Marin County domestic partnership

A domestic partnership is when two adults choose to build a life together in a committed and caring relationship.

Marin County has supported domestic partnerships since 1993. In 2000, the State of California began offering its own registration program.

Please note:

• Marin County’s domestic partnership program only applies within Marin County.
• This local program is separate from the State of California’s Domestic Partnership Program.
• Marin County Code Section 6.88 explains the local rules.

To learn more about the state’s program:

• Visit the Secretary of State’s Domestic Partner Registry;
• Call 916-653-3984 (CA Relay: dial 711);
• State registration forms are available on the Secretary of State’s website.

To register, you and your partner must meet all of these requirements:

• You live together in the same home:
  • You do not both need to be on the lease or deed;
  • It’s okay if one partner also has another residence.
• You both live in Marin County.
• You agree to share basic living expenses.
• At least one of you works mostly full-time in Marin County.
• You are both 18 or older.
• You are not married to each other or to anyone else.
• You are not related in a way that would prevent you from getting married in California.
• You are registering freely, without pressure or fraud, and are able to enter into a legal agreement.

You can register a domestic partnership through the marriage license division of the Marin County Clerk’s Office. The fee is $20.

To register:

• You and your partner can go in person with valid photo ID.
• Or, you can sign in front of a notary and mail the forms to our office.

When you register, you both must sign and agree, under penalty of perjury, to these statements:

• We will be responsible for each other’s basic living expenses.
• We are both at least 18 years old.
• We are not married to each other or related by blood.
• Neither of us has had a different domestic partner in the past 6 months.

Domestic Partnership Declaration Form

To terminate a domestic partnership you must submit a termination form to the County Clerk’s Office as well as provide a copy to the other party in the partnership.  

Domestic Partnership Termination Form