Reviewed July 2026
Filing for Divorce in Connecticut
A plain-language look at how divorce works under Connecticut law: who can file, how long it takes, what it costs, and where Connecticut's own court forms and self-help resources are.
Virdix's document-preparation product currently prepares divorce paperwork for California cases only. This page explains how the process works under Connecticut law, using Connecticut's own court forms and self-help resources, for people researching before they file. It is not legal advice, and Virdix does not prepare or file Connecticut divorce paperwork. See how Virdix works for California divorces.
Connecticut calls the action "dissolution of marriage," not divorce, throughout its statutes and forms (Conn. Gen. Stat. Title 46b, Chapter 815j; form JD-FM-159 is titled "Divorce Complaint (Dissolution of Marriage)"). Its procedural clock is unusually tied to the "return date", a specific Tuesday the case is made returnable to, rather than the filing or service date: the 90-day floor before a contested trial can start, and the 30- or 60-day floors before a default judgment can enter, all run from that return date, not from when the complaint was filed. Connecticut's equitable distribution statute (§ 46b-81) is also broader than most states': the court can assign "all or any part of the estate of the other spouse" with no categorical carve-out for separate or inherited property, unlike states that wall off premarital assets from division by default. Separately, the nonadversarial dissolution track (§§ 46b-44a-d) is a genuinely distinct statutory procedure, not merely an "uncontested" label, eligible couples file a sworn joint petition and can get a decree without ever appearing before a judge, on a disposition-date timeline of about 30-35 days.
Grounds for divorce in Connecticut
No-fault grounds
- The marriage has broken down irretrievably
- The parties have lived apart due to incompatibility for a continuous period of at least 18 months immediately before service of the complaint with no reasonable prospect of reconciliation
Fault-based grounds
- Adultery
- Fraudulent contract
- Willful desertion for one year with total neglect of duty
- Seven years' absence with no word from the absent party
- Habitual intemperance
- Intolerable cruelty
- Sentence to life imprisonment or an infamous crime involving violation of conjugal duty punishable by more than one year
- Confinement for mental illness for an accumulated 5 of the preceding 6 years
In practice nearly all Connecticut filings use the irretrievable-breakdown no-fault ground.
Source: cga.ct.gov
Who can file: residency rules
There is no minimum residency period to file the complaint, a complaint for dissolution of marriage or legal separation may be filed at any time after either party has established residence in Connecticut. However, a final decree cannot be entered unless, by the time of the decree, one of three tests is met: (1) one party has been a Connecticut resident for at least the 12 months immediately preceding the filing of the complaint or preceding the date of the decree; or (2) one party was domiciled in Connecticut at the time of the marriage and returned to Connecticut intending to remain permanently before filing; or (3) the cause for the dissolution arose after either party moved into Connecticut. There is no additional in-county residency requirement, filing is by Judicial District, not county.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-44
Source: cga.ct.gov
How long it takes
Connecticut ties its waiting periods to the case's statutory "return date" rather than to the filing date. No contested trial for dissolution or legal separation may commence until at least 90 days after the return date. If the defendant does not appear after personal or abode service, the plaintiff may seek a default judgment no sooner than 30 days after the return date; if the defendant was served by another method (e.g., publication), a default judgment requires a hearing held at least 60 days after the return date. The nonadversarial (joint petition) track runs on a different clock: the case is assigned a disposition date at least 30 days after the joint petition is filed, and the court may enter the decree on that date or up to 5 days later without a hearing, commonly described as 35 days or less.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-67
Source: cga.ct.gov
That figure is the statutory floor, not a promise. Service, exchanging financial disclosures, and the court's own hearing calendar routinely add time on top of it, and a contested case takes longer than an uncontested one regardless of the minimum. California, by comparison, requires a mandatory six month waiting period from the date of service.
Cost and filing fees
$360 statewide. Connecticut's court fee schedule does not have a line item specific to "dissolution of marriage", dissolution actions are entered as a family case type but charged under the general statewide entry fee for a "Civil cause (including paternity actions) except as shown below," which is $360 under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-259 (fee schedule revised effective September 21, 2023, current as of this verification). This fee is set by state statute and does not vary by judicial district or county.
Source: jud.ct.gov
California's own statewide filing fee is generally $435 to $450 statewide, with a fee waiver available for those who qualify.
Divorce forms and papers
The petition
JD-FM-159, "Divorce Complaint (Dissolution of Marriage)" (Rev. 1-26), citing Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46b-40, 46b-45, 46b-56c, 46b-84 and Practice Book § 25-2 et seq. A parallel form, JD-FM-159A, is used for dissolution of a civil union. For the separate nonadversarial track (see simplifiedProcedureAvailable), the operative petition is JD-FM-242, "Joint Petition, Nonadversarial Divorce (Dissolution of Marriage)." Connecticut uses standardized numbered Judicial Branch forms rather than attorney-drafted pleadings for the petition itself.
Source: jud.ct.gov
Fee waiver
JD-FM-75, "Application for Waiver of Fees/Payment of Costs/Appointment of Counsel - Family" (Rev. 12-21), authorized under Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46b-160(d), 46b-231, 52-259b and Practice Book §§ 8-2, 25-63, 63-6. (Civil, housing, and small claims matters use the separate form JD-CV-120 instead.)
Source: jud.ct.gov
Connecticut publishes fillable forms for this process.
California uses standardized Judicial Council forms, starting with the Petition (Form FL-100), across every county. See California's own divorce forms.
Filing online
Statewide system (one platform for the whole state, not county-by-county). E-filing is mandatory for attorneys and law firms that do not hold an exemption, for civil (including family) case types designated as e-filable. For self-represented parties, e-filing is permitted but optional, they may enroll in E-Services to file and access their case electronically, or continue filing on paper with the clerk.
Source: jud.ct.gov
Uncontested and simplified divorce
Connecticut offers a distinct simplified or summary track.
Yes, a distinct statutory "nonadversarial dissolution of marriage" track under Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46b-44a to 46b-44d, filed by joint petition (JD-FM-242) rather than complaint, that can result in a decree without either party appearing before a judge. Both parties must attest under oath that all of the following are true: the marriage lasted 9 years or less; neither party is pregnant; no children were born to or adopted by the parties before or during the marriage; neither party has any interest or title in real property; the combined fair market value of all property owned by either party (less debt) is under $80,000; neither party has a defined benefit pension plan; neither has a pending bankruptcy petition; no other dissolution/legal separation/annulment action is pending; and no restraining or protective order is in effect between them. This is a separate legal track from an ordinary "uncontested" dissolution filed on the standard JD-FM-159 complaint, which still requires a return date, a hearing, and generally the 90-day contested-trial floor does not apply but the case still proceeds through the regular family docket.
Source: cga.ct.gov
California's equivalent is uncontested divorce in California, which uses the same statewide forms as any other case but moves faster once both spouses agree on every term.
Filing without a lawyer
Connecticut allows self-represented filers, and most divorces filed in the state proceed this way. Because Virdix prepares paperwork for California cases only, a Connecticut filer handling their own case works directly from Connecticut's own forms and self-help materials rather than a Virdix-prepared packet. Connecticut's official self-help resources are the direct source for the current forms and instructions.
For how self-representation works in the state Virdix does serve, see divorce without a lawyer in California and DIY divorce vs. hiring a lawyer.
More about divorce in Connecticut
How property is divided
Equitable distribution, but notably broad in scope. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-81, the Superior Court may assign to either spouse "all or any part of the estate of the other spouse", Connecticut does not categorically exempt separate, premarital, or inherited property from division the way many equitable-distribution states do. The court weighs factors including length of the marriage, the cause of the breakdown, age, health, occupation, income, earning capacity, vocational skills, education, employability, estate, liabilities, needs, and each party's contribution to acquiring, preserving, or growing the marital estate (including as a homemaker).
Source: cga.ct.gov
Court structure
Dissolution actions are filed in the Connecticut Superior Court, in the Judicial District where either party resides (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-44a for the nonadversarial track; the standard complaint form JD-FM-159 likewise requires stating the Judicial District). Connecticut has a single trial court of general jurisdiction rather than a separate freestanding family court; family matters are handled through the Superior Court's family docket and Family Services offices located within each judicial district.
Source: jud.ct.gov
Serving the other spouse
The standard complaint package (summons JD-FM-3, complaint JD-FM-159, and notice of automatic court orders JD-FM-158) must be served on the other spouse, typically by a state marshal (personal or abode service). The parties can avoid marshal service by both signing a Certification of Waiver of Service of Process (JD-FM-249). If the defendant is served but does not file an appearance, and there are no children of the marriage and no property or financial orders sought, the plaintiff may move for default judgment (JD-FM-272) once at least 30 days have passed since the return date.
Source: jud.ct.gov
Spousal support
No formulaic alimony guideline or calculator. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-82, alimony (amount and duration) is entirely within the court's discretion, based on the same broad list of factors used for property division (length of marriage, cause of dissolution, age, health, station, occupation, income, earning capacity, vocational skills, education, employability, estate and needs of each party, the property division award, and, for a custodial parent, the feasibility of that parent pursuing employment).
Source: cga.ct.gov
Parenting class requirement
Required.
Yes, when a minor child is involved. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-69b requires the court to order both parties to complete a Judicial Department parenting education program covering child development, the impact of separation on children, conflict management, and cooperative parenting, unless the parties agree (with court approval) to skip it, the court finds it unnecessary on motion, or the parties complete a comparable outside program. Cost is capped at $200 per participant, payable directly to the service provider, and no one may be excluded for inability to pay. Tracked on Judicial Branch form JD-FM-149.
Source: cga.ct.gov
Residency exceptions
A person who served or is serving in the U.S. armed forces or merchant marine, and who was a Connecticut resident at the time of entry, is deemed to have continuously resided in Connecticut throughout their service for purposes of the residency requirement (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-44(d)).
Source: cga.ct.gov
California is the only state on this site with a full county-by-county breakdown. See how California's divorce process compares across its 58 counties.
This page is general information about Connecticut divorce procedure, not legal advice for your situation. Laws, fees, and forms change over time; confirm current details with Connecticut's own courts before relying on anything here. Virdix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law in Connecticut, and does not prepare or file Connecticut divorce paperwork. It is not a substitute for an attorney licensed in Connecticut.