Table 4.13

Lieutenant Governors: Qualifications and Terms


FIPS State or other
jurisdiction
Minimum age State citizen
(years)
U.S. citizen
(years) (a)
State
resident
(years) (b)
Qualified
voter (years)
Length of
term (years)
Maximum terms
allowed
01Alabama*307107

42 C
02Alaska*30777

42 C
04ArizonaNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLG
05Arkansas3077

42 T
06California*185

42 T
08Colorado302

42 C
09Connecticut*30

4
10Delaware*30126

42 T
12Florida*307

42 A
13Georgia*301015

4
15Hawaii3055

42 C
16Idaho*302

4
17Illinois*253

4
18Indiana3055

42 C
19Iowa*3022

4
20Kansas*25

42 C
21Kentucky306

42 C
22Louisiana*25555

4
23MaineNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLG
24Maryland*30

4
25Massachusetts*7

4
26Michigan*304

4

42 C (d)
27Minnesota251

4
28Mississippi*30205

42 A
29Missouri30101510

4
30Montana252

42 (e)
31Nebraska3055

42 A
32Nevada*2522

42 T
33New HampshireNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLG
34New Jersey*30207

4
35New Mexico305

42 C
36New York*305

4
37North Carolina*3052

42 C
38North Dakota305

4
39Ohio18

42 C
40Oklahoma3110

42 T
41OregonNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLG
42Pennsylvania*307

42 C
44Rhode Island*18

42 C
45South Carolina*30555

42 C
46South Dakota212

42 C
47Tennessee303

1

2
48Texas*305

4
49Utah*30

4
50Vermont*1844

2
51Virginia*305

5

4
53Washington18

4
54West Virginia2555

2
55Wisconsin18

4
56WyomingNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLG
60American Samoa*35(h)5

42 C
66Guam*3055

42 C
69CNMI* **35

42 T
72Puerto RicoNLGNLGNLGNLG

NLG

NLGNLG
78U.S. Virgin Islands*3055

5

42 C

Source:

The Council of State Governments Lieutenant Governors Survey, 2023

Key:

* Information from The Council of State Governments’ survey of secretaries of state offices and review of state websites, 2021.
** Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
N/A Not available.
Formal provision; number of years not specified.
No formal provision.
C Consecutive terms.
T Total terms.
2A After 2 consecutive terms must wait one term before being eligible again.
NLG No lieutenant governor.

Footnotes:

(a)

In some states you must be a U.S. citizen to be an elector, and must be an elector to run.

(b)

In some states you must be a state resident to be an elector, and must be an elector to run.

(d)

In 1993 a constitutional limit of two lifetime terms in the office was enacted.

(e)

Eligible for eight out of 16 years

(f)

In Tennessee, the speaker of the senate, elected from Senate membership, has statutory title of “lieutenant governor.”

(g)

In West Virginia, the president of the senate and the lieutenant governor are one in the same. The legislature provided in statute the title of lieutenant governor upon the senate president. The senate president serves two-year terms, elected by the Senate on the first day of the first session of each two year legislative term.

(h)

Must be a U.S. national.