Connecticut Divorce Information
and FAQ
A complaint for dissolution of marriage may be filed at any time
after either spouse has established residency with the State of
Connecticut. A decree of dissolution of marriage will not be issued by
the court however, until:
1. At least one of the parties to the marriage has been a resident of
the state for one year prior to the filing of the complaint of the date
of the decree, or;
2. One of the parties was domiciled in the state at the time of
marriage and returned to the state with the intention of remaining
indefinitely prior to the filing of the complaint, or;
3. The cause of the divorce arose after either party moved to the
state. CGSA 46b-45
Grounds for divorce A decree of dissolution of marriage shall be
granted upon a finding that:
1. The marriage has broken down irretrievably; 2. The parties have
lived apart due to incompatibility for eighteen months with no
reasonable prospect of reconciliation; 3. Adultery; 4. Fraudulent
contract; 5. Willful desertion for one year with total neglect of duty;
6. Seven years absence with no contact; 7. Habitual intemperance; 8.
Intolerable cruelty; 9. Sentence to life imprisonment or conviction of
infamous crime involving violation of conjugal duty punishable by more
than one year in prison; 10. Legal confinement in mental institution for
five years within the six years prior to filing. CGSA 46b-40
Waiting period There is a ninety day waiting period from the date of
return on the complaint for dissolution before the court will hear and
grant a dissolution of marriage. CGSA 46b-67 Name of court and title of
action/parties An action for dissolution of marriage in the State of
Connecticut is filed in the Superior Court. The title of the action
initiating dissolution of marriage proceeding is called a Complaint for
Dissolution of Marriage, while the title of the action granting the
dissolution of marriage is referred ot as the Decree of Dissolution of
Marriage. The party filing the action for dissolution of marriage is
called the Plaintiff, while the other party is referred to as the
Defendant. CGSA 46b-42
Simplified divorce proceeding The court may grant a request for
dissolution of marriage if: 1. The parties execute a written stipulation
that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, or;
2. The parties appear in court and stipulate that the marriage has
broken down irretrievalby and the parties have submitted an agreement
covering all issues regarding the custody, care, education, visitation
and support of any minor children and all issues relating to alimony and
division of property. CGSA 46b-51
Legal separation A decree of legal separation will be granted in the
State of Connecticut for the same grounds as a decree of dissolution of
marriage. CGSA 46b-40
Conciliation/mediation On or after the return day of a complaint for
dissolution of marriage and prior to the expiration of the ninety day
waiting period prior to issuance of a decree of dissolution, either
party may request conciliation for the purpose of exploring
reconciliation or resolving conflicts which might continue after the
granting of a decree of dissolution. Conciliation requires two mandatory
consultation sessions with a professional regarding the issues of
reconciliation or conflict resolution. Mediation may also be ordered by
the court to resolve such things as property, financial, child custody
and visitation issues. CGSA 46b-53, 46b-53a
Alimony Alimony may be awarded to either spouse in the State of
Connecticut after consideration of the following factors: 1. The length
of the marriage; 2. The cause of the dissolution, annulment or
separation; 3. The age, health, and station of each party; 4. The
occupation, amount and source of income of each party; 5. The vocational
skills and employability of each party; 6. The estate and needs of each
of the parties; 7. The desirability of a custodial parent obtaining
employment. CGSA 46b-82
Distribution of property Connecticut is an equitable distribution
state, which means that after setting aside to each spouse that spouse's
separate property, the court shall divide the marital property between
the parties as it deems equitable and just, after consideration of the
following factors:
1. The length of the marriage; 2. The cause of the dissolution,
annulment or separation; 3. The age, health and station of each party;
4. The occupation, amount and source of income of each party; 5. The
vocational skills and employability of each party; 6. The estate,
liabilities and needs of each of the parties; 7. The opportunity of each
party for future acquisition of capital, assets and income; 8. The
contribution of each party to the acquisition, preservation or
appreciation of each party's estate. CGSA 46b-81
Child Custody The court will consider the best interests of the child
in determining issues relating to custody of minor children. There is a
presumption that joint custody is in the child's best interests. If the
child is of sufficient age and is capable of forming intelligent
preferences, the court shall consider the child's wishes as to custodial
arrangements. The court may also take into account the causes of the
dissolution if such causes are relevant. The non-custodial parent shall
not be denied access to the academic, medical or other records of the
child, unless otherwise ordered by the court. CGSA 46b-56 Child support
Either parent may be ordered to pay child support after consideration of
the following factors:
1. The age, health, station, occupation, earning capacity, amount and
sources of income, estate vocational skills and employability of each of
the parents, and;
2. The age health, station, occupation, educational status and
expectation, amount and sources of income, vocational skills,
employability, estate and needs of the child.
Connecticut has enacted child support guidelines which establish the
presumptively correct amount of child support to be paid. Any deviation
from the guidelines must be accompanied by a written finding that the
application of the guidelines would be inequitable or inappropriate in
the particular case. CGSA 46b-84, 46b-215b
Name change The court, upon request, may change the name of either
spouse to that spouse's former or maiden name. CGSA 46b-63 Grandparent
visitation The court may grant visitation of a child to any person, upon
a finding that such visitation would be in the child's best interests.
CGSA 46b-59
Abington Allingtown Amston Andover
Ansonia Ashford Avon Bakersville Ballouville Baltic Bantam Barkhamsted
Barry Square Beacon Falls Belle Haven Berlin Bethany Bethel Bethlehem
Bishops Corner Bishop's Corner Bissell Bloomfield Blue Hills Bolton
Borough Botsford Bozrah Bradley International Airpor Branford Bridgeport
Bridgewater Bristol Broad Brook Brookfield Brookfield Center Brooklyn
Buckland Burlington Canaan Canterbury Canton Canton Center Center Groton
Centerbrook Central Central Village Chaplin Cherry Brook Cheshire
Chester Chesterfield Chestnut Hill Clinton Cobalt Colbrook Colchester
Colebrook Collinsville Columbia Conantville Connecticut State Prison
Corbins Corner Cornwall Cornwall Bridge Cos Cob Coventry Cromwell
Danbury Danielson Darien Dayville Deep River Derby Durham East Berlin
East Brooklyn East Canaan East End East Glastonbury East Granby East
Haddam East Hampton East Hartford East Hartland East Haven East
Killingly East Lyme East Norwalk East Putnam East Thompson East
Willington East Windsor East Windsor Hill East Woodstock Eastford Easton
Ellington Elliot Elmwood Enfield Essex Exeter Fabyan Fair Haven
Fairfield Falls Village Farmington Fenwick Fitchville Forbes Village
Forestville Fort Trumbull Franklin Franklin Hill Gales Ferry
Gaylordsville Georgetown Gilman Glastonbury Glenbrook Glenville Goshen
Granby Greens Farms Greenwich Griswold Grosvenor Dale Groton Groton Long
Point Guilford Gurleyville Haddam Haddam Neck Hadlyme Hamburg Hamden
Hampton Hanover Hartford Harwinton Hawleyville Hazardville Hebron
Higganum Hopeville Hotchkiss School Huntington Ivoryton Jewett City
Jordan Village Jupiter Point Kenington Kensington Kent Killingly
Killingly Center Killingworth Lake Garda Lakeside Lakeville Laurel Hill
Lebanon Ledyard Lisbon Litchfield Lords Point Lyme Madison Manchester
Mansfield Mansfield Center Mansfield Depot Mansfield Hollow Marble Dale
Marion Marlborough Mashantucket Masons Island Mechanicsville Melrose
Meriden Merrow Middle Haddam Middlebury Middlefield Middletown Milford
Milldale Millstone Monroe Montville Moodus Moosup Morris Mount Carmel
Mystic Naugatuck Naval Submarine Base Nepaug New Britain New Canaan New
Fairfield New Hartford New Haven New London New Preston New Preston
Marble Dale Newington Newtown Niantic Noank Norfolk Noroton Noroton
Heights North Branford North Canaan North Canton North Franklin North
Granby North Grosvendale North Grosvenordale North Haven North Lyme
North Sterling North Stonington North Thompsonville North Westchester
North Windham Northfield Northford Northville Norwalk Norwich
Norwichtown Oakdale Oakville Occum Old Greenwich Old Hamburg Old Lyme
Old Mystic Old Saybrook Oneco Orange Oxford Pawcatuck Pequabuck Perkins
Corner Pine Meadow Plainfield Plainville Plantsville Plaza Pleasant
Valley Plymouth Point O Woods Pomfret Pomfret Center Pomfret Landing
Ponfret Center Poquetanuck Poquonock Poquonock Bridge Portland Preston
Prospect Putman Putnam Putnam Heights Putnm Quaker Hill Quinebaug
Redding Redding Center Redding Ridge Rhodesville Ridgefield Ridgeway
Riverside Riverton Rockfall Rockville Rocky Hill Rogers Rowayton Roxbury
Salem Salisbury Sandy Hook Saugatuck Sawyer District Scantic Scitico
Scotland Seymour Sharon Sharon Valley Shawondassee Shelton Sherman
Silver Lane Simbury Simsbury Somers Somersville South Britain South
Canaan South Canterbury South Chaplin South Glastonbury South Kent South
Killingly South Lyme South Norwalk South Willington South Windham South
Windsor South Woodstock Southbury Southington Southport Sprague
Springdale Stafford Stafford Springs Staffordville Stamford Stepney
Sterling Stevenson Stonington Storrs Storrs Mansfield Stratford Suffield
Taconic Taftville Talcott Village Talcottville Tariffville Terryville
Thomaston Thompson Thompsonville Tokeneke Tolland Torrington Trumbull
Turnpike Twin Lakes Uncasville Union Union City Unionville Unity Plaza
Upper Stepney Vernon Vernon Rockville Versailles Voluntown Wallingford
Wapping Warehouse Point Warren Warrenville Washington Washington Depot
Washington Green Waterbury Waterford Watertown Wauregan Weathersfield
Weatogue West Ashford West Cornwall West Granby West Hartford West
Hartland West Haven West Mystic West Redding West Simsbury West Stafford
West Suffield West Wauregan West Willington West Woods Westbrook Weston
Westport Westville Wethersfield Whitneyville Willimantic Willington
Wilson Wilton Winchester Winchester Center Windham Windsor Windsor Locks
Windsorville Winsted Wolcott Woodbridge Woodbury Woodstock Woodstock
Valley Yalesville
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