N.Y. DOM Law § 17
This is the official text of N.Y. DOM Law § 17, part of New York’s Domestic Relations Law — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, and adoption.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Clergyman or officer violating article; penalty
Official statutory text
§ 17. Clergyman or officer violating article; penalty. If any\nclergyman or other person authorized by the laws of this state to\nperform marriage ceremonies shall solemnize or presume to solemnize any\nmarriage between any parties without a license being presented to him or\nthem as herein provided or with knowledge that either party is legally\nincompetent to contract matrimony as is provided for in this article he\nshall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction thereof shall be\npunished by a fine not less than fifty dollars nor more than five\nhundred dollars or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.\n
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a family matter in New York?
See all New York Family lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.