Living Together Is Not Marriage
NRS 122.010 — consent alone does not make a marriage; it must be solemnized, as it has had to be since March 29, 1943
Solemnized, or not a marriage. In Nevada, marriage is a civil contract that requires the consent of parties capable of contracting, and consent alone does not make a marriage: it must be followed by solemnization as the marriage chapter provides.
The solemnization requirement does not undo a marriage contract made by consent alone that was in effect before March 29, 1943. No marriage formed by consent alone after that date is recognized by the section.
Licenses, who may solemnize, and marriages formed in other places are in other sections and other law not reproduced here. What two people who lived together owe each other, and whether a marriage was valid, are questions for a court and a licensed Nevada attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- NRS 122.010 — What constitutes marriage; no common-law marriages after March 29, 1943
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Nevada attorney.