N.Y. GOB Law § 5-311
This is the official text of N.Y. GOB Law § 5-311, part of New York’s GOB Law — part of the compiled statutory law of New York, published by the state as "GOB Law." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
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.
Certain agreements between husband and wife void
Official statutory text
§ 5-311. Certain agreements between husband and wife void. Except as\nprovided in section two hundred thirty-six of the domestic relations\nlaw, a husband and wife cannot contract to alter or dissolve the\nmarriage or to relieve either of his or her liability to support the\nother in such a manner that he or she will become incapable of\nself-support and therefore is likely to become a public charge. An\nagreement, heretofore or hereafter made between a husband and wife,\nshall not be considered a contract to alter or dissolve the marriage\nunless it contains an express provision requiring the dissolution of the\nmarriage or provides for the procurement of grounds of divorce.\n
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in New York?
Find a New York lawyer
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.