List of U.S. state laws on same-sex unions

State laws regarding same-sex unions similar to marriage in the United States¹

  Domestic partnerships or civil unions granting state privileges of marriage²

  Same-sex unions granting limited/enumerated privileges

  No same-sex unions similar to marriage

---- ¹Not recognized by the federal government. However, same-sex marriage is legal nationwide (excluding American Samoa and some Native American tribal jurisdictions) and is recognized by the federal government. Same-sex unions similar to marriage are provided at the local level in many jurisdictions.
²Domestic partnerships in Washington are only available when at least one of the partners is 62 years of age or older.

---

This article is intended as a resource for current legal status of same-sex unions. See same-sex marriage legislation in the United States, same-sex marriage law in the United States by state, same-sex unions in the United States, and domestic partnership in the United States for more detailed descriptions, outcomes, and history of individual cases.

Marriage summary

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held, in Obergefell v. Hodges, that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to offer same-sex marriage and recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.^[1]
The federal government has recognized all legally performed same-sex marriages since June 26, 2013 and the decision in United States v. Windsor.
All 50 U.S. states, 4 of 5 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia are fully compliant with the Obergefell decision, but some counties in Alabama (10), Kentucky (2), and Texas (1) have either stopped issuing marriage licenses (10) or continue to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples (3).

In American Samoa and some Native American tribal jurisdictions, same-sex marriages are currently not being licensed and recognized.

Jurisdiction listing

Below is the current status of the law in each of the 50 U.S. states, 5 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

• The blue shading indicates what is currently allowed.

Note: American Samoa is outside of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals system and residents are "American nationals," not "American citizens," so it is not clear whether or not the Supreme Court precedent in Obergefell applies.

Jurisdiction	Civil marriage for same-sex couples					Other civil unions				Notes
	Gender restriction		Marriage			Civil Unions		Domestic Partnerships
	Constitution	Statute	Licenses	Recognition
Alabama	No	No	Yes*	Yes		No		No		*10 of 67 counties have stopped issuing marriage licenses. **Legislation is currently pending that may eliminate state issuance of marriage licenses replacing it with private marital contracts submitted to probate courts.
Alaska	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
American Samoa	No	No	No	No		No		No
Arizona	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Arkansas	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
California	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		Yes
Colorado	No	No	Yes	Yes		Yes		No
Connecticut	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Delaware	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
District of Columbia	N/A	No	Yes	Yes		No		Yes
Florida	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Georgia	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Guam	N/A	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Hawaii	No	No	Yes	Yes		Yes		No
Idaho	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Illinois	No	No	Yes	Yes		Yes		No
Indiana	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Iowa	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Kansas	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Kentucky	No	No	Yes*	Yes		No		No		*Casey County and Whitley County continue to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples. **The Governor of Kentucky has, by executive order, changed marriage licenses to allow county clerks not to sign or endorse them and instead requires notarization for validity.
Louisiana	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Maine	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		Ltd
Maryland	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		Ltd
Massachusetts	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Michigan	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Minnesota	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Mississippi	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Missouri	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Montana	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Nebraska	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Nevada	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		Yes
New Hampshire	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
New Jersey	No	No	Yes	Yes		Yes		Ltd
New Mexico	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
New York	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
North Carolina	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
North Dakota	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Northern Mariana Islands	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Ohio	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Oklahoma	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Oregon	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		Yes
Pennsylvania	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Puerto Rico	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Rhode Island	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
South Carolina	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
South Dakota	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Tennessee	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Texas	No	No	Yes*	Yes		No		No		*Irion County continues to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
U.S. Virgin Islands	N/A	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Utah	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Vermont	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Virginia	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Washington	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		Ltd
West Virginia	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Wisconsin	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		Ltd
Wyoming	No	No	Yes	Yes		No		No
Jurisdiction	Civil marriage for same-sex couples					Other civil unions				Notes
	Gender restriction		Marriage			Civil Unions		Domestic Partnerships
	Constitution	Statute	Licenses	Recognition

Jurisdiction status by federal circuit

Note: American Samoa is outside of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals system; appeals from High Court of American Samoa can only be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Federal circuit	Civil marriage for same-sex couples					Notes
	Banned	Ban overturned, but order stayed	Unrecognized contrary to Obergefell	Legal and recognized
First				Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Puerto Rico Rhode Island
Second				Connecticut New York Vermont
Third				Delaware New Jersey Pennsylvania U.S. Virgin Islands
Fourth				Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Virginia West Virginia
Fifth				Louisiana Mississippi Texas
Sixth				Kentucky Michigan Ohio Tennessee
Seventh				Illinois Indiana Wisconsin
Eighth				Arkansas Iowa Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota
Ninth				Alaska Arizona California Guam Hawaii Idaho Montana Nevada Northern Mariana Islands Oregon Washington
Tenth				Colorado Kansas New Mexico Oklahoma Utah Wyoming
Eleventh				Alabama Florida Georgia
District of Columbia				District of Columbia
Federal circuit	Civil marriage for same-sex couples					Notes
	Banned	Ban overturned, but order stayed	Unrecognized contrary to Obergefell	Legal and recognized

See also

In general

• Same-sex marriage
• Timeline of same-sex marriage

In the United States

• Same-sex marriage in the United States
• Timeline of same-sex marriage in the United States
• Public opinion of same-sex marriage in the United States
• Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States
• Same-sex marriage law in the United States by state
• Same-sex marriage under United States tribal jurisdictions
• Rights and responsibilities of marriages in the United States
• Defense of Marriage Act
• Marriage Protection Act of 2007
• U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions
• List of U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex unions by type
• Federal Marriage Amendment
• Domestic partnership in the United States
• Freedom to Marry Coalition
• LGBT rights in the United States

References

1. "Landmark Ruling Takes Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide - dailybusinessreview.com". Daily Business Review. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.

External links