Looking for Washington‘s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find Washington’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 Washington, see the Resources by State section on this site.
Marriage Rules in Washington
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 three days after your marriage license is issued, and your license is good for 60 days. For more details, check your county clerk’s office.
Common law marriage: No.
Community property: Yes.
Same-sex marriage: Yes.
Washington Divorce Rules
Grounds for divorce: No-fault. However, fault may be considered by the court as a factor in dividing property or awarding alimony.
Residency requirement: At least one spouse must be a resident or a member of the armed forces stationed in the state.
How property is divided: Community property.
Child Custody Rules in Washington
Child custody guidelines: Washington 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.
Washington Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: Washington 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/washington.
State child support enforcement agency: State Division of Child Support, www.dshs.wa.gov/dcs.
Washington Courts and Family Law Resources
Washington court information and family law forms: www.courts.wa.gov.
Family services section of Washington website: www.dshs.wa.gov/children.shtml.
