Common Law Marriage - District of Columbia

The District of Columbia’s Common Law Marriage Requirements are shown below.

If you are living together, at a minimum you must have a cohabitation agreement, which you could draft yourself with easy-to-use software like that offered by Standard Legal.

District of Columbia Law

In the District of Columbia, to establish a common-law marriage there must be: 1) an express mutual present intent to be husband and wife; and 2) good faith cohabitation. (Johnson v. Young, 372 A.2d 992 (D.C. App. 1977)).

For the long term, couples living together should consider a Living Will, Living Trust or simple Will. You don’t have to hire an attorney if you’re the average American. There are attorney-supervised services, such as Legal Zoom, who will prepare these more complex documents for you, and you can save up to 85% from regular attorney’s fees.

Common law marriage is still recognized in the following states and Washington D.C.:

(Click on any link to see the common law requirements for that state.)