Grounds For Divorce in Washington D.C.

Filing for divorce, the plaintiff has to provide the court with a valid ground for divorce, chosen from those established by the law of Washington, D.C.

Washington D.C. is a pure no-fault jurisdiction, meaning that only no-fault grounds for divorce are recognized. This means that no one is to blame, and no one has to prove anything, so there will be no need to disclose any private details of the marriage before the court.

In the District of Columbia, a divorce may be granted on the following grounds:

• Mutual voluntary separation without cohabitation for six months

• Living separate and apart without cohabitation for at least one year preceding the commencement of a divorce action