(1)(a) A party to a state registered domestic partnership may terminate the relationship by filing a notice of termination of the state registered domestic partnership with the secretary and paying the filing fee established pursuant to subsection (5) of this section. The notice must be signed by one or both parties and notarized. If the notice is not signed by both parties, the party seeking termination must also file with the secretary an affidavit stating either that the other party has been served in writing in the manner prescribed for the service of summons in a civil action, that a notice of termination is being filed or that the party seeking termination has not been able to find the other party after reasonable effort and that notice has been made by publication pursuant to (b) of this subsection.

     (b) When the other party cannot be found after reasonable effort, the party seeking termination may provide notice by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the residence most recently shared by the domestic partners is located. Notice must be published at least once.

     (2) The state registered domestic partnership shall be terminated effective ninety days after the date of filing the notice of termination and payment of the filing fee.

     (3) Upon receipt of a signed, notarized notice of termination, affidavit, if required, and the filing fee, the secretary shall register the notice of termination and provide a certificate of termination of the state registered domestic partnership to each party named on the notice. The secretary shall maintain a record of each notice of termination filed with the secretary and each certificate of termination issued by the secretary. The secretary shall provide the state registrar of vital statistics with records of terminations of state registered domestic partnerships, except for those state registered domestic partnerships terminated under subsection (4) of this section.

     (4) A state registered domestic partnership is automatically terminated if, subsequent to the registration of the domestic partnership with the secretary, either or both the parties enter into a marriage that is recognized as valid in this state, either with each other or with another person.

     (5) The secretary shall set by rule and collect a reasonable fee for filing the declaration, calculated to cover the secretary's costs, but not to exceed fifty dollars. Fees collected under this section are expressly designated for deposit in the secretary of state's revolving fund established under RCW 43.07.130.

[2007 c 156 § 6.]