| # | State | Waiting period | Residency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | A mutual-consent divorce has no separation waiting period; timing depends on the court’s calendar. | If the grounds arose in Maryland, you only need to be a resident when you file… |
| 2 | Alaska | For a joint dissolution, a hearing is held about 30+ days after filing. | You must be an Alaska resident when you file (no minimum length). |
| 3 | Nevada | No waiting period — a joint petition can be granted as soon as the court processes it. | Only 6 weeks of residency by one spouse — the shortest in the country — plus a… |
| 4 | Montana | No fixed post-filing wait for a joint petition; timing depends on the court. | One spouse must have been domiciled in Montana for 90 days. |
| 5 | Illinois | No fixed post-filing waiting period for an agreed divorce; a 6-month separation creates a presumption of… | One spouse must have lived in Illinois for 90 days before the judgment. (750 ILCS 5/401) |
| 6 | District of Columbia | No post-filing statutory waiting period. | One spouse must have lived in DC for 6 months before filing. |
| 7 | New Mexico | No statutory waiting period; timing depends on the court’s calendar. | One spouse must have been domiciled in New Mexico for 6 months before filing. |
| 8 | North Dakota | No post-filing waiting period; stipulated (agreed) divorces are usually granted on the papers without a hearing. | The plaintiff must have lived in North Dakota for 6 months before filing. |
| 9 | Hawaii | No separation period; uncontested cases can often be decided by affidavit without a hearing (varies by circuit). | One spouse must have been domiciled or physically present in Hawaii for 6 months before… |
| 10 | North Carolina | No post-filing waiting period, but you must have been separated for a full year before you file; the other spouse has… | One spouse must have lived in North Carolina for 6 months before filing. |
| 11 | Oregon | No waiting period — Oregon abolished the old 90-day wait in 2011, so a judge can sign as soon as the paperwork is… | One spouse must have lived in Oregon for 6 months (unless you were married in Oregon). |
| 12 | Minnesota | No statutory post-filing waiting period; an agreed dissolution can move as fast as the court’s calendar allows. | One spouse must have lived in Minnesota for 180 days before filing. |
| 13 | New Jersey | No statutory post-filing waiting period; the irreconcilable differences must have existed for at least 6 months before… | One spouse must have lived in NJ for at least 12 months before filing (except for the… |
| 14 | West Virginia | No fixed post-filing waiting period; the one-year separation ground requires the year of living apart first. | One spouse must have lived in West Virginia for 1 year (or you married in WV and one… |
| 15 | South Carolina | The one-year separation is the main requirement; the case then proceeds to a final hearing. | The plaintiff must have lived in South Carolina for 1 year (or 3 months if both spouses… |
| 16 | New Hampshire | No statutory waiting period; timing depends on the court’s calendar. | Both spouses domiciled in NH, or the petitioner domiciled here with the other spouse… |
| 17 | New York | No fixed post-filing waiting period. The marriage must have been irretrievably broken for at least 6 months before you… | One spouse must generally have lived in NY for at least 1 year with a NY connection… |
| 18 | Oklahoma | A decree can issue 10 days after filing with no minor children, or 90 days with minor children (waivable for cause); a… | One spouse must have lived in Oklahoma for 6 months and in the filing county for 30 days. |
| 19 | Idaho | No long statutory wait; a divorce cannot be finalized sooner than 20 days after service on the default timeline. | One spouse must have been an Idaho resident for 6 full weeks (42 days) — one of the… |
| 20 | Wyoming | A 20-day minimum from the filing of the complaint before the decree (measured from filing, not service). | One spouse must have lived in Wyoming for 60 days before filing — one of the shortest in… |
| 21 | Florida | At least 20 days between filing and the final hearing (a judge can waive this only to avoid injustice). | At least one spouse must have lived in Florida for 6 months before filing (proved by a… |
| 22 | Arkansas | A divorce cannot be granted sooner than 30 days after filing. | One spouse must meet Arkansas’s residency requirement (generally 60 days before filing… |
| 23 | Missouri | A 30-day minimum after filing before a judgment can be entered. | One spouse must have lived in Missouri for 90 days before filing. |
| 24 | Utah | A 30-day waiting period between filing and the final decree (waivable for extraordinary circumstances). | One spouse must have lived in a single Utah county for 3 months before filing. |
| 25 | Alabama | A 30-day waiting period after filing before the final decree. (Ala. Code § 30-2-8.1) | The plaintiff (or the defendant) must have lived in Alabama for 6 months before filing. |
| 26 | Massachusetts | After a 1A joint petition is approved, judgment nisi enters about 30 days later and becomes absolute 90 days after… | One spouse must have lived in MA for at least 1 year, OR the grounds for divorce… |
| 27 | Georgia | A judgment cannot be entered sooner than 31 days after the other spouse is served or acknowledges service. | One spouse must have lived in Georgia for 6 months before filing. |
| 28 | South Dakota | A mandatory 60-day waiting period from service of the summons/complaint before the decree. | No minimum length — you must be a bona fide South Dakota resident when you file and stay… |
| 29 | Tennessee | A waiting period from filing of 60 days without minor children, or 90 days with minor children. (T.C.A. § 36-4-101) | If the grounds arose out of state, one spouse must have lived in Tennessee for 6 months… |
| 30 | Kansas | A 60-day waiting period after filing before the decree (an emergency waiver is possible). | One spouse must have lived in Kansas for 60 days before filing — one of the shortest… |
| 31 | Arizona | A 60-day waiting period after the other spouse is served before the decree can be entered. | One spouse must have been domiciled in Arizona for 90 days before filing. |
| 32 | Maine | A 60-day waiting period between filing/service and the final hearing. | The plaintiff must have lived in Maine for 6 months (with alternatives if you married in… |
| 33 | Mississippi | The complaint must be on file at least 60 days before the divorce can be granted. | One spouse must have lived in Mississippi for 6 months before filing. |
| 34 | Kentucky | The spouses must have lived apart for 60 days before the decree can enter ("living apart" can include the same… | One spouse must have lived in Kentucky for 180 days before filing. (KRS 403.140) |
| 35 | Indiana | A mandatory 60-day waiting period after filing before the decree — it cannot be waived, even in a fully agreed case.… | One spouse must have lived in Indiana for 6 months and in the filing county for 3… |
| 36 | Michigan | A statutory wait after filing: 60 days with no minor children, or 6 months (180 days) with children (reducible to 60… | One spouse must have lived in Michigan for 180 days and in the filing county for 10 days. |
| 37 | Texas | A 60-day waiting period from the day you file before the divorce can be finalized (waived only in family-violence… | One spouse must have lived in Texas for 6 months and in the filing county for 90 days.… |
| 38 | Nebraska | A 60-day waiting period after service before the decree; it becomes final after 30 days, but neither spouse can… | One spouse must have lived in Nebraska for 1 year (or you married in Nebraska and have… |
| 39 | Washington | A 90-day waiting period from the date you file and serve before the court can finalize the divorce. | No length-of-residency requirement — you only need to be a Washington resident when you… |
| 40 | Vermont | A 3-month "nisi" period after the decree before it becomes final (can be shortened/waived). | You must have lived in Vermont for 6 months to file, and one spouse for a year before… |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | For a mutual-consent divorce, a 90-day waiting period runs from when the complaint is served before both spouses sign… | One spouse must have lived in Pennsylvania for at least 6 months before filing. |
| 42 | Ohio | In a dissolution, the court holds a hearing 30–90 days after filing, and both spouses must appear. | One spouse must have lived in Ohio for 6 months (and usually 90 days in the county)… |
| 43 | Connecticut | The standard track has about a 90-day waiting period after the "return date" (waivable by joint motion); the… | Generally one spouse must have lived in Connecticut for 12 months before the divorce is… |
| 44 | Iowa | A 90-day waiting period after the original notice is served before the decree can enter. | The petitioner must have been an Iowa resident for 1 year (unless the other spouse is an… |
| 45 | Colorado | A mandatory 91-day waiting period from filing (or from service) before the decree can enter — it cannot be waived. | One spouse must have been domiciled in Colorado for 91 days before filing. |
| 46 | Wisconsin | A mandatory 120-day waiting period from filing/service to the final hearing. | One spouse must have lived in Wisconsin for 6 months and in the filing county for 30 days. |
| 47 | Louisiana | You must live separate and apart for 180 days (365 days with minor children) as part of the process. | One spouse must be domiciled in Louisiana; venue must be the correct parish (this is… |
| 48 | Virginia | The main wait is the separation period itself (6 months or 1 year); after that, an uncontested divorce can often… | One spouse must have been a resident and domiciliary of Virginia for 6 months before… |
| 49 | Delaware | The 6-month separation is the main requirement before the decree can enter. | One spouse must have been a Delaware resident for 6 months before filing. |
| 50 | California | At least 6 months from the date your spouse is served (or first appears) before your marriage can legally end. (Fam.… | You must have lived in California for 6 months and in the county where you file for 3… |
| 51 | Rhode Island | Expect about 5–6 months total: a nominal hearing about 2.5 months after filing, and final judgment cannot enter until… | One spouse must have lived in Rhode Island for 1 year. |
Timelines are approximate and depend on your court’s calendar; the residency requirement can also affect how soon you can file.
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General information ranked from official 2026 sources; not legal advice. LawCat is not a law firm.