Common-law marriage in the U.S. (specifically Texas) (wife, call, living together)

[sincereCat6889]

Okay, I couldn't for the life of me figure out where to put this thread (feel free to move it, mods). It's a question about laws, but one specifically relevant to polyamorous relationships.

So here goes. My wife and I live in Texas and are considering a polyamorous relationship (specifically, I would be in a relationship with our roommate as well as her). We would like for me to be able to refer to her as my wife too, but we're worried that this will automatically place us in a "common-law marriage" (and it's illegal to be married to more than one person at a time). So I wanted to know simply, is there a way to avoid becoming common-law married while still referring to our roommate as my wife (publicly)? Thanks in advance for your help!

[TaoistDude]

If you present yourself as being married, you could run into problems with bigamy laws. If you call your roommate (and wife) a partner, then you should be fine.


Non-Monogamous Discourse: Non-Monogamous Families and the Law, Part 44: Summary of Texas Laws


This link goes back to 2011, and may be outdated now. You might check the polyamory website forums to ask people who live in TX if they have more info.


Specifically, "Non-dyadic non-monogamists should show a great deal of care for their public image, due to the purportation clause in bigamy ..." It appears that not living together would avoid most of the problems you could face. Or, move to Nevada!