How Long Does It Take to Get a Divorce

Waiting for a divorce to be finalized notoriously takes a long time, and there are several reasons why that is. Technically, in Colorado a divorce can be finalized within 90 days. So why does it usually take longer than that?

The courts require a waiting period in between filing and finalizing a divorce and this waiting period does not even begin until the court receives signed papers from both spouses. This can be difficult to coordinate, especially if one party is not cooperative. Generally, a realistic timeline for a divorce in Colorado is 4 months for an uncontested case and 6 or more months for a contested case.

Divorce Timeline

Serving and Filing Papers

The first step to take towards divorcing is filing a contested or uncontested information sheet to your local court. If you and your spouse are filing separately, a divorce summons form will also need to be prepared and delivered. One of the best ways to ensure that the summons are served properly and in a timely manner is to hire a process server to do it for you. Our team at Roland Investigations can help with that. Sometimes one party does not want to divorce and will try to avoid being served. Our team of skilled process servers know how to find even the most evasive persons.

Response Time

After serving your spouse with divorce papers, they have 21 days to respond. Sometimes people can drag their feet with this step. If that is the case, just know that your divorce will take longer than three months to finalize since the courts do not even begin their mandatory waiting period until after they have received signed papers from both spouses.

Settlement Negotiations

During the mandatory 90-day waiting period is the best time to try to settle your divorce out of court. If you are looking for a speedy divorce, settling out of court is the fastest way to do that. Search out mediation services since they can assist you in reaching mutually beneficial solutions fast.

Status Conference

After the initial paperwork has been filed with your local court, you will be scheduled for an initial status conference meeting. This conference is scheduled 42 days after your filing. For this conference you will receive two documents, a case management order, and a notice of initial status conference. During this meeting the court will provide an estimated timeline for your divorce.

Needless to say, the divorcing process can be a lengthy one, even if your case is uncontested. Failing to coordinate and cooperate can draw out the process and going through the courts does too. If you are going through a divorce or plan on it soon, expect the process to take 3 months minimum. But a more realistic timeline to expect would be 4-6 months.

By Roland Investigations 11-12-2021