Looking for Maryland’s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find Maryland’s state court forms and instructions and local court websites? Here’s where to start. For a wide range of other articles on family law in Maryland, see the Resources by State section on this site.
Marriage Rules in Maryland
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 two days after your marriage license is issued, and your license is good for six months. For more details, check your county clerk’s office.
Common law marriage: No.
Community property: No.
Same-sex marriage: Yes.
Maryland Divorce Rules
Grounds for divorce: Fault or no-fault grounds are allowed, or you can base your divorce on the fact that you’ve been separated from your spouse for 12 months.
Residency requirement: At least one spouse must be a resident of Maryland for 12 months before filing for divorce.
How property is divided: Equitable division.
Child Custody Rules in Maryland
Child custody guidelines: Maryland 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.
Maryland Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: Maryland 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 state guidelines: www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/maryland.
State child support enforcement agency: Child Support Enforcement Program, www.dhr.state.md.us/csea/index.htm.
Maryland Courts and Other Family Law Resources
Maryland court information and family law forms: www.courts.state.md.us.
Family services section of Maryland website: http://goc.maryland.gov.
