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Utah law currently allows couples who live together and present themselves as married, without a formal ceremony or marriage license, to ask a court at any time to legally recognize their relationship as a valid marriage, provided they meet certain conditions such as being of legal age, living together, and being publicly known as spouses. This bill would eliminate that open-ended option by requiring anyone seeking this kind of court recognition to file their petition before May 5, 2027; starting May 6, 2026, petitions could only be filed during the relationship or within one year after it ends, and after May 5, 2027, no new petitions could be filed at all. The underlying requirements a couple must meet to have their marriage recognized would stay the same, but the ability to seek recognition of an unsolemnized marriage would permanently end after the 2027 deadline.