Looking for the District of Columbia‘s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find the District of Columbia’s court forms and instructions? Here’s where to start. For a wide range of other articles on family law in the District of Columbia, see the Resources by State section on this site.
Marriage Rules in the District of Columbia
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. For more details, check www.dccourts.gov.
Common law marriage: Yes. A couple must intend to be married, live together for a significant period of time, and hold themselves out as a married couple.
Community property: No.
Same-sex marriage: Yes.
District of Columbia Divorce Rules
Grounds for divorce: No-fault or you can base your divorce on the fact that you’ve been separated from your spouse for at least one year (or six months if both parties agree).
Residency requirement: At least one spouse must be a resident of District of Columbia for six months before filing for divorce.
How property is divided: Equitable division.
Child Custody Rules in the District of Columbia
Child custody guidelines: District of Columbia 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.
District of Columbia Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia guidelines: www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/DC.
D.C. child support enforcement agency: Child Support Services Division, www.csed.dc.gov/csed.
District of Columbia Courts and Other Family Law Resources
D.C. court information and family law forms: www.dccourts.gov.
Family services section of District of Columbia website: www.cfsa.dc.gov/DC/CFSA.
