Troy, MI Divorce Attorney Office

You must have resided in Oakland County for 10 days before filing for divorce in that county.

For a divorce that involves minor children, there is a six-month waiting period before a divorce can be granted. For a divorce that does not involve minor children, there is a 60-day waiting period before a divorce can be granted.

You can serve your spouse in one of three ways:

1. By certified mail, return-receipt requested;
2. By process server; or
3. By handing the complaint to your spouse and having him or her sign an acknowledgment of service.

The court will only grant service by publication if you can show that your spouse is purposely and willingly avoiding service, and that despite your diligent efforts, you are not able to serve your spouse using the above methods. You would need to obtain the court’s permission to do this.

If the court granted your motion for alternate service by publication, normally you would be required to publish the notice in a newspaper that is local to where your spouse lives, for a period of three consecutive weeks.

In Oakland County, you need to file:

1. Verified Complaint for Divorce
2. Summons
3. Verified Statement and Application for IV-D Services (if the divorce involves minor children)

Divorces are filed in the Oakland County Circuit Court located at 1200 N. Telegraph Rd. in Pontiac.