How Do I File for Divorce in Macomb County?

📌 Filing for Uncontested Divorce in Macomb County

To file for an uncontested divorce in Macomb County, you would need to take the following steps:

1. Obtain the forms necessary for your situation. Fill them out attentively, sign them, and notarize the ones that require notarization.
2. File the initial set of divorce papers, including a Complaint for Divorce, with the county court, pay a filing fee, and receive the time-stamped copies from the clerk.
3. Serve the defendant with one set of paper copies within 90 days after filing. Since you cannot hand-deliver the documents to the other party on your own, you must use one of the legally acceptable methods.
4. Have the process server complete and file the Proof of Service form with the court.
5. Wait for the defendant to file an Answer within 21 or 28 days, depending on the service mode, and serve it on you.
6. Complete a state-mandated waiting period that starts when you file the Complaint and lasts 6 months if you have children or 60 days if you don’t.
7. You may have a case management conference or pre-trial if you still need some help with settling the divorce-related issues.
8. When the waiting period is over, schedule a final hearing with the clerk and file a Notice of Hearing.
9. You may also file a Motion to Enter a Consent Judgment.
10. Bring the rest of the completed paperwork, including a Judgment of Divorce, to the courtroom on the hearing date and answer the judge’s questions, if any.
11. Take the Judgment and other papers signed by the judge and file them with the court clerk.
12. Get the certified copies from the clerk. Your divorce is finalized.