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Filing for divorce in Connecticut

What you file, where you file, what it costs, and the rules that catch people out. Compiled from Connecticut court and statute sources.

How to read these entries.

This is general legal information compiled from state court websites, state statutes, and official self-help materials. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with anyone.

Why we publish it. Most people meet the family law system once, at the worst moment of their life, knowing nothing about it. That gap is where people get overcharged and poorly served. This page exists so you can walk in already knowing roughly how your state works, ask sharper questions, and recognize when an answer does not sound right. It is here to help you hold your attorney to a standard, not to replace what they do.

Talk to a lawyer licensed in your state. That is the normal path, not a fallback for when something goes wrong. Nothing here can account for the facts of your marriage, your finances, or your children, and those facts are usually what determines the outcome. Many states also have free legal aid and court self-help centers, and we link to them by state.

Verify before you rely on anything. Every entry cites its source. Follow that citation to the official state site and confirm it still says what we say it says, and that it applies to your situation. Filing fees, form numbers, e-filing rules, and local standing orders change frequently, and a form number that was right last year can get your filing rejected today.

The same state can treat you very differently depending on whether your spouse agrees, whether you have minor children, whether you file jointly or alone, and which county or judge hears it. Waiting periods run from filing in some states and from service in others. Deadlines described here as fixed are the statutory default, and a judge may still have narrow discretion in an emergency.

If you are in danger, do not wait on any of these timelines. An order of protection is a separate and much faster process than a divorce, and it does not depend on any waiting period described on this page.

Your roadmap
What you file
JD-FM-159 Divorce Complaint, and JD-FM-3 Summons for Family Actions
JD-FM-158 Notice of Automatic Court Orders, effective the moment you sign
JD-CL-12 Appearance form, left blank for your spouse
JD-FM-6 Financial Affidavit, short form under $75,000 or long form above
JD-FM-164 Affidavit Concerning Children and JD-FM-220 Child Support Worksheet, if you have children
JD-FM-163 Case Management Agreement, due before your case management date
JD-FM-242 Joint Petition and JD-FM-243 Agreement, for the nonadversarial track
JD-FM-181 Dissolution of Marriage Report, and JD-FM-75 for a fee waiver
Where you fileSuperior Court in the judicial district where you or your spouse lives. The clerk helps you pick a return date, which must be a Tuesday.
What it costs$360 plus roughly $40 to $75 for a state marshal. Waivable with JD-FM-75.
The sequence
1. Choose your track. If you qualify, the nonadversarial joint petition can finish in about 35 days and needs no summons or service.
2. Prepare the complaint, summons, and automatic orders notice, then pick your return date with the clerk.
3. Have a state marshal serve your spouse at least 12 days before the return date, either in hand or at their residence.
4. Exchange financial affidavits within 30 days of the return date, and complete the parenting education program within 60 days if you have children.
5. File the case management agreement before your case management date.
6. Wait the 90 days from the return date, then attend the final hearing for the judge to enter the decree.
The automatic orders bind you the moment you sign and bind your spouse on service. They bar draining accounts, changing beneficiaries, taking on unusual debt, and removing children from the state, and judges treat early violations seriously.
Court forms

Connecticut files a Complaint for Dissolution of Marriage (JD-FM-159) and Summons in the Superior Court, with a court-assigned "Return Date." The filing fee is $360 plus service by a state marshal (about $50). A faster nonadversarial track exists for short marriages with no children and a full agreement.

Connecticut Judicial Branch: divorce forms and self-helpOfficial JD-FM dissolution forms, financial affidavits, and step-by-step guidance.
State rules and gotchas

A full year of residency and a 90-day wait from your "Return Date" Verified Jul 2026

Connecticut has one of the longer residency rules: a decree cannot enter until one spouse has lived here 12 months, though you can file earlier and let the clock run. After filing, a mandatory 90-day waiting period runs from a court-assigned "Return Date," not the filing date. A faster nonadversarial track exists for short marriages with no children and full agreement.

Source: CGS Sections 46b-44 and 46b-67. Confirm the current rule with the court before relying on it.

Connecticut is an "all-property" state, so nothing is automatically safe Verified Jul 2026

Unlike most states, Connecticut lets the court divide any asset either spouse owns, including property you brought into the marriage, gifts, and inheritances. There is no automatic protection for separate property and no 50/50 presumption, though in practice judges often leave premarital and inherited assets with their owner. Once entered, the property division is final and generally cannot be modified.

Source: CGS Section 46b-81. Confirm with the court.

Fault will not change your property split, but it can change your alimony Verified Jul 2026

Connecticut is one of only about a dozen states where marital misconduct still matters for spousal support. Adultery or cruelty is one of the factors a judge weighs on alimony, so it can raise or lower an award, even though fault is not a factor in dividing property.

Source: CGS Section 46b-82. Confirm with the court.

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