Filing for Divorce in Inyo County
If you or your spouse have lived in California for 6 months and in Inyo County for 3 months, you can file court papers here to end your marriage or domestic partnership. It's a multi-step process that takes at least 6 months.
If you don't have a lawyer, our Self Help Guide has resources to help you, including one-on-one assistance with the forms and group workshops both online and in person.
Start a divorce case
One spouse (or domestic partner) files papers to start the case and officially lets the other spouse know. Then, the other spouse has a chance to file a response. The spouse that first filed divorce papers must share financial information with their spouse.
Individual forms to start a divorce
| Form Name | Form Number | Purpose | Guide |
| Petition — Marriage/Domestic Partnership | FL-100 | Start a divorce, legal separation, or annulment case if you are married, registered domestic partners, or both. This identifies all the issues you want to include in a judgment. | |
| Summons (Family Law) | FL-110 |
Tells your spouse or domestic partner that a court case has started, your rights and responsibilities, and what can happen if a response is not filed in 30 days. |
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| Proof of Service of Summons (Family Law — Uniform Parentage — Custody and Support) | FL-115 |
Tells the court that you had your spouse or domestic partner served with the legal papers to start your case. Tells when and where the papers were served, and who served them. |
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| Declaration of Disclosure | FL-140 |
This form is a cover sheet for what you’ll share with your spouse. You must sign it. |
Gather & Share Financial Info |
| Income and Expense Declaration | FL-150 | This form asks about how much money you earn and how you spend your money. You need to attach proof of your income from the past two months to the form. | Gather & Share Financial Info |
| Schedule of Assets and Debts | FL-142 | This tells your spouse about what you own and owe. Attach copies of the documents you gathered. | Understand Community vs. Separate Property |
If you and your spouse have children together, you will also need to fill out:
| Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) | FL-105/GC-120 |
Give the court important information about the children you have with your spouse or domestic partner. The court considers this information before making child custody and visitation orders. |
Fill forms online
Complete the forms to start your divorce using an interactive questionnaire that fills the forms based on your responses.
Courthouse-specific form packets
Download all the forms you might need to start your divorce with court location pre-filled
Download a divorce packet for filing in Independence
Download a divorce packet for filing in Bishop
Fill out more forms in you need a fee waiver. There's a $435-$450 filing fee to file for a divorce. If you can't afford the fee, you can ask for a fee waiver.
Respond to Divorce or Separation
To respond to divorce or legal separation papers (a Petition), your first step is to fill out a Response form. This tells the court how you want things like custody of children, property and support handled.
If you have an agreement or don't want to let your spouse move the case forward without your input explore your options.
Individual forms to respond to a divorce
| Form Name | Form Number | Purpose | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Response — Marriage/Domestic Partnership | FL-120 | This form asks for basic information about your marriage and the type of orders you want the court to be able to make. | Respond to Divorce Papers |
| Proof of Personal Service | FL-330 |
Tells the court that you had the other party served in person with legal papers. Lists the papers that were served. It also tells when and where the papers were served and who served them. |
How to Personally Serve Divorce Papers |
| Proof of Service by Mail | FL-335 | Tells the court that you had the other party served legal papers by mail. Lists the papers that were served and tells when and where the papers were served, as well as who served them. |
If you and your spouse have children together, you will also need to fill out:
| Declaration under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) | FL-105 | This form tells the court where your children were born and live and if there are any other court cases involving them. You must fill out this form if your children are under 18. |
Courthouse-specific form packets
Download all the forms you might need to respond to your divorce with court location pre-filled
You must share your financial information if you filed a Response. If you did not file a Response, but you want the court to approve an agreement (called a default with agreement) you also must share your financial information.
| Form Name | Form Number | Purpose | Guide |
| Declaration of Disclosure | FL-140 | This form is a cover sheet for what you’ll share with your spouse. You must sign it. | Gather & Share Financial Info |
| Income and Expense Declaration | FL-150 | This form asks about how much money you earn and how you spend your money. You need to attach proof of your income from the past two months to the form. | Gather & Share Financial Info |
| Schedule of Assets and Debts | FL-142 | This tells your spouse about what you own and owe. Attach copies of the documents you gathered. | Understand Community vs. Separate Property |
Make Decisions
To finish your divorce or legal separation, you need to decide how you'll divide property and debts, whether anyone will pay spousal support, and how you will care for and support your children (if you have them).
You can do this by working with your spouse (or domestic partner) to reach an agreement. If you can't agree you can ask the court to decide.
Finalize your Divorce
To finish your divorce or legal separation, you must turn in a set of final forms. If you have any court orders or an agreement, you submit those as well. The court will review these forms to be sure nothing is missing and no mistakes on the forms. If not, the judge will sign the final form (the judgment). If you asked for a divorce, the judgment will state the exact day your marriage or domestic partnership officially ends.
The steps you need to take and forms you need to fill out vary a bit depending on:
- If there's a default
- If you have a written agreement
- If your final orders address child custody or child support
| Form Name | Form Number | Purpose | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Request to Enter Default | form FL-165 | This asks the court to enter a default because your spouse didn’t respond. Once filed, the clerk mails it to your spouse. | Finish your divorce in a default |
| Declaration for Default or Uncontested Dissolution or Legal Separation | form FL-170 | This form tells the court that you meet the requirements for a default judgment. | |
| Judgment | FL-180 | This is the final court order to get a divorce. If you’re asking the court to make any orders about support or property, you will need to attach more forms to this. | |
| Notice of Entry of Judgment | form FL-190 | The court will mail this form back to you after the judge has signed the judgment. It’s the official notice from the court that your divorce or legal separation is final. If you asked for a divorce, it will state the day your marriage or domestic partnership officially ends. |
If you asked for spousal support:
| Spousal, Partner, or Family Support Order Attachment | form FL-343 |
This tells the court what spousal support orders you want. Spousal or Partner Support Declaration Attachment |
| Spousal or Partner Support Declaration Attachment | form FL-157 | This is optional, but the information in it is what the court needs to decide about long-term support. Without it, the court may not have enough information to make a decision. |
| Earnings Assignment Order for Spousal or Partner Support | form FL-435 | This is optional. Submit this form if you want your spouse’s employer to send the support to you directly from your spouse’s pay. |
If you asked for a property order:
| Property Order Attachment to Judgment | form FL-345 | This tells the court how you want the property divided. |
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