Domestic partnership is not the same as marriage under Arizona law. There is no common law marriage in Arizona. Unmarried partners who separate do not receive the same community property and spousal maintenance framework that applies to divorcing spouses.

Unmarried partners may have contract claims, property disputes based on title or contribution, and parenting issues if they have children together. If there are children, Arizona family court can address paternity, legal decision making, parenting time, and child support regardless of whether the parents were married.

People sometimes assume that a long relationship creates the same rights as marriage in Arizona. It generally does not. Marital status and legal parentage are the primary gates for most Arizona family law remedies.

This is an area where assumptions can be costly. The legal remedies for ending a domestic partnership are different from and often more limited than those available in a divorce.