Oregon Divorce Information

A divorce, also known as a dissolution of marriage, is a proceeding to end a valid marriage. In Oregon, a divorce may be granted without either spouse being at fault. To file for divorce in Oregon, at least one of the spouses has to have been a resident or been domiciled in the state continuously for at least six months, and must be living in Oregon at the time of filing. A person seeking a divorce may act as his or her own attorney, to represent him or her.

To begin divorce proceedings, a petition for dissolution of marriage must be filed with the court in the county where the spouses live. The person who files for divorce is known as the "Petitioner" and the other person is known as the "Respondent". The Petitioner and Respondent are also referred to as the "parties" involved in the case. After the petition is filed, the Respondent must be officially notified of the proceedings by being "served" with a copy of the paperwork that was filed with the court. The Respondent then has a deadline in which he/she must file a response to the petition.

A divorce becomes final when all issues, including property division, spousal support, child custody and parenting time (commonly known as visitation), and child support are settled by either the agreement of the parties or by trial. The final document which contains the terms of the resolution of all of the issues, and which is signed by a circuit court judge, is known as a Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage.

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