West Hollywood is expanding legal recognition for multi-partner relationships after the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance allowing people in polyamorous relationships to register with the city.
The ordinance will allow three or more adults in a committed, consensual relationship to formally register as a multi-partner domestic relationship. Registration will provide certain local protections that are typically granted to registered domestic partners, such as hospital and jail visitation rights, as well as protections in rental housing.
The ordinance, introduced by Mayor John Heilman, passed Nov. 2 and is set to go into effect on Dec. 2. The registry doesn’t change California’s marriage or domestic partnership laws, but instead establishes a new system for recognizing committed relationships involving multiple adults.
“This new law not only gives polyamorous unions legal recognition, it also gives people permission to imagine a future together and to plan their lives openly,” Christina Fialho, president and founder of Rewrite the BiLine, told LAist.
The ordinance follows earlier efforts by West Hollywood to expand protections for different family structures. In March, city officials approved an ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on family or relationship structure, while also instructing city staff to work towards extending domestic partnership protections to multi-partner relationships.
Applicants can register in person and submit a form through the City Clerk’s office, and all partners are required to provide identification to the clerk. A mail-in option is also available if the signatures are notarized.
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