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Legal Information: Illinois

Divorce

Laws current as of
January 23, 2024

What are the grounds for divorce in Illinois?

“Grounds” are legally acceptable reasons for a divorce. To get a divorce in Illinois the judge needs to find that there are irreconcilable differences that have “caused the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.” The judge also needs to determine, by the documentation and proof received, that efforts to reconcile have failed or that any attempt to reconcile would be impossible or not in the best interests of the family.1

Note: If you and your spouse have lived apart for at least six consecutive months immediately before the divorce judgment, the judge will assume that this requirement for “irreconcilable differences” has already been met.2

1 750 ILCS 5/401(a)
2 750 ILCS 5/401(a-5)

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