Wisconsin Divorce Laws
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The following is a summary of Wisconsin divorce laws, and is by no means intended to be an all-inclusive description of what to expect in your particular case. In some cases, the exact text of the statute may have been simplified and/or modified to provide for easier understanding. For a more specific understanding of the laws, you should consult the full Wisconsin Statutes and/or consult with an attorney about how the law might apply to your particular situation.

 

Wisconsin Residency Laws.
To file for divorce under Wisconsin laws, at least one party must have been a bona fide resident of the county where the divorce papers are filed for at least 30 days, and a bona fide resident of Wisconsin for at least 6 months, immediately before filing the divorce papers.

-From 767.05(1m) of the Wisconsin Statutes.

 

Grounds for Divorce.
The court can grant a judgment of divorce if the marriage is irretrievably broken.

-From 767.07 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

 

Final Divorce Hearing.
The final hearing can't be held until 120 days after service of the summons and divorce petition upon the respondent, or if a joint petition is filed, 120 days after the filing of the joint petition. If either party's health or safety, or the party's child(ren)'s health or safety, is in danger, or there are other emergency reasons for granting a divorce sooner, the court may consider a motion to grant the divorce sooner.

-From 767.083 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

 

Additional Information.
The court may order the parties to attend a parenting program concerning the effects of divorce on a child, if the parties have children and if the court determines the program will be appropriate and in the best interests of the child. The parties don't have to attend at the same time if domestic abuse has occurred.

The parenting program will be educational rather than therapeutic in nature and may not exceed a total of 4 hours in length. The parties will be responsible for the cost, if any, of attendance at the program. No facts or information obtained in the course of the program, and no report resulting from the program, is admissible in any action or proceeding.

-From 767.115 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

 

***NOTE***: We regret that we CANNOT prepare divorce papers for Milwaukee County.

 

If your divorce is uncontested, we would love to guide you through the process from beginning to end. Learn more about how our uncontested divorce services can help you through your divorce.

Other pages on Wisconsin divorce laws:
General Wisconsin Divorce Laws
Alimony Divorce Laws in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Child Custody Laws
Wisconsin Child Support Laws
Wisconsin Laws on Property Division

 

© Help Yourself Divorce 2002-2008

 

IMPORTANT: Help Yourself Divorce is a paralegal service, not a law firm. Please don't rely on this information for legal advice. Seek help from an attorney if you need legal advice.

This information has been summarized from the Wisconsin statutes. You can find the full-text version of these and other Wisconsin divorce statutes online here: Wisconsin Divorce Laws.