The City of Cleveland Heights

domestic partner registry | health services | vital statistics

City of Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Criteria and Procedures for Domestic Partner Registry
Phone: 216-291-2323
Hours: 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon and 1:00 TO 3:00 PM, Monday-Friday

REGISTRATION CRITERIA:
'Domestic Partner' is defined in Chapter 181 of the City's Codified Ordinances as an individual who has signed and filed a Declaration of Domestic Partnership with the City. The Ordinance requires that the City maintain a Domestic Partner Registry. Persons who wish to register for a domestic partnership must:

share a common residence, agree to be in a relationship of mutual interdependence,
not be married to a third individual or a member of a civil union or domestic partnership with a third individual,
be 18 years of age or older,
not be related by blood in a way that would prevent them from being married to one another in this state, and
both sign the Declaration of Domestic Partnership form to be filed with the City.

Please note: No individual who has previously filed a Declaration of Domestic Partnership in this city may file a new Declaration of Domestic Partnership until at least ninety days after the date that a Notice of Termination of Domestic Partnership was filed with the City under Chapter 181. This prohibition does not apply if the previous domestic partnership ended because one of the domestic partners died.

REGISTRATION PROCESS:

A Declaration of Domestic Partnership form, provided by the City, must be completed and notarized. The form can be signed in person at the City where a notary is available, or signed and notarized elsewhere and mailed in. For a copy (in pdf form) of the Declaration of Domestic Partnership form, click here.
The completed and notarized Declaration of Domestic Partnership must be filed with the City pursuant to Chapter 181. For a copy of the ballot initiative, click here.
The filing fee is $50 for residents of Cleveland Heights, $65 for non-residents. (Cash, check or money order only. DO NOT MAIL CASH - cash is accepted in person only). Check or money order should be made payable to the 'City of Cleveland Heights,' and returned to:

Cleveland Heights City Hall
Attention: Domestic Partners Registry
40 Severance Circle
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
The City shall register the Partnership and return a copy of the completed registration form to the address provided as the Partners' common residence.

Please note: The signing of this Registry does not in and of itself confer any legal rights, privileges or status upon the signers and it is not intended that the signing of the Registry will in any way effect or conflict with the laws of the State of Ohio governing marriage.

DEFINITIONS (PER CHAPTER 181):

'Domestic Partner' means an individual who has signed and filed a Declaration of Domestic Partnership with the City.
'Share a common residence' means that both domestic partners share the same residence. It is not necessary that the legal right to possess the common residence be in both of their names. Two people have a common residence even if one or both have additional residences. Domestic partners do not cease to have a common residence if one leaves the common residence but intends to return.

'Mutual interdependence'