New Jersey statute
N.J.S.A. 2C:24-1 — Bigamy
Current through P.L.2025, c.346, and J.R.22
Part of Chapter 24, New Jersey Statutes.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-1
Statutory text current through the P.L.2025, c.346, and J.R.22. This publication reproduces the official text of the New Jersey Statutes from the statute files published by the New Jersey Legislature; it is not the official statutes of the State of New Jersey.
a. Bigamy. A married person is guilty of bigamy, a disorderly persons offense, if he contracts or purports to contract another marriage, unless at the time of the subsequent marriage:
(1) The actor believes that the prior spouse is dead;
(2) The actor and the prior spouse have been living apart for 5 consecutive years throughout which the prior spouse was not known by the actor to be alive;
(3) A court has entered a judgment purporting to terminate or annul any prior disqualifying marriage, and the actor does not know that judgment to be invalid; or
(4) The actor reasonably believes that he is legally eligible to remarry.
b. Other party to bigamous marriage. A person is guilty of bigamy if he contracts or purports to contract marriage with another knowing that the other is thereby committing bigamy.
L.1978, c. 95, s. 2C:24-1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is bigamy a crime in New Jersey?
Bigamy is a disorderly persons offense in New Jersey, which is not a crime under the New Jersey Constitution (N.J.S.A. 2C:1-4) — it carries no criminal record and is heard in municipal court. Governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:24-1.
Which New Jersey statute covers bigamy?
Bigamy is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:24-1 (Bigamy).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.