District of Columbia Domestic Partnership Laws

Statutes

District of Columbia Code Division V. Local Business Affairs:

• Section 32-701 (definitions)
• Section 32-702 (domestic partnership registration and termination procedures)
• Section 32-703 (enforcement by civil action)
• Section 32-704 (domestic partnership benefits)
• Section 32-705 (government employee benefits)

Requirements and Registration for Domestic Partnerships

Requirements for Domestic Partnership

Each partner shall:

• Be at least 18 years old and competent to contract;
• Be the sole domestic partner of the other person; and
• Not be married.

Registration for Domestic Partnership

To establish the existence of the domestic partnership and to qualify for benefits, individuals must register as domestic partners by signing and filing a statement. They must register in person at the D.C. Department of Health.

The declaration must state that each partner:

• Is at least 18 and competent to contract;
• Is the sole domestic partner of the other person;
• Is not married; and
• Is in a committed relationship with the other person.

District Government Employee Benefits

A district government employee can be granted sick leave to care for a minor child of either domestic partner or to care for the employee's domestic partner who is on maternity or paternity leave.

A district government employee who's adopting or whose domestic partner is adopting a child can be granted annual leave or leave without pay to make necessary family arrangements.

Termination of Domestic Partnership

Methods of Termination

A domestic partnership may be terminated by the following methods:

• Either domestic partner may terminate the domestic partnership by filing a termination statement with the Mayor;
• A domestic partner may terminate the partnership because the other partner has abandoned the domestic partnership by filing a termination statement by the Mayor; or
• Automatic termination.

The person filing the termination statement must state that:

• The domestic partnership is to be terminated; and
• A copy of the termination statement has been served on the other domestic partner if the termination statement is not signed by both domestic partners.

If a partner is terminating due to abandonment, they must state the following:

• That the domestic partnership is to be terminated;
• The other partner permanently departed the mutual residence at least 6 months before filing of the termination statement; and
• If the location of the partner is known, a copy of the termination statement has been served on the other partner.

Automatic Termination

If either partner dies it results in automatic termination or one of the following occurs:

• The partners marry each other;
• One partner marries another;
• One partner abandons the other partner or the primary mutual residence.