Looking for Alaska’s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find Alaska’s state’s court forms and instructions and local court websites? Here’s where to start. For a wide range of other articles on family law in Alaska, see the Resources by State section on this site.
Marriage Rules in Alaska
Requirements: No blood test required. You must be of the age of consent, not be too closely related to your intended spouse, not be married to anyone else, and have sufficient mental capacity, meaning you understand what you are doing when you marry. You can marry immediately after your marriage license is issued, and your license is good for three months. For more details, check your county clerk’s office.
Common law marriage: No.
Community property: Yes (for specific assets, if spouses sign an agreement).
Same-sex marriage: No.
Alaska Divorce Rules
Grounds for divorce: Fault or no-fault grounds are allowed.
Residency requirement: None.
How property is divided: Equitable division, unless spouses sign an agreement making specific assets community property.
Child Custody Rules in Alaska
Child custody guidelines: Alaska courts begin with a presumption that it’s best for a child to have frequent and continuing contact with both parents after a divorce. If possible, judges want to support joint custody arrangements.
Alaska Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: Alaska requires all parents to support their children. The amount of child support depends primarily on each parent’s income and other resources and how much time each parent spends with the children.
Child support calculators to determine Alaska state guidelines: www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/alaska.
State child support enforcement agency: Child Support Services Division, www.csed.state.ak.us.
Alaska Courts and Other Family Law Resources
Alaska state court information and family law forms: www.courts.alaska.gov.
Family services section of Alaska’s state website: www.hss.state.ak.us.
