Divorce in Alaska
A divorce in Alaska can’t be final until at least 30 days after filing.[1] There is no minimum residency period before filing.[1] Property is divided equitably unless a couple opted into community property.[2] No-fault divorce is available.[2] Each rule below links to the official text it comes from.
- Waiting period
- 30 days
Divorces and dissolutions generally (court self-help guidance; no statute read)[1]
Key facts: divorce in Alaska
| Waiting period | 30 days[1] details ↓ |
|---|---|
| Residency requirement | No minimum period (must be a resident)[1] details ↓ |
| No-fault divorce | Yes[2] details ↓ |
| Property division | Equitable distribution (community property by agreement)[2] details ↓ |
| Court mediation for custody | Court may order[3] details ↓ |
| Court mediation fees | As ordered by the court; state pays if both indigent[3] details ↓ |
| Filing fee | $250[4] details ↓ |
Statutes and court rules as checked October 26, 2026. Not legal advice.
What are the divorce laws in Alaska?
Not legal advice. These are plain-English summaries of Alaska’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 Alaska.
Waiting period
30 days
The Alaska Court System says that, generally, the judge will not sign the final divorce or dissolution decree until at least 30 days after filing.[1]
Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, “Start a divorce or dissolution case” · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“Generally, you must wait at least 30 days after filing for divorce or dissolution before the judge will sign the final divorce decree.”
Residency requirement
No minimum period (must be a resident)
One spouse must be an Alaska resident when filing, which generally means being in Alaska and planning to stay; there is no set number of months.[1]
Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, “Start a divorce or dissolution case” · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“Either you or your spouse may file to end your marriage in Alaska as long as 1 of you is an Alaska resident. When filing for divorce or dissolution, you are generally an Alaska resident if you are in Alaska when you file and you plan to stay.”
No-fault divorce
Yes, fault grounds also exist
Alaska allows divorce for incompatibility of temperament, along with fault grounds such as adultery and desertion; spouses who agree on everything can also file jointly for a dissolution when incompatibility has caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage.[2]
AS 25.24.050 and AS 25.24.200 · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“(C) incompatibility of temperament;”
“(1) incompatibility of temperament has caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage;”
Property division
Equitable distribution (community property by agreement)
The court divides property acquired during the marriage in a just manner, without regard to fault, and may reach premarital property when equity requires; couples may opt into community property by agreement or trust under AS 34.77.[2]
Community property in Alaska: the statute quoted →
AS 25.24.160(a)(4) · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“for the division between the parties of their property, including retirement benefits, whether joint or separate, acquired only during marriage, in a just manner and without regard to which of the parties is in fault”
“When distributing property identified as community property under a community property agreement or trust under AS 34.77”
Court mediation for custody
Court may order
Within 30 days after a custody petition is filed the court may order the parents to mediate; it may not order mediation while a domestic violence protective order is in effect, or over a party's domestic-violence objection unless specific safeguards are met.[3]
AS 25.20.080 · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“at any time within 30 days after a petition for child custody is filed under AS 25.20.060 the court may order the parties to submit to mediation.”
Court mediation fees
As ordered by the court; state pays if both indigent
Costs of court-ordered custody mediation are paid as the court orders, by one or both parties, or by the state if both parties are indigent.[3]
AS 25.20.080(e) · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“Costs of mediation shall be paid as ordered by the court by one party, by both parties, or by the state if both parties are indigent.”
Filing fee
$250
The fee to open a divorce, dissolution, custody or paternity case is $250 under the court fee schedule.[4]
Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, “Court Fees” · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“Divorce, Dissolution, Custody or Paternity $250”
Alimony
Court decides from listed factors
Alaska courts may order maintenance for a limited or indefinite period, without regard to fault, as is just and necessary. The award must fairly allocate the economic effect of divorce based on seven listed factors, including the property division.
Divorce rate
3.1 per 1,000 residents (2024)
Alaska’s courts granted 3.1 divorces per 1,000 residents in 2024, down from 3.9 in 2000; the U.S. rate was 2.3. In the Census Bureau’s 2024 survey, 9.3 of every 1,000 women 15 and older in Alaska divorced in the past year (±3.6; U.S. 6.9), a different measure.[6][7]
Divorce rates by state, with sources → · CDC/NCHS NVSS; Census ACS · checked October 27, 2026
Estimate your divorce cost in Alaska: mediation vs. court →
Alaska child support calculator →
Official help: Self-Help: Family Law (Alaska Court System)
Mediators per 100,000: MediationList listings from official court and government rosters in Alaska (39) ÷ population (740,133, U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county population estimates (July 1, 2024)) × 100,000, the same figure as mediator statistics.[5]
Questions about divorce in Alaska
How long does a divorce take in Alaska?
The law sets the minimum, not the total: The Alaska Court System says that, generally, the judge will not sign the final divorce or dissolution decree until at least 30 days after filing. How long it takes after that depends on whether you agree and on the court's calendar. — Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, “Start a divorce or dissolution case”[1]
How long do you have to live in Alaska to file for divorce?
One spouse must be an Alaska resident when filing, which generally means being in Alaska and planning to stay; there is no set number of months. — Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, “Start a divorce or dissolution case”[1]
Is Alaska a no-fault divorce state?
Alaska allows divorce for incompatibility of temperament, along with fault grounds such as adultery and desertion; spouses who agree on everything can also file jointly for a dissolution when incompatibility has caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage. — AS 25.24.050 and AS 25.24.200[2]
Is Alaska a community property state?
Not by default. The court divides property acquired during the marriage in a just manner, without regard to fault, and may reach premarital property when equity requires; couples may opt into community property by agreement or trust under AS 34.77. — AS 25.24.160(a)(4)[2]
Is mediation required for custody in Alaska?
Within 30 days after a custody petition is filed the court may order the parents to mediate; it may not order mediation while a domestic violence protective order is in effect, or over a party's domestic-violence objection unless specific safeguards are met. — AS 25.20.080[3]
How much does it cost to file for divorce in Alaska?
The fee to open a divorce, dissolution, custody or paternity case is $250 under the court fee schedule. — Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, “Court Fees”[4]
How much does court mediation cost in Alaska?
Costs of court-ordered custody mediation are paid as the court orders, by one or both parties, or by the state if both parties are indigent. — AS 25.20.080(e)[3]
More
Sources
Alaska’s statutes and court rules, read on the official site, plus federal statistics; each with the date we checked it.
- Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, "Start a divorce or dissolution case"↩
- AS 25.24.050 and AS 25.24.200 (Alaska Legislature)↩
- AS 25.20.080 (Alaska Legislature)↩
- Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, "Court Fees" (Administrative Rule 9)↩
- 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↩