WHAT IS A CIVIL UNION?
Connecticut law defines a civil union as a legal status, parallel to civil marriage at the state level, in which the parties to a civil union are of the same sex and have the same benefits, protections and responsibilities under Connecticut law as are granted to spouses in a marriage (Public Act 05-10 1(1), 14-15). Connecticut’s civil union laws were effective October 1, 2005 and were repealed effective October 1, 2010.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN CONNECTICUT
As of November 12, 2008, any couple regardless of gender can marry in Connecticut provided they meet the state’s marriage requirements. After October 1, 2010, no civil union license may be issued or filed in Connecticut and all Connecticut civil unions were converted into marriages by operation of law.
For further information on same-sex marriages in Connecticut, see the 2-1-1 eLibrary paper Same-Sex Marriages in Connecticut.
For more in-depth information on the history of Civil Unions and Same-Sex Marriage implementation in Connecticut, visit the Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries guide at, http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/notebooks/pathfinders/civilunions.pdf
—————————————
PREPARED BY: 211/jm
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: December2023