Common Law Marriage - Iowa

For the State of Iowa, the Iowa Supreme Court has reiterated the elements of a Common Law Marriage, which are show 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 .

Iowa Law

The Supreme Court of Iowa has affirmed the long standing elements of a common law marriage, which are: 1) present intent and agreement to be married by both parties; (2) continuous cohabitation; and (3) a public declaration that the parties are husband and wife. (In re Marriage of Martin, 681 N.W.2d 612 (Iowa 2004).

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.)