Like many Southern states, Alabama was once known for the toughness of its divorce laws and the difficulty of getting any kind of divorce records. However, in recent years, like many other Southern states, Alabama divorces have gotten easier. You simply have to meet a few requirements, and you will be able to initiate your divorce.
To file for divorce in Alabama, you have to have been living in the state for at least six months. You file in the county where you have been living, even if your spouse has moved somewhere else. You will need to provide records of residency as a part of your divorce filing to ensure that you are able to file in the state.
Alabama divorces are relatively straightforward, in that you don’t have to meet onerous burdens of wrongdoing by either party. In fact, you have a simple split over irreconcilable differences without having to go through a year’s separation period or get into the gory details in front of the court. However, you must both be in agreement for this kind of simple split to take place.
Alabama divorces are handled in civil court. The property distribution is based on the equitable model, which means that each part gets half or the cash equivalent half of their joint ownings. The court has an arbitration system if things get a little too testy during the proceedings.
If you need records relating to your divorce after the fact, you can look in the public records system. Along with marriage license information, divorce rulings are made a part of the public records, which can be searched online. You can also get paper copies from the clerk of the district court, or from the local county clerk’s office in the county where you filed.