What is a no-fault divorce?
Does it mean they can cheat and lie and steal? Cheating always seems to be a big concern that people getting a divorce feel like cheating should matter. A No-Fault Divorce is a law in which the parties do not need to prove someone is cheating or doing bad things to get a divorce. Years ago in order to get a divorce, you would have to prove they were cheating just to be granted a divorce. No-fault divorce laws were put in place so basically no reason is necessary to be granted a divorce, and you do not have to prove any fault on the part of the other spouse, often called irreconcilable differences or incompatibility. There are some states that do not have a no-fault law. Check our list below to see the status of our state.
The next question everyone asks is do the things my spouse is doing matter? The things that matter in divorce will be addressed by your lawyer, if they are stealing money you will need to prove money is missing. Divorce is part of family court and it is not a criminal court so the way we think things should matter doesn’t often apply. The discovery of money being stolen in this example would benefit you to prove to get more money onto your side of the division table.
How long does it take to get a divorce?
We have also gathered The time requirements and waiting periods for each state.
Alabama | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days Period: 30 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Alaska | Residency requirement: N/A Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days Waiting Period: 30 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Arizona | Residency requirement: 3 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-80 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Arkansas | Residency requirement: 2 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 18 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
California | Residency requirement: N/A Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 180 Days Waiting Period: 6 months after the spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Colorado | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 90-120 Days Waiting Period: 90 days after filing or spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Connecticut | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 18 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-90 Days Waiting Period: 30 days after spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Delaware | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 6 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
District of Columbia | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 6 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 45-90 Days Waiting Period: 30 days after filing. (Can be waived) At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Florida | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days Waiting Period: 20 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Georgia | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Hawaii | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 24 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-90 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
Idaho | Residency requirement: 1 Month Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days Waiting Period: 20 days after spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Illinois | Residency requirement: 3 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 24 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
Indiana | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-90 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce:No |
Iowa | Residency requirement: N/A Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 90-120 Days Waiting Period: 90 days after spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Kansas | Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-90 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Kentucky | Prior Separation Requirement: 60 Days Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-90 Days Waiting Period: 30 days after filing if no children. 60 days if you have children. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Louisiana | Residency requirement: N/A Prior Separation Requirement: 6 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 180-390 Days Waiting Period: 180 days after filing if no children. 365 days if you have children. 20-45 days if spouse is at fault. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Maine | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days Waiting Period: 30 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Maryland | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Massachusetts | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 180 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
Michigan | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-180 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after filing if no children. 180 days if you have children. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Minnesota | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-45 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
Mississippi | Residency requirement: 3 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-90 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Missouri | Residency requirement: 3 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-45 Days Waiting Period: 30 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Montana | Residency requirement: 3 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 6 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 20-30 Days Waiting Period: 20 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Nebraska | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 90 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after the spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Nevada | Residency requirement: 1 Month Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 14-28 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
New Hampshire | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 24 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 60 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
New Jersey | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 18 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 60 Days Waiting Period: 180 days of irreconcilable differences. At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
New Mexico | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
New York | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-45 Days Waiting Period: 180 days of irreconcilable differences. At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
North Carolina | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-60 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
North Dakota | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-90 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
Ohio | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-90 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
Oklahoma | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 14-90 Days Waiting Period: 90 days if you have children. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Oregon | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 45-60 Days At-Fault Divorce: No |
Pennsylvania | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 3 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 90-120 Days Waiting Period: 90 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Rhode Island | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 36 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 150 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
South Carolina | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30-120 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
South Dakota | Residency requirement: N/A Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-90 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after the spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Tennessee | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 24 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-90 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after filing if no children. 90 days if you have children. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Texas | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 36 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 60-90 Days Waiting Period: 60 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Utah | Residency requirement: 3 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 36 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 30 Days Waiting Period: 30 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Vermont | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 6 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 90 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Virginia | Residency requirement:v 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 15-45 Days At-Fault Divorce: Yes |
Washington | Residency requirement: N/A Prior Separation Requirement: vN/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 90 Days Waiting Period: 90 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
West Virginia | Residency requirement: 12 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 20-30 Days Waiting Period: 20 days after filing. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Wisconsin | Residency requirement: 6 Months Prior Separation Requirement: 12 Months Time to Finalize Divorce: 120 Days Waiting Period: 120 days after spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |
Wyoming | Residency requirement: 2 Months Prior Separation Requirement: N/A Time to Finalize Divorce: 20-30 Days Waiting Period: 20 days after the spouse is served. At-Fault Divorce: No |