Colorado recognizes common-law marriage and ending one requires a divorce. Living together for years does not by itself create a marriage. Under the Hogsett v. Neale test, what counts is whether you two mutually intended to be married and then acted like it (combining finances and taxes, holding yourselves out as spouses, perhaps having a reputation as married). If you genuinely entered a common-law marriage, you can't just split up as if you were boyfriend-girlfriend, boyfriends, or girlfriends; you need a formal dissolution to divide property and resolve support and parenting. If whether you are in a common-law marriage is in question or disputed, the court may decide whether you are or not first. When in doubt, get a lawyer's perspective before making assumptions about what can be a very complicated process.

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Colorado

Colorado, USA