Updated: 2026-10-15
Quick answer: An uncontested divorce, where both spouses agree on everything, usually takes about two to six months from filing to final judgment. A contested divorce commonly takes a year or more, and cases that go to trial can run two to three years. Your state sets the minimum: Florida requires 20 days after filing, Texas 60 days, Washington 90 days, and California six months from service before the marriage legally ends.
Legal disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice. Divorce waiting periods, procedures, and court schedules are set by each state and sometimes each county. For decisions about your own case, check your court’s self-help center or talk to a family-law attorney licensed in your state.
“How long will this take?” is usually the second question people ask after deciding to divorce. The honest answer has two parts. Your state’s law sets a minimum that no amount of agreement can beat. Everything above that minimum depends on how many issues you and your spouse still disagree about.
This guide gives you both parts: the statutory floor in six of the largest states, a step-by-step timeline, and the specific things that turn a four-month divorce into a two-year one. For the full filing process itself, see our step-by-step guide to how to get a divorce.
Table of Contents
- How long does a divorce take on average?
- What is the shortest time a divorce can take in your state?
- How long does each step of a divorce take?
- Why do some divorces take years?
- How long does a divorce take to be finalized once you agree?
- Does having children make a divorce take longer?
- How can you make a divorce go faster?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a divorce take on average?
Most uncontested divorces finish in two to six months, and most contested divorces take a year or longer. The single biggest factor is whether you and your spouse agree on property, debts, support, and, if you have children, custody and the parenting schedule. Each open issue adds disclosure, negotiation, and court dates.
The route you take matters almost as much as the conflict level. Our explainer on uncontested vs. contested divorce covers how those routes are defined. The ranges below are typical patterns, not guarantees; your county’s court calendar can move them in either direction.
| Divorce route | Typical time from filing to judgment | What sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Uncontested, no children | State minimum to about 3 months | The waiting period and how fast the clerk processes paperwork |
| Uncontested, with children | About 3 to 6 months | Waiting period, parenting class, parenting plan and support worksheet |
| Mediated settlement | About 4 to 9 months | Number of mediation sessions and financial disclosure |
| Contested, settled before trial | About 9 to 18 months | Discovery, valuations, negotiation between lawyers |
| Contested, decided at trial | 1 to 3 years | Court trial calendar, custody evaluations, expert witnesses |
Notice that the floor comes from the law and the ceiling comes from conflict. A couple who agrees on everything in week one still waits out the statutory period. A couple who agrees on nothing has no ceiling at all.
What is the shortest time a divorce can take in your state?
Your state’s waiting period is the legal minimum, and it ranges from none at all to six months or more. Some states count from the day you file; others count from the day your spouse is served. A few states have no post-filing wait but require a period of separation before you can file.
| State | Minimum wait | Clock starts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 6 months before the marriage legally ends | Service of the summons and petition, or the respondent’s appearance, whichever comes first | Cal. Fam. Code § 2339 |
| Texas | 60 days | The date the petition was filed | Tex. Fam. Code § 6.702 |
| Florida | 20 days | The date the petition was filed | Fla. Stat. § 61.19 |
| Washington | 90 days | Both filing and service must be 90 days past | RCW 26.09.030 |
| Arizona | 60 days | Service of process, or acceptance of service | A.R.S. § 25-329 |
| New York | No post-filing waiting period | Not applicable; the no-fault ground requires a breakdown of at least 6 months, sworn under oath | N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law § 170 |
Three details in those statutes change real timelines:
- California’s six months is a hard floor. Under § 2339, the court can extend the period for good cause but has no power to shorten it. You can finish your paperwork and get a judgment signed in month three, but the marriage does not end until the six-month mark passes.
- Texas and Florida allow narrow exceptions. Texas waives its 60-day wait when the respondent has been convicted of, or received deferred adjudication for, family violence against the petitioner or their household, or when the petitioner holds an active protective order based on family violence. Florida lets a judge enter judgment earlier on a showing that waiting would cause injustice.
- New York ties the judgment to resolution. Under § 170(7), no divorce judgment is granted on the no-fault ground until property division, support, counsel fees, and custody and visitation have been resolved by agreement or decided by the court. That rule is why a contested New York case has no fixed end date.
Some states use a separation requirement instead of, or alongside, a waiting period. North Carolina, for example, requires the spouses to live apart for a year before filing. Our marriage separation guide has a state-by-state table of those separation clocks, which work differently from the post-filing waits above.
How long does each step of a divorce take?
The filing itself takes a day; the time goes into service, the response period, financial disclosure, and resolving the issues. The sequence is the same in every state, even where the names of the forms differ. The table below follows California’s process because its court publishes each deadline, and notes where other states commonly differ.
| Step | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare and file the petition | 1 day to 2 weeks | Most of the time goes into gathering financial details and forms |
| Serve your spouse | A few days to several weeks | Longer if your spouse avoids service or cannot be located |
| Response period | About 30 days in California | Varies by state; if no response, the case can move toward a default judgment |
| Financial disclosure | Within 60 days of filing the petition or response in California | Delays here are the most common reason uncontested cases stall |
| Negotiation, mediation, or trial | Weeks (agreement) to a year or more (trial) | The step with no fixed length |
| Judgment entered | Days to several weeks after paperwork is submitted | Depends on the court’s processing backlog |
| Marriage legally ends | When both the judgment and any waiting period are complete | In California, no earlier than six months from service |
California’s court self-help center states directly that a divorce in California takes at least 6 months to finish, and its pages on responding and financial disclosures set out the 30-day and 60-day deadlines in the table above.
Why do some divorces take years?
A divorce takes years when there is a disputed issue that requires evidence the court has to gather or weigh. The waiting period is rarely the problem in a long case. The problem is the work that disagreement creates, and the court calendar that work has to fit into.
The most common causes of a long divorce:
- Custody disputes. A contested custody case can require a custody evaluation, a guardian ad litem, or both, each of which adds months before a hearing date.
- Hard-to-value assets. A business, a pension, stock options, or real estate in several places often needs a professional valuation, and each side may hire its own expert.
- Incomplete or slow financial disclosure. When one spouse delays producing bank records or tax returns, the other side has to file motions to compel them.
- Repeated temporary-order fights. Motions over temporary support, the family home, or the schedule each take their own hearing date.
- Court backlog. In busy counties, the wait for a trial date alone can be many months.
- A spouse who will not participate. This one surprises people: a spouse who ignores the case often makes it faster, because the court can move to a default judgment after the response deadline passes.
The cost of a divorce tracks the same causes almost exactly. Our breakdown of how much a divorce costs shows how fees climb with each of these issues.
How long does a divorce take to be finalized once you agree?
Once you have a signed settlement, finalizing usually takes a few days to a few weeks of court processing, unless your state’s waiting period has not yet run. You submit the settlement agreement and a proposed judgment, the judge reviews and signs it, and the clerk enters it. Many courts do this without a hearing for uncontested cases.
Two timing rules apply at the very end:
- The waiting period still controls. In Texas, a court may not grant a divorce before the 60th day after filing, even if you hand in a signed agreement on day 10. In California, a signed judgment does not end the marriage until six months from service.
- Remarriage can have its own wait. Texas bars either former spouse from marrying someone else before the 31st day after the divorce is decreed, unless the court waives it for good cause, under Tex. Fam. Code § 6.801. The former spouses may remarry each other at any time.
After the judgment is entered, request certified copies from the clerk. You will need them to change your name, update a mortgage or title, and change beneficiary designations.
Does having children make a divorce take longer?
Yes, usually by a few weeks to a few months, even when the parents agree. Courts must approve the arrangements for children, so a divorce with children involves more documents and, in many states, an extra requirement before the judgment.
What adds time when you have children:
- A parenting plan that sets out the weekly schedule, holidays, and decision-making. Our parenting plan template covers what judges look for.
- A child support calculation using your state’s guideline worksheet, which needs both parents’ income records.
- A parenting class in many states, which must be completed before the judgment. Our guide to co-parenting classes explains how to find one your court accepts.
- Mediation in custody disputes, which many courts order before a judge will hear the case. Our guide to custody mediation explains what happens in those sessions.
Couples with minor children are also excluded from the simplified “summary” divorce procedures some states offer, which are often the fastest route available.
How can you make a divorce go faster?
The fastest divorce is an uncontested one with complete paperwork filed the first time. You cannot shorten your state’s waiting period, but you can make sure nothing else adds to it.
Practical steps that save the most time:
- Gather financial records before you file. Two years of tax returns, recent pay stubs, bank and retirement statements, and debt balances cover most disclosure requirements.
- Serve your spouse promptly, or have them accept service. In states where the clock starts at service, every week of delay is a week added to the end.
- Resolve issues in writing early. A signed agreement on property and the parenting schedule turns a contested case into an uncontested one.
- Use mediation for the sticking points. One or two sessions on a single disputed issue is far faster than a contested hearing on it.
- Use your court’s own forms and checklist. Rejected filings for missing pages or signatures are a common and avoidable delay.
If you are not yet sure whether divorce or a separation is right for your family, our comparison of legal separation vs. divorce covers timelines for both.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a divorce take after filing papers?
At minimum, as long as your state’s waiting period: 20 days after filing in Florida, 60 days in Texas, 90 days in Washington, and six months from service in California. Most uncontested divorces are final within two to six months of filing, while contested cases often take a year or more.
Can you get a divorce in 30 days?
In a few states, yes, if the divorce is fully uncontested and the court processes it quickly. Florida’s waiting period is 20 days from filing, and New York has no post-filing waiting period. In states such as Texas, Arizona, Washington, and California, the law makes a 30-day divorce impossible.
How long does an uncontested divorce take in Texas?
At least 60 days, because a Texas court may not grant a divorce before the 60th day after the petition is filed. Many uncontested Texas divorces finish within about two to three months, depending on the county’s docket. The 60-day wait does not apply in certain family-violence cases.
How long does a divorce take in California?
At least six months, because California law does not let a marriage end until six months after the respondent is served or appears in the case. Uncontested cases often finish close to that mark; contested cases commonly take one to two years.
What happens if my spouse will not sign the divorce papers?
The divorce can still go forward. Once your spouse is properly served and the response deadline passes without a response, the court can proceed by default. A spouse’s refusal to sign usually delays a divorce less than a spouse who actively contests every issue.
