What is the waiting period for divorce in Wisconsin?

What is the waiting period for divorce in Wisconsin?

A typical Wisconsin divorce takes six months to one year to finalize. After you file for divorce and papers are served, there’s a mandatory 120-day waiting period before the final hearing. A standard Wisconsin divorce may take up to one year to finalize due to a mandatory 120-day “cooling off” period.

Are divorce records public Wisconsin?

Yes, all divorce records are open to the public and accessible online. In fact, Wisconsin is one of the few states that still allows full public access to divorce records. The only court proceedings that are kept confidential are paternity and children’s court cases.

Does Wisconsin require separation before divorce?

Wisconsin is a no-fault divorce state, meaning the couple only needs to state that the marriage is irretrievably broken for the court to grant the divorce. Wisconsin imposes a 120-day waiting period before the judge can finalize your legal separation.

How can I find out if someone is married in Wisconsin?

Any person may request an uncertified copy of a marriage record at the Register of Deeds office in the county where the event occurred or from the Wisconsin State Department of Health Services. The record must be ordered by mail and must include picture identification of the person requesting the record.

Does it matter who files for divorce first in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin is a no-fault divorce state, meaning that the only requirement for filing for a divorce is that the spouses consider the marriage to be “irretrievably broken” with no hopes of reconciliation. It also means that it does not matter who files for the divorce first, as there is no real advantage to filing first.

How is debt divided in a divorce in Wisconsin?

How do courts divide marital debt? Wisconsin is a community property state, which means that the courts divide marital assets and marital debt fifty-fifty between each spouse. Even if only one spouse accrued the debt, the court typically holds the other spouse equally responsible for it.