Divorce in Maryland

How to file for divorce in Maryland

1. Check residency. No residency period is required if the grounds for divorce arose in Maryland; otherwise one spouse must have lived in Maryland for 6 months before filing.
2. Prepare and file the Complaint for Absolute Divorce (Form CC-DR-020) with the Circuit Court in your county. The filing fee is typically $165, and you can ask for a fee waiver if you cannot afford it.
3. Serve your spouse, or have them sign an acceptance of service, and file proof of service.
4. Exchange financial disclosures. Both spouses must file a Financial Statement, using Form CC-DR-030 when combined monthly net income is $30,000 or less, or CC-DR-031 for higher incomes.
5. Settle the issues in a written agreement, and a parenting plan if you have children.
6. Wait out the waiting period. No waiting period for Mutual Consent or Irreconcilable Differences divorce; a 6-month separation is required only if using the 6-Month Separation ground. Then ask the court for your final judgment.

Residency and grounds

Residency: No residency period is required if the grounds for divorce arose in Maryland; otherwise one spouse must have lived in Maryland for 6 months before filing.

Grounds: No-fault only. You do not need to prove anyone did anything wrong.

Separation: Not required for Mutual Consent or Irreconcilable Differences grounds; 6 months living separate and apart without interruption is required only for the 6-Month Separation ground (same-roof separation can qualify if spouses are living separate lives).

How property is divided

Maryland uses equitable distribution. Marital property and debts are divided fairly, which often lands near equal but not always. Courts weigh things like the length of the marriage, each spouse's income and earning capacity, and contributions as a homemaker. Read how property is divided.

Custody and child support

Parenting terms: Maryland uses the terms legal custody and physical custody. Every decision is made in the child's best interests.

Parenting class: Required in most counties for parents of minor children, typically a 6-hour class costing around $25.

Child support: Maryland uses the income shares model, which combines both parents' incomes, estimates what parents at that income usually spend on children, and divides that amount by each parent's share of income. Try the child support calculator.

Spousal support

Maryland alimony (pendente lite, rehabilitative, or indefinite) can only be ordered before the final divorce decree is entered; there is no post-decree alimony claim.

Estimate a range with the spousal support calculator, then have a lawyer check it if the numbers are large.

Faster and simpler options

Maryland does not have a separate simplified procedure, but an uncontested divorce with a signed agreement is fast and inexpensive.

Legal separation: not offered in Maryland as a separate case.

How long it takes

The minimum is set by the waiting period: no waiting period for Mutual Consent or Irreconcilable Differences divorce; a 6-month separation is required only if using the 6-Month Separation ground. A typical timeline is mutual Consent divorces can finalize in as little as a few weeks to a couple of months; other uncontested cases typically take 1 to 4 months. Agreement is what moves the date most; contested cases add months of disclosures, discovery and hearings.

Worth knowing in Maryland

• Maryland abolished all fault-based grounds and its formal limited divorce/legal separation process effective October 1, 2023.
• Courts cannot directly split titled property; instead they order a monetary payment to equalize an unequal division.
• The $165 filing fee reflects the statewide schedule effective October 1, 2025, and fee waivers are available for qualifying low-income filers.

Official resources

Official forms and instructions come from Maryland's courts. Sources we reviewed:

• mdcourts.gov
• peoples-law.org

Last reviewed September 2026. Laws and fees change; confirm with your court before you file.