Nevada Domestic Partnerships: Registration, Rights and Termination

Part of my Nevada Family Law Overview.

By Ronald W. Brilliant, Attorney at Law · Licensed in Idaho, Nevada & California · Last reviewed: September 2026 against Nevada Revised Statutes Title 11, chapters 121 through 130 (current through the 2025 legislative session and 2026 special session revisions)

In This TopicNevada Family LawTopic 2 of 15: Domestic Partnerships

Nevada allows two people to register a domestic partnership with the Secretary of State. The law that governs these partnerships is chapter 122A of NRS, which may be cited as the Nevada Domestic Partnership Act (NRS 122A.010). A domestic partnership is the social contract between two persons described in NRS 122A.100, or one recognized under NRS 122A.500 (NRS 122A.040).

Except as provided in NRS 122A.210, domestic partners have the same rights and duties under Nevada law as spouses (NRS 122A.200(1)(a)). This page explains who may register, how to register, what rights and duties follow, how partnerships from other places are treated, and how a domestic partnership ends.

Who May Register

To register, the two persons must furnish proof satisfactory to the Office of the Secretary of State that (NRS 122A.100(2)):

• Both persons have a common residence;
• Neither person is married or a member of another domestic partnership;
• They are not related by blood in a way that would prevent them from marrying each other in Nevada;
• Both persons are at least 18 years of age; and
• Both persons are competent to consent to the domestic partnership.

A “common residence” is a residence the partners share on at least a part-time basis. It does not matter whether ownership or the right to live there is in only one partner’s name, or whether one or both partners own or occupy another residence (NRS 122A.100(4)(a)). A “residence” can be a house, room, apartment, tenement or other building, or a vehicle, trailer, house trailer or boat designed or intended for occupancy as a residence (NRS 122A.100(4)(b)).

The blood-relationship rule ties to Nevada’s marriage law, which allows marriage only between persons who are not nearer of kin than second cousins or cousins of the half blood (NRS 122.020(1)). For more on those rules, see Getting Married in Nevada.

How to Register

A valid domestic partnership is registered when two eligible persons do both of the following (NRS 122A.100(1)):

1. File with the Office of the Secretary of State, on the Secretary of State’s form, a signed and notarized statement declaring that both persons have chosen to share one another’s lives in an intimate and committed relationship of mutual caring, and that they desire of their own free will to enter into a domestic partnership.
2. Pay the Secretary of State a reasonable filing fee set by the Secretary of State to cover the cost of issuing the certificate and related administrative costs.

The Secretary of State then issues a Certificate of Registered Domestic Partnership to persons who meet the requirements (NRS 122A.100(3)).

No Ceremony Required

A marriage must be followed by solemnization (NRS 122.010(1)), but a domestic partnership does not require any solemnization ceremony to be binding (NRS 122A.110). The partners decide for themselves whether to seek a ceremony or blessing. Each religious faith decides whether to offer one, and the domestic partnership system does not interfere with each faith’s right to choose to whom it grants the religious status, sacrament or blessing of marriage (NRS 122A.110).

Rights and Duties of Domestic Partners

Except as provided in NRS 122A.210 (discussed below), domestic partners are treated the same as spouses. These rights and duties apply whether they come from statutes, administrative regulations, court rules, government policies, common law or any other source of law (NRS 122A.200(1)).

Who	Has the same rights, protections, benefits, responsibilities, obligations and duties as	NRS
Domestic partners	Spouses	122A.200(1)(a)
Former domestic partners	Former spouses	122A.200(1)(b)
A surviving domestic partner, after the other partner’s death	A widow or widower	122A.200(1)(c)
Domestic partners, as to a child of either of them	Spouses (and former or surviving partners have the same rights and obligations as former or surviving spouses)	122A.200(1)(d)

The Act also provides that (NRS 122A.200(1)(e)–(i)):

• Where Nevada law adopts or relies on federal law in a way that would otherwise treat domestic partners differently from spouses, Nevada law must treat domestic partners as if federal law recognized domestic partnerships the same way Nevada does.
• Domestic partners have the same right to nondiscriminatory treatment as spouses.
• A public agency in Nevada may not discriminate against a person or couple because they are domestic partners rather than spouses. A “public agency” is an agency, bureau, board, commission, department or division of the State or of a political subdivision (NRS 122A.200(2)).
• Where necessary to protect domestic partners’ rights, gender-specific terms referring to spouses must be read to include domestic partners.

Community Property and the “Date of Marriage”

For community property, mutual responsibility for debts to third parties, the right to seek financial support after the partnership ends, and other property rights and duties between the partners, any legal reference to the date of a marriage means the date the domestic partnership was registered under NRS 122A.100 (NRS 122A.200(1)(j)). For a partnership recognized under NRS 122A.500, it means the date the legal union was validly formed in the other jurisdiction (NRS 122A.200(1)(j)).

This matters because Nevada community property is generally property acquired after marriage by either spouse or both spouses (NRS 123.220). To learn how Nevada classifies and controls community and separate property, see Marital Property Rights in Nevada. Agreements that change these property rules are discussed in Premarital Agreements in Nevada.

After a Partner Dies

Because a surviving domestic partner has the same rights as a widow or widower (NRS 122A.200(1)(c)), the partnership can affect what happens after a partner’s death. Nevada’s probate title also provides that “spouse” includes a domestic partner as set forth in NRS 122A.200 (NRS 132.317). See Dying Without a Will in Nevada and Family Protections in Nevada Probate.

Employer Health Care Benefits

The Act does not require a public or private employer in Nevada to provide health care benefits to or for an employee’s or officer’s domestic partner (NRS 122A.210(1)). An employer may voluntarily provide those benefits on terms the affected parties consider appropriate (NRS 122A.210(2)).

Legal Unions Formed in Other Jurisdictions

A legal union of two persons, other than a marriage, that was validly formed in another jurisdiction and is substantially equivalent to a Nevada domestic partnership must be recognized as a valid domestic partnership in Nevada. This applies whether or not the union is called a domestic partnership and whether or not it is registered in Nevada (NRS 122A.500).

How the Act Is Read

Chapter 122A must be construed liberally. Any doubt is resolved in favor of finding that a domestic partnership is a valid civil contract, entitled to be treated like any other civil contract created under title 11 of NRS (NRS 122A.090). A domestic partnership is not a marriage for purposes of Section 21 of Article 1 of the Nevada Constitution (NRS 122A.510).

Ending a Domestic Partnership

Domestic partners remain domestic partners until they terminate the partnership under NRS 122A.300 (NRS 122A.030). There are two ways to do this.

Court Proceedings Under Chapter 125

Generally, domestic partners who wish to end a registered or recognized domestic partnership must follow the procedures set forth in chapter 125 of NRS, the chapter titled “Dissolution of Marriage” (NRS 122A.300(1)). See Divorce in Nevada, Property and Debt Division and Alimony in Nevada.

Simplified Termination With the Secretary of State

Partners in a domestic partnership registered under NRS 122A.100 may use a simplified procedure if every one of these conditions exists when they file (NRS 122A.300(2)–(3)):

• The domestic partnership has been registered for 5 years or less.
• There are no minor children of the relationship born before or during the partnership or adopted by the parties during the partnership, and no female partner, to her knowledge, is pregnant; or the parties have signed an agreement on custody of any children that sets out the amount and manner of their support.
• There is no community or joint property; or the parties have signed an agreement dividing the community property and assigning community liabilities, and have signed any deeds, certificates of title, bills of sale or other transfer documents needed to carry it out.
• The parties waive any rights to support, or they have signed an agreement setting out the amount and manner of support.
• The parties waive any right to more comprehensive proceedings under chapter 125 of NRS.

To use this procedure, the partners file with the Office of the Secretary of State, on its form, a signed and notarized statement declaring that both persons have chosen of their own free will to terminate the domestic partnership, and pay a reasonable filing fee set by the Secretary of State (NRS 122A.300(2)). The simplified procedure applies only to partnerships registered in Nevada under NRS 122A.100. For a partnership recognized under NRS 122A.500, the statute points only to the chapter 125 procedures (NRS 122A.300(1)–(2)).

Custody and support questions involving a child are covered on the Child Custody and Child Support pages. If a child was born to domestic partners, see Parentage in Nevada.

How I Can Help

I help clients understand whether they are eligible to register a domestic partnership, how a partnership formed in another state is treated in Nevada, and what the partnership means for their property and their children. I also help partners decide whether the simplified termination procedure is available to them or whether a court proceeding is required. Request a consultation to discuss your situation.

This page provides general information about Nevada family law, based on the Nevada Revised Statutes as currently revised, and is not legal advice. Court rules, regulations (including the child support guidelines), and case law also affect family law matters. Every family is different; consult an attorney about your situation. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.