Uncontested Divorce in Minnesota

Minnesota offers two streamlined options when spouses agree on every issue, and a summary dissolution becomes final 30 days after you file.

By , J.D. UC Berkeley School of Law
Updated by Editors of DivorceNet

You can get an uncontested divorce in Minnesota if:

  • you or your spouse has lived in Minnesota for at least 180 days before you file for divorce, and
  • you agree on every issue in your divorce, including property, debts, spousal maintenance (alimony), and arrangements for your children.

Minnesota offers two simplified ways to get an uncontested divorce. Summary dissolution is for short marriages with few assets and no children. Dissolution by joint petition is for everyone else who agrees on all the issues. The statewide filing fee is $390, plus a law library fee in many counties.

A summary dissolution becomes final 30 days after you file, without a court hearing. The timeline for a joint petition depends on your county and whether the court schedules a hearing, which is more likely if you have children.

Read on to learn whether you qualify for each option, which forms you’ll need, and how to file.

What Is an Uncontested Divorce?

Divorce (called “dissolution of marriage” in Minnesota law) is uncontested when you and your spouse agree on all the legal and financial issues involved in ending your marriage, such as:

If you can’t agree on these issues, you’ll have to go to court and let a judge decide. Divorce trials are expensive and time-consuming. Even if you avoid a trial, the longer it takes to reach a comprehensive settlement agreement, the more you’ll pay for things like attorneys’ fees and expert help. (Learn more about how contested issues raise the cost of divorce.)

However, if you and your spouse agree on everything before you start the legal process, you can use one of Minnesota’s two simplified procedures: summary dissolution or dissolution by joint petition. Each has its own requirements, explained below. Many couples use one of these methods to get a DIY divorce, either on their own or with help from an online divorce service.

Minnesota’s Residency Requirement for Divorce

To qualify for summary dissolution or divorce by joint petition, you or your spouse must have lived in Minnesota (or been stationed here as a member of the armed forces) for at least 180 days before you file for divorce. (Minn. Stat. § 518.07 (2026).)

Summary Dissolution in Minnesota

Summary dissolution is a streamlined process that lets you get divorced 30 days after you file, without appearing in court, if you meet strict requirements. To qualify, all of the following must be true:

  • you and your spouse have no minor children together, born or adopted before or during the marriage, unless someone other than your spouse has been legally declared the father
  • neither of you is pregnant
  • you’ve been married fewer than eight years when you file
  • neither of you owns real estate
  • your marital assets, including equity in your cars, are worth $25,000 or less in total, and neither of you has separate assets worth more than $25,000
  • you don’t have more than $8,000 in unpaid debts that either of you took on during the marriage (not counting car loans), and
  • neither of you has been a victim of domestic abuse by the other.

You and your spouse must complete and sign the paperwork together. You can download the Summary Dissolution Form and instructions packet from the Minnesota Judicial Branch website. The forms ask you to:

  • confirm that you qualify
  • list your property and unpaid debts, along with their values, and
  • explain how you’ve agreed to divide your assets and debts.

Summary dissolution doesn’t rule out alimony. Instead, the form preserves both spouses’ rights to spousal maintenance (as alimony is called in Minnesota), so either of you could ask for it in the future.

After you file the completed and signed forms with your local district court (more on that below), the court administrator will enter your divorce decree 30 days later, as long as you meet the requirements. You won’t have to attend a hearing. (Minn. Stat. § 518.195 (2026).)

Dissolution by Joint Petition in Minnesota

If you and your spouse agree on the issues in your divorce but don’t meet the strict qualifications for summary dissolution—for instance, because you have significant assets or children—you might still qualify for an uncontested divorce in Minnesota through a procedure known as dissolution by joint petition.

As with summary dissolution, you and your spouse complete and sign the paperwork together. The court provides separate form packets with instructions for couples with and without minor children. You can also prepare your forms using Minnesota Guide & File, the court’s online interview.

The joint petition form combines your settlement agreement with the judgment and divorce decree. You’ll provide details about your finances and other matters, including:

  • your property and unpaid debts, including how you’ve agreed to divide them
  • your income and employment
  • health care coverage
  • any public assistance you receive, and
  • whether one of you will pay spousal maintenance to the other.

The joint petition for couples with children also asks for details such as:

  • your living expenses
  • any special needs expenses for a child, and
  • your agreements on physical and legal custody, parenting time, and child support.

If you have children together or either of you is asking for spousal maintenance, you’ll need to attach proof of income, such as pay stubs or tax returns. This is true even if you’ve agreed to waive child support.

After you file, the court administrator will put your case on the court calendar. If you have minor children, a judge will generally hold a hearing to review your agreement. You don’t need a hearing in either of these situations:

  • you have no minor children together and have signed a written agreement, or
  • you have children, have signed and acknowledged your agreement, and you’re both represented by lawyers.

Even then, the judge can schedule a hearing if your agreement doesn’t appear to be in your children’s best interests or is “contrary to the interests of justice.” (Minn. Stat. § 518.13, subd. 5 (2026).)

Filing Your Divorce Forms

File your forms with the district court in the county where you or your spouse lives. (Minn. Stat. § 518.09 (2026).) You can find the court for any county with the court’s search tool. You can file electronically, or mail or bring paper forms to the courthouse.

If you don’t have the time or don’t want to complete the forms yourself, consider an online divorce service. These services typically prepare the right forms for your situation after you answer a series of questions, and most guarantee that the court will accept them.

Do You Need a Lawyer for an Uncontested Divorce?

You probably don’t need a lawyer to get an uncontested divorce in Minnesota. Many couples handle the paperwork and filing themselves or use an online divorce service to simplify the process. That said, consider speaking with a qualified family law attorney in any of these situations:

  • you have complex assets to divide, like retirement accounts or a family business
  • you have questions about aspects of your divorce, or
  • you want an independent legal review of your settlement agreement to make sure you haven’t missed anything or given up any of your legal rights.

Keep in mind that court staff, including the Minnesota Judicial BranchSelf-Help Centers, can help you with basic information and procedural questions, but they can’t give legal advice.

How Much Does an Uncontested Divorce Cost in Minnesota?

You’ll pay a filing fee when you submit your paperwork. The statewide divorce fee is $390 ($340 plus an additional $50 fee), and many counties add a law library fee. Use the court’sfee search tool to find your county’s total.

If you can’t afford the fee, you can ask the court to waive it. You might qualify if any of these apply:

  • your income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty level
  • you receive public assistance, or
  • you can otherwise show you can’t afford to pay.

You’ll need to submit the fee waiver form along with proof of your financial need.

There might be other costs, too. If you’re having trouble agreeing on some issues, you might decide to work with a mediator. You’ll have to pay a private mediator. Mediation still costs considerably less than a traditional divorce if it helps you reach a full settlement and proceed with a joint petition or summary dissolution. (Learn more about the cost of divorce mediation.)

If you hire a lawyer to review your settlement agreement (often called unbundled legal services or limited scope representation), you’ll pay for that time, too. Finally, if you use an online divorce service, expect to pay somewhere between $150 and $700, depending on the provider and the level of service.

You can find the official Minnesota statutes on the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes webpage. Type a section number (such as 518.195) into the search bar, or open the table of chapters and choose Chapter 518, Marriage Dissolution, under Domestic Relations. The Revisor’s site also provides Minnesota’s court rules.

The Minnesota Judicial Branch’s Divorce/Dissolution page offers an FAQ, form packets, and instructions for summary dissolution and joint petitions. The forms differ depending on whether you and your spouse have minor children together. LawHelpMN also offers plain-language divorce guides.

The following resources can help you find free or low-cost legal help if you qualify:

Even in an uncontested case, a settlement agreement locks in decisions about property, retirement accounts, and your children that are hard to undo later, so it’s worth having a family law attorney review it before you file.