General information
According to the Washington State Bar Association's brochure Dissolution: What you should know..., various procedures may be used to end a marriage, including separation, annulment, and dissolution.
A legal separation follows the same process as a divorce case but ends with a Final Legal Separation Order rather than a Final Divorce Order. A legal separation may be preferred to a dissolution for religious, economic, or other reasons
Annulment is a court-ordered dissolution of an invalid marriage. Technically called a “Decree of Invalidity,” it nullifies a marriage from its inception and is granted in situations where no valid marriage exists because of some legal defect.
If a marriage is considered “irretrievably broken,” one or both partners may seek a dissolution of the relationship. This court proceeding legally terminates a marriage, and makes provisions for the parenting of minor children, family support, and division of property and liabilities. In Washington, a spouse does not have to prove wrongdoing to obtain a divorce (now legally called a “dissolution of marriage”).
The laws about these proceedings are in RCW Chapter 26.09.
Washington LawHelp has information about separation, invalidity, and typical divorce proceedings including:
Information from two Washington law firms:
- Divorce 101 and Options for Divorce Process webinars from Beresford Booth PLLC
- Divorce in Washington State: Overview & How-To Guide from Genesis Law Firm
An outline of the general steps in a typical divorce (dissolution) case can be found on the steps in a family law case page.
Clark County's Family Court Facilitator program provides assistance to individuals who choose to represent themselves in matters dealing with many family law issues. The facilitator is available for in-person assistance by appointment for a fee.
Forms and instructions
Washington State's official mandatory pattern forms for divorce (dissolution) cases are on the State Court website. The forms are listed in the order they are filed in a typical divorce.
Clark County's Family Court Facilitator has instructions and checklists of forms for many family law cases including divorce (dissolution) and separation. These checklists may include more forms than you get from the Washington LawHelp website, or include forms that are optional on that website, so you should always review the appropriate checklist to ensure you have all needed forms:
Washington LawHelp has forms and instructions for typical divorce proceedings:
- Divorce guide is a detailed step-by-step guide to the divorce process
- Get Family and Safety Forms helps you select forms for filing, responding, emergency and temporary orders, and more
- Divorce interactive interviews to file for or respond to a divorce
Depending on your income, you can ask the court to order your spouse to pay money for you to hire a lawyer.
Washington LawHelp has a guide with instructions that can help you fill out the parenting plan court form (FL All Family 140). There is also an interactive interview that you can use to fill out the form:
Clark County Superior Court Local Court Rule LCR 0.6 includes a suggested parenting time schedule for school-age children whose parents live in the same geographic location.
If you are asking for child support as part of your dissolution case, see the child support page.
If you want to add immediate and/or temporary orders to your case, Washington LawHelp has forms and instructions:
For additional information about immediate and temporary orders, see the steps in a family law case page and the Clark County Family Law Facilitator's Family Law Instructions.
If you already filed your family law case and want to change something in your Petition after the other side responds:
If you already have a legal separation and want to convert it to a divorce, the Clark County's Family Court Facilitator has instructions and a checklist of forms:
Additional resources
Resources that are available from the State Court include:
- Family Law Handbook - marriage edition with information about marriage and divorce
- Family Law Handbook - domestic partnership edition with information about domestic partnerships and dissolution
Navigate Law Group has helpful blog posts:
- How to file and prepare for your contested child custody/parenting plan hearing
- How to settle outside of court
Law Office of Erin Bradley McAleer has helpful blog posts:
- What to Do if Your Spouse Refuses to Sign Divorce Papers
- Can a Child Choose Which Parent to Live With in Washington State?
- How Long Do I Have to Pay Spousal Support? - Factors That Affect the Duration of Payments
Washington LawHelp has information about enforcing the final divorce orders:
Additional print resources about divorce and dissolution as well as other family law topics are available at the law library.
