The City of Ithaca supports all caring, committed and responsible couples and families.  We believe that domestic partnerships are a form of public expression that deserve official recognition.

Our Domestic Partnership legislation can be found in its entirety in Chapter 215 of the City of Ithaca Municipal Code.

Qualifications to Enter into a Domestic Partnership

• The persons are not related by blood closer than would bar marriage in the State of New York.
• Neither person is married
• The persons are 18 years of age or older
• The persons are competent to enter into a contract
• The persons declare that they are each others sole domestic partner
• The persons currently share a primary residence and declare that they intend to continue to do so for the indefinite future
• The persons declare that they are in a relationship of mutual support, caring and commitment and are responsible for each others welfare. For these purposes, "mutual support" means that they contribute mutually to each others maintenance and support
• The persons agree to notify the city of any change in the status of their domestic partnership
• The persons file a statement of domestic partnership as set forth in § 215-22 of the City of Ithaca Municipal Code. § 215-22 Statements of domestic partnership

Domestic partners may make an official record of their domestic partnership by completing, signing and submitting to the City Clerk a Statement of Domestic Partnership (PDF).

Terminating Domestic Partnerships

Either member of a domestic partnership may terminate the domestic partnership by filing a termination statement with the City Clerk. The person filing the termination statement must declare, under penalty of perjury:

• The domestic partnership is terminated
• A copy of the termination statement has been mailed to the other domestic partner
• No person who has filed a statement of domestic partnership may file another statement of domestic partnership until six months after a termination statement of a previous partnership has been filed with the City Clerk
• The termination statement is available here

Filing Statements of Domestic Partnerships

Anyone who has signed a statement of domestic partnership may file it with the City Clerk. The statement of domestic partnership, termination statement or amendment of domestic partnership statement shall not be deemed effective until filed with the City Clerk.

All statements relating to domestic partnerships shall be notarized and executed as declaration, made under penalty of perjury. The City Clerk shall provide forms as necessary to interested individuals.

Payment

The fee for the filing of a domestic partnership statement is $40.  The fee to file a termination statement is $5. The payment of the above fee entitles the person filing a statement on behalf of the domestic partnership to two copies of the statement and a certificate signed by the City Clerk.