Looking for New Jersey’s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find New Jersey’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 New Jersey, see the Resources by State section on this site. [link to http://www.divorcenet.com/states/ new_jersey.]
Marriage Rules in New Jersey
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. There is a 72-hour period before the marriage license is issued, and the marriage license application is valid for six months from the date accepted. For more details, check your county clerk’s office.
Common law marriage: No.
Community property: No.
Same-sex marriage: No. However, same-sex couples in New Jersey can enter into civil unions that come with the rights and responsibilities of marriage under state law.
New Jersey 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 at least 18 months (six months if the marriage is irretrievably broken).
Residency requirement: At least one spouse must be a resident of New Jersey for one year before filing for divorce.
How property is divided: Equitable division.
Child Custody Rules in New Jersey
Child custody guidelines: New Jersey 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.
New Jersey Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: New Jersey 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/New_Jersey.
State child support enforcement agency: Child Support Program, www.njchildsupport.org.
New Jersey Courts and Other Family Law Resources
New Jersey court information and family law forms: www.judiciary.state.nj.us.
Family services section of New Jersey website: www.state.nj.us/humanservices/clients/family.
