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Grand Lodges' Age Requirements for
Candidates
If anyone wants to send me email, especially if any of the information
on this chart is not correct or if you know of additional information that should be
included, please send me email by clicking on my name Paul
M. Bessel.
U.S. Grand Lodges

| # |
Grand Lodge |
Min. Age for Candidates |
Details |
| 1 |
Alabama |
|
|
21 |
|
| 2 |
Alaska |
18 |
|
|
changed around 1998 |
| 3 |
Arizona |
18 |
|
|
|
| 4 |
Arkansas |
|
|
21 |
|
| 5 |
California |
18 |
|
|
Changed in September or October 2002 |
| 6 |
Colorado |
18 |
|
|
|
| 7 |
Connecticut |
18 |
|
|
Adopted April 2006 |
| 8 |
Delaware |
18 |
|
|
Adopted March 2002 |
| 9 |
District of Columbia |
18 |
|
|
Adopted May 12, 1999 |
| 10 |
Florida |
|
|
21 |
|
| 11 |
Georgia |
|
|
21 |
|
| 12 |
Hawaii |
|
|
21 |
|
| 13 |
Idaho |
18 |
|
|
adopted 1972 |
| 14 |
Illinois |
18 |
|
|
adopted October 1997 |
| 15 |
Indiana |
18 |
|
|
May 1998 |
| 16 |
Iowa |
18 |
|
|
|
| 17 |
Kansas |
18 |
|
|
|
| 18 |
Kentucky |
|
|
21 |
|
| 19 |
Louisiana |
18 |
|
|
Lowered at the Grand Lodge meeting Feb. 2001 |
| 20 |
Maine |
18 |
|
|
Grand Lodge voted to
lower the age to 18 at its June 2003 meeting |
| 21 |
Maryland |
18 |
|
|
Lowered at Grand Lodge Semi-Annual meeting
May 2001 |
| 22 |
Massachusetts |
18 |
|
|
The Grand Master in Massachusetts (Donald
G. Hicks, Jr.) decreed at the Grand Lodge Quarterly Meeting held in Boston on March 12, 2003 that
effective immediately the necessary age qualification in Massachusetts would be lowered
from 21 to 18. |
| 23 |
Michigan |
|
19 |
|
Lowered at the Grand Lodge meeting in June
2000 |
| 24 |
Minnesota |
18 |
|
|
|
| 25 |
Mississippi |
18 |
|
|
Lowered at the Grand Lodge session February
2001 |
| 26 |
Missouri |
18 |
|
|
§13.040 of the Constitution and By-Laws for The Grand
Lodge A.F.&A.M. of the State of MO requires the petitioner to be at least 18 yrs. of
age when he
signs the petition. (Amended 1975-52) |
| 27 |
Montana |
18 |
|
|
June 2000, lowered from 19 to 18 |
| 28 |
Nebraska |
18 |
|
|
|
| 29 |
Nevada |
18 |
|
|
GL voted in Nov 1999 to make age 18 by vote
of 95-49, so this was carried over to the GL session in the year 2000 (90%
needed to pass at 1st appearance, 2/3 next year). I have been told that
this failed at the 2000 session of Grand Lodge, but I have now been told
(Nov. 2002) that it passed at the GL session this year. |
| 30 |
New Hampshire |
18 |
|
|
Changed May 19, 2001 |
| 31 |
New Jersey |
|
|
21 |
A motion to change to 18 was withdrawn or defeated in 1997
or 1998 |
| 32 |
New Mexico |
|
19 |
|
|
| 33 |
New York |
|
|
21 |
Proposal to change to 18 was approved in May 2001
but defeated in May 2002, and needed to be approved twice in a row to
become effective |
| 34 |
North Carolina |
18 |
|
|
Changed September 2002, effective December
2002 |
| 35 |
North Dakota |
18 |
|
|
|
| 36 |
Ohio |
|
19 |
|
|
| 37 |
Oklahoma |
18 |
|
|
|
| 38 |
Oregon |
18 |
|
|
Adopted in mid-1980s |
| 39 |
Pennsylvania |
18 |
|
|
Changed in early 2002 |
| 40 |
Rhode Island |
|
|
21 |
|
| 41 |
South Carolina |
18 |
|
|
Adopted April 2001 |
| 42 |
South Dakota |
|
19 |
|
|
| 43 |
Tennessee |
18 |
|
|
Adopted March 24, 2005 |
| 44 |
Texas |
18 |
|
|
Adopted December 1, 2006 |
| 45 |
Utah |
18 |
|
|
|
| 46 |
Vermont |
18 |
|
|
|
| 47 |
Virginia |
18 |
|
|
Adopted 1995 or 1996 |
| 48 |
Washington |
18 |
|
|
Adopted in 1994 |
| 49 |
West Virginia |
|
|
21 |
|
| 50 |
Wisconsin |
18 |
|
|
According to an email message: The minimum age for joining
was changed from 21 to 19 in 1980. The first attempt to lower the age happened in 1962
when the GL approved a resolution to "consider" lowering the age to 18, but
there was no follow up on the resolution. The debate on lowering the age appeared at every
Wisconsin annual communication from 1969 through 1980 with the exception of 1978.
Age lowered to 18 - see Wisconsin Proceedings 1999, page 129.
|
| 51 |
Wyoming |
|
19 |
|
|
|
Summary |
36 |
5 |
10 |
|
Non - U.S. Grand Lodges
| Grand Lodge |
Min. Age for Candidates |
Details |
Ontario |
21 |
|
| Grand Lodge of France (GLF) |
21 |
A Mason's son ("lowton") may be initiated at
18, but it happens very, very seldom. |
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