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Municipal Code Reference
Denver Revised Municipal Code, Chapter 28, Article VI, Creation and Termination of Committed Partnerships.
Who Can Register
Any two persons who —
· are unmarried, eighteen years of age or older, and competent to enter into a contract;
· are not prohibited from marrying each other under the laws of the State of Colorado by reason of a blood relationship or by reason of adoption;
· are sharing a common household; and
· do not already have different partners under the provisions of the Denver Committed Partnership Ordinance (Ordinance 897, Series of 1999, codified as D.R.M.C. 28-200) or any other comparable domestic partnership provision.
Where to Register
At the Denver City Clerk’s Office, Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 101 (First Floor), Denver, CO 80202, 3‑1‑1. Registrations can be processed Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.
How to Register
Both committed partners must appear together at the City Clerk’s Office and fill out a Certificate of Committed Partnership in duplicate. The certificate is a one-page attestation document that both partners will execute in front of the Clerk. The partners thereby will attest that they meet the criteria for a committed partnership. The City Clerk also will sign the certificates. One certificate will be issued to the partnership immediately and one will be retained among the records of the City Clerk.
The cost for the certification and registry is $25, cash only.
ALL CERTIFICATES OF COMMITTED PARTNERSHIP AND THE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRY ARE RECORDS OPEN TO INSPECTION BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
A committed partnership is terminated by —
· the marriage or death of either partner;
· both partners filing with the Denver City Clerk a Certificate of Termination of Committed Partnership; or
· either partner filing the termination certificate with the City Clerk and sending a copy thereof to the other partner by registered mail, return receipt requested.
What Registration Does
Registration of your committed partnership creates a public record of your relationship. Based on your attestation, it proves that you have met the requirements for committed partnership defined by ordinance that an employer or other party may or may not choose to recognize in offering domestic partnership benefits.
What Registration Does Not Do
Registering as committed partners does not constitute marriage under the laws of the State of Colorado nor change your legal rights with your partner. Registration does not affect your property, contract, inheritance, custody, or benefit rights nor any other legal entitlements. It does not provide for name changes. To provide for such rights domestic partners may need to execute medical and/or general powers of attorney, wills, and/or other legal instruments, just as though there were no partnership. Consult your attorney.
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