaking or decision-making authority to nonparent. — 1. On motion of a deploying parent and in accordance with law of this state other than sections 452.1200 to 452.1258, if it is in the best interest of the child, a court may grant caretaking authority to a…