West Hollywood Opens Domestic Partnership Registry to Polyamorous Groups

West Hollywood’s City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on November 3 allowing people in relationships of three or more to register with the city. The measure, introduced by Mayor John Heilman, creates an official record of a relationship and provides some protections, but not the legal rights of marriage or state domestic partnerships.

To register, participants must submit a statement to the city clerk and meet requirements including mutual consent and not being related by blood. Registered partners must be allowed to visit patients at healthcare facilities and people in jails under the city’s jurisdiction. The ordinance also bars ending or refusing to renew a lease because a partner continues to live in the rental.

People do not have to live in West Hollywood to register. Attorney Christina Fialho, who proposed the idea to Councilmember Chelsea Lee Byers in early 2025, said the registry could help people document relationships for situations such as hospital visits and school pickups. She called it a beginning and said it could open possibilities for people who had not thought such a future was attainable.

The ordinance follows a March measure barring discrimination based on polyamorous relationships. At Tuesday’s meeting, librarian Megan Katz objected to language that excludes couples who have declared other partnerships. She said many polyamorous people are in separate two-person relationships rather than groups of three or more. Byers said she would pursue changes to clarify that multiple twosomes could also register.

West Hollywood joins Massachusetts municipalities that recognize multi-partner partnerships. Berkeley and Oakland have acted against discrimination based on family structure. The California Family Council opposed similar measures in those cities, questioning the wider effects of officially recognizing polyamorous relationships.

West Hollywood Extends Protections to Polyamorous Families

West Hollywood has taken a step toward recognizing families that existing rules often leave out. On November 3, its City Council unanimously approved a registry for relationships involving three or more people, with limited protections for healthcare visits and housing.

The ordinance requires healthcare facilities and jails within the city’s jurisdiction to allow registered partners to visit. It also protects a rental from termination or nonrenewal when a partner continues to live there. The law does not grant the rights of marriage or state domestic partnerships, but supporters see it as a practical response to barriers in services built around two-person or nuclear households.

Attorney Christina Fialho, who brought the proposal to Councilmember Chelsea Lee Byers in early 2025, said the registry could help people establish relationships on paper for hospital visits, school pickups and similar situations. Byers previously called protections for polyamorous people long overdue. The city had already barred discrimination based on polyamorous relationships in March.

The ordinance still leaves a gap for some families. Librarian Megan Katz said its language excludes couples who have declared other partnerships, although many people practice polyamory through separate two-person relationships. Byers said she would pursue amendments allowing multiple twosomes to register. That correction matters: recognition should reflect the families people actually have, not just the group arrangements the ordinance currently describes.

West Hollywood Creates a New Registry for Multi-Partner Relationships

West Hollywood’s City Council unanimously approved a new municipal registry for relationships involving three or more people on November 3. The ordinance extends some legal protections to registered partners, while stopping short of the rights attached to marriage or state domestic partnerships.

The measure requires healthcare facilities and jails under the city’s jurisdiction to permit partner visits, and restricts landlords from terminating a rental agreement or declining its renewal if a partner still lives there. People who do not live in West Hollywood may also register. Participants must meet requirements including mutual consent and no blood relationship.

Supporters describe the measure as a way to address obstacles in housing, healthcare and other services. But recognizing these arrangements through local law raises questions about the reach of government-created relationship status and the consequences of extending legal protections beyond traditional partnerships. The California Family Council opposed comparable measures in Berkeley and Oakland, warning about the broader cultural implications of recognizing polyamorous relationships.

The ordinance also has limits even for people it aims to cover. Librarian Megan Katz criticized its exclusion of couples who have declared other partnerships, noting that polyamory can involve separate two-person relationships rather than a single group. Councilmember Chelsea Lee Byers said she would seek amendments to allow multiple twosomes to register. The city’s next step is therefore to decide how broadly its new system will define eligible relationships.