- 1An uncontested Maryland divorce, built on a complete marital settlement agreement, usually takes two to four months. A contested case runs a year or longer.
- 2Maryland recognizes three no-fault divorce grounds since its 2023 reform: mutual consent (no waiting period, full agreement required), six-month separation, and irreconcilable differences.
- 3Glen Burnie families file at the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County in Annapolis. Columbia families file at the Circuit Court for Howard County in Ellicott City. Neither city has its own family law court.
- 4Pendente lite relief provides temporary child support, custody, or alimony while a case is pending, without determining the final outcome.
- 5The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protects a deployed party from default, but Maryland law, not federal law, still governs the divorce, custody, and property division itself.
- 6Physical custody and legal custody are separate decisions in Maryland. A family home can also be awarded to a custodial parent through a use and possession order lasting up to three years.
- 7In Todd Mohink's experience, about 98 percent of contested cases still settle before their court date, most often through mediation and discovery producing a signed marital settlement agreement.
- 8Maryland's child support guidelines run on combined gross income up to $30,000 per month. Above that ceiling, courts extrapolate a figure based on the child's actual needs.
- 9Overnights from zero to 92 count identically toward child support. Above 92, each additional overnight reduces the paying parent's obligation.
- 10Support orders can be modified for a material change in circumstances, but Maryland courts will impute income for a manufactured pay cut and will not enforce a parents' private agreement to waive a child's right to support.
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