Divorce in Alabama
The residency rule depends on the situation (below).[1] Each rule below links to the official text it comes from.
Key facts: divorce in Alabama
| Residency requirement | 6 months (when the other spouse is a nonresident)[1] details ↓ |
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Statutes and court rules as checked October 26, 2026. Not legal advice.
What are the divorce laws in Alabama?
Not legal advice. These are plain-English summaries of Alabama’s statutes and court rules as of the date shown on each; they can change and courts apply them case by case. Read the linked source or ask a lawyer licensed in Alabama.
Waiting period
Not yet verified
We list a rule only once we can quote it from Alabama’s statute or court rules.
Residency requirement
6 months (when the other spouse is a nonresident)
If the defendant spouse does not live in Alabama, the filing spouse must have been a bona fide Alabama resident for six months before filing, and this must be alleged and proved.[1]
Ala. Code § 30-2-5, as quoted by the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“Section 30-2-5, Ala. Code 1975, provides that, "[w]hen the defendant is a nonresident, the other party to the marriage must have been a bona fide resident of this state for six months next before the filing of the complaint, which must be alleged in the complaint and proved."”
No-fault divorce
Not yet verified
We list a rule only once we can quote it from Alabama’s statute or court rules.
Property division
Not yet verified
We list a rule only once we can quote it from Alabama’s statute or court rules.
Court mediation for custody
Not yet verified
We list a rule only once we can quote it from Alabama’s statute or court rules.
Divorce rate
2.9 per 1,000 residents (2024)
Alabama’s courts granted 2.9 divorces per 1,000 residents in 2024, down from 5.5 in 2000; the U.S. rate was 2.3. In the Census Bureau’s 2024 survey, 8.7 of every 1,000 women 15 and older in Alabama divorced in the past year (±1.1; U.S. 6.9), a different measure.[3][4]
Divorce rates by state, with sources → · CDC/NCHS NVSS; Census ACS · checked October 27, 2026
Estimate your divorce cost in Alabama: mediation vs. court →
How child support is calculated in Alabama →
Mediators per 100,000: MediationList listings from official court and government rosters in Alabama (561) ÷ population (5,157,699, U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county population estimates (July 1, 2024)) × 100,000, the same figure as mediator statistics.[2]
Questions about divorce in Alabama
How long do you have to live in Alabama to file for divorce?
If the defendant spouse does not live in Alabama, the filing spouse must have been a bona fide Alabama resident for six months before filing, and this must be alleged and proved. — Ala. Code § 30-2-5, as quoted by the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals[1]
More
Compare nearby states
Sources
Alabama’s statutes and court rules, read on the official site, plus federal statistics; each with the date we checked it.
- Ala. Code § 30-2-5, as quoted by the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals (opinion on acis.alabama.gov)↩
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county and state population estimates (July 1, 2024)↩
- CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System: Divorce rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 2000-2024↩
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2024.B12503↩