Looking for Wisconsin‘s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find Wisconsin’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 Wisconsin, see the Resources by State section on this site.
Marriage Rules in Wisconsin
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 30 days. For more details, check your county clerk’s office.
Common law marriage: No.
Community property: Yes.
Same-sex marriage: No. However, same-sex couples in Wisconsin can register as domestic partnerships and receive some, but not all, of the rights of marriage under state law.
Wisconsin 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 12 months.
Residency requirement: At least one spouse must be a resident of Wisconsin for six months before filing for divorce.
How property is divided: Community property.
Child Custody Rules in Wisconsin
Child custody guidelines: Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: Wisconsin 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/wisconsin.
State child support enforcement agency: Case Management Services, Wisconsin Child Support Program, www.dcf.wisconsin.gov/bcs.
Wisconsin Courts and Family Law Resources
Wisconsin court information and family law forms: www.wicourts.gov.
Family services section of Wisconsin website: www.dcf.wisconsin.gov.
