THE RIGHTS OF DOMESTIC PARTNERS IN NYC

A domestic partnership is a legal arrangement that commits two people to one another. New York City allows both same sex and traditional couples to register for domestic partnerships. Since July 2011, New York state has also allowed same sex marriages. However, domestic partnerships do not acquire all of the same rights and benefits as married couples.

For information on NYC rules, see http://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/html/marriage/domestic_partnership_reg.shtml

Other New York cities and counties offer domestic partnership registries:

For Albany, see http://ecode360.com/7683425

For Westchester, see http://www.westchesterclerk.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17&Itemid=212

For Suffolk, see http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/CountyClerk/DomesticRegistry.aspx

For Town of North Hempstead, see http://www.northhempsteadny.gov/content/16253/16898/16907/default.aspx

Note that only certain localities within Nassau County allow for domestic partnerships. As the NY Times reported in April 2006: "After a heated debate between gay rights advocates and critics espousing traditional families, the Nassau County Legislature unexpectedly defeated a proposal on Monday to create a registry for unmarried couples to record domestic partnerships."

However in New York City, Rockland County and Suffolk County, one partner may be an employee of the city/county at the time of registration instead of being a resident. Also, in Albany, Ithaca, and Rochester you do not have to be residents to file.^[