How long does it take to get a divorce in Colorado?
Key Takeaways
- The exact timing of a divorce in Colorado depends on the specifics of your case.
- Most divorces in Colorado take about six to nine months, although some cases take longer to finalize.
- In every Colorado divorce, there is a 91-day waiting period: After filing for divorce and serving your spouse with the paperwork, you must wait that long before the court can grant your divorce.
Nobody can accurately guess how long it will take for you to get divorced in Colorado. Every divorce case has its own unique circumstances that may make the divorce take more or less time than average.
That said, most Colorado divorces take about six to nine months—and sometimes longer—to finalize.
Generally speaking, divorces tend to take longer when:
- The spouses share minor children and therefore must address child custody and support arrangements.
- The couple has significant financial assets that need to be divided or other complex financial issues that need to be resolved.
- The spouses disagree on several issues (such as property division and child custody), which is known as a contested divorce. These cases go to trial, where a judge determines the terms of the divorce. Trials can take time, as each spouse and their legal team gets to present their arguments before the judge.
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On the other hand, uncontested divorces—where the spouses reach an agreement on all terms of the divorce—tend to take less time to complete. Even if the couple uses an alternative dispute resolution process, such as divorce mediation, to come to a consensus, this isn’t as time-consuming as a trial is.
Be aware that after you file the divorce petition with the court and serve your spouse with the petition and accompanying documents, there is a mandatory “waiting period” to divorce in Colorado. You must wait at least 91 days before the court may enter a decree of dissolution of marriage.
While that means that you could be divorced in as little as 91 days, most often, it takes longer than that.
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