West Hollywood City Council in California, United States, has unanimously approved an ordinance allowing adults in consensual polyamorous relationships to register their partnerships and access certain legal protections.

The measure, approved on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, establishes a registry for domestic relationships involving three or more adults, including throuples and foursomes.

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A throuple refers to a romantic relationship involving three people, while a foursome involves four partners.

Both are forms of polyamory, a relationship arrangement in which individuals have multiple romantic partners with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.

Introduced by West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, the ordinance allows eligible partners to submit a declaration to the city clerk for official registration.

According to The Washington Times, registered partners will enjoy certain protections, including hospital visitation rights and safeguards against some forms of eviction or tenancy termination.

A report by the Los Angeles Times also stated that healthcare facilities and jails within the city’s jurisdiction would be required to permit registered partners to visit patients or inmates, subject to applicable visitor restrictions.

Despite the recognition provided by the registry, the ordinance does not place multi-partner relationships on the same legal footing as marriage or domestic partnerships recognised under California state law.

Applicants must meet specific eligibility requirements, including demonstrating mutual consent and ensuring that their relationships do not involve blood relatives whose relationship would legally prevent marriage under California law.

They must also complete the necessary documentation and submit it to the city clerk.

The development forms part of West Hollywood’s broader effort to extend protections to people living in non-traditional family and relationship arrangements.

In March 2026, the city council approved a separate measure prohibiting discrimination based on family or relationship structure, including polyamorous relationships.

The council subsequently directed officials to establish a registration system and develop additional protections for people in multi-partner households.

Reacting to the latest ordinance, attorney and activist Christina Fialho, who advocated for the protections, described the decision as an important first step.

“This law is just the beginning,” she told the Los Angeles Times, expressing hope that the measure would help people imagine possibilities they had previously considered beyond reach.

West Hollywood’s decision follows similar initiatives in Massachusetts, where Somerville and Cambridge began recognising multi-partner domestic relationships through local registries in 2020.

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The latest development adds California’s West Hollywood to the list of American cities adopting local measures aimed at recognising and providing limited protections for people in consensual relationships involving multiple partners.