Front Range Family Law, LLC

Colorado is one of the small handful of states that still recognizes common law marriage. 🌄

That surprises a lot of people, and it matters more than most couples realize. If a Colorado court determines you have a common law marriage, the divorce process, property division, and support obligations look identical to any other divorce.

What actually matters in the analysis:

→ Did you agree, mutually, to be married
→ Did you hold yourselves out to the community as married
→ Did you share finances, use the same last name, file joint returns, refer to each other as spouse

What does NOT matter:

→ How many years you lived together (there is no seven-year rule - that is a myth)
→ Whether you had a ceremony or a license
→ Whether you called yourselves boyfriend and girlfriend socially

If you are unsure whether a prior relationship counted, or you want to keep a current one from qualifying, that is a conversation worth having early. Send a message. 💬