Marriage and Divorce Information
(Divorce Information data are for the U.S.)
- Number of marriages: 2,096,000
- Marriage rate: 6.8 per 1,000 total population
- Divorce rate: 3.6 per 1,000 population (44 reporting States and D.C.)
This divorce information and the divorce information below will help you prepare for your consultation at our office. Call (801) 621-6021 for an appointment today.
Before filing for Divorce – Information
Residency requirements
To get divorced in Utah you or your spouse must reside in a single county in Utah for at least three months immediately before filing the divorce petition. Utah Code Section 30-3-1. If custody of a minor child is an issue, usually the child must reside with at least one of the parents in Utah for at least six months, but there are exceptions.
Grounds for Divorce-Information
The grounds for divorce, including irreconcilable differences, are listed in Utah Code Section 30-3-1(3).
Costs of a Divorce-Information
Costs and fees for a divorce can vary greatly, but they can include:
Fee to file the petition
Online Court Assistance Program (OCAP) fees
Fee for the Office of Vital Records and Statistics
Fees to serve the petition and summons
Attorney fees
Copying costs
Fees for the Divorce Education class and the Divorce Orientation class if there are minor children.
If you cannot afford the fees, you can ask the judge to waive them. To have fees waived, you must prove to the court that you are unable to pay them. You must file a detailed description of your income, property, and debts. For more information, see our page on Fee Waiver.
Divorce records are private records
Most court records are public. This means that anyone can view and copy the documents filed with the court. However, starting April 1, 2012, divorce records are not public. They can be viewed and copied by the parties, their lawyers and a few others, but not by the public. The orders and decrees in the case remain public. So, for example if a motion to waive the 90-day waiting period is granted, the order is a public document. When filing a private document, the filer must identify the document as private. For more information, see our page on Public and Non-public Records.
Certain information such as social security numbers, and dates of birth and identifying information about minors are not public, and you must take special care not to include private information in a public document, particularly in a court order.