To finalize a California divorce, you file a judgment package with the superior court clerk in the county where your case was opened. The California final divorce judgment forms at the center of that package are Judicial Council Form FL-180 (the proposed judgment the judge signs), Form FL-170 (your declaration that the case is ready), and Form FL-190 (the notice of entry the clerk uses to record the official end of your marriage). Several other forms travel with these three depending on whether your spouse responded, whether you have a written agreement, and whether children or support are involved.
The Three Core Judgment Forms
Form FL-180 is the proposed final order. You complete the first page with your case caption, then attach separate order pages for each category the judge needs to rule on: custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, property division, and attorney fees.1California Courts. Judgment FL-180 The form states that each attachment is incorporated into the judgment and that both parties are ordered to comply with its terms.2Judicial Council of California. Judgment (Family Law) Form FL-180
Form FL-170 is your sworn declaration telling the court the case is ready for judgment, either because your spouse agreed to the terms or failed to respond within 30 days after service. On it you confirm that you met California’s disclosure requirements and that the proposed property division is fair and equal.3Judicial Council of California. Form FL-170 – Declaration for Default or Uncontested Dissolution or Legal Separation
Form FL-190 is partly yours and partly the clerk’s. You fill in the caption and party information; after the judge signs the FL-180, the clerk enters the official termination date and mails a copy to both parties.4California Courts. Notice of Entry of Judgment FL-190 The stamped FL-190 is the document that later proves your marriage has legally ended.
Use the FL-182 Checklist to Build the Rest of the Package
A complete judgment package usually runs well beyond the three core forms. Form FL-182 is the Judicial Council’s judgment checklist, and it is the single best tool for keeping yourself out of trouble. It lists every form and attachment required based on your case type: default without agreement, default with a written agreement, or uncontested with a response on file.5Judicial Council of California. Judgment Checklist – Dissolution/Legal Separation Form FL-182
Depending on your situation, the checklist will send you to documents like:
- FL-141, your Declaration Regarding Service of Preliminary (and sometimes Final) Declaration of Disclosure, or a signed waiver.
- FL-130, the Appearance, Stipulations, and Waivers form, required in uncontested cases where the respondent has filed a response and both parties agree.
- Child custody and visitation order attachments and the FL-192 for child support.
- Income and expense declarations where support is being ordered.
- Proof of service of the summons and petition.
Work the FL-182 line by line and treat it as the authority on what belongs in your package.
Filling Out the FL-180 and FL-170
Both forms require your superior court’s name, your case number, and the full legal names of both spouses in their correct roles as petitioner and respondent. A misspelled name or a transposed case number is enough for the clerk to send everything back.
Dates of Marriage and Separation
The FL-180 asks for your date of marriage and your date of separation. These are substantive entries, not formalities. California treats property acquired during the marriage as community property subject to equal division, and the separation date marks the cutoff.6California Legislative Information. California Family Code 760 – Community Property A separation date that moves by a few weeks can shift significant value when stock vests or retirement contributions post near the boundary.
Attaching a Marital Settlement Agreement
If you and your spouse signed a written agreement covering property, support, and custody, the FL-180 must indicate that the agreement is attached and incorporated. The FL-180 does not require a specific exhibit label, so follow any local court formatting preferences.2Judicial Council of California. Judgment (Family Law) Form FL-180 In a default case with a written agreement, both spouses sign the agreement, and the respondent’s signature must be notarized.
Children and Support
If minor children are involved, the FL-170 requires you to confirm that custody, visitation, and child support are addressed in the proposed judgment. Check the boxes for custody, visitation, child support, and spousal support where they apply, and make sure each box corresponds to an actual order attachment included with the FL-180.3Judicial Council of California. Form FL-170 – Declaration for Default or Uncontested Dissolution or Legal Separation A checked box with no matching attachment is one of the fastest routes to rejection.
Why Judgment Packages Get Rejected
Clerks reject self-prepared judgment packages regularly, and the reasons repeat. One California superior court published the pattern it sees most often:7Superior Court of California, County of Ventura. Top Reasons Family Law Judgments Are Rejected
- Missing attachments on the FL-180. A frequent example is checking the box for child support and healthcare costs without including the FL-192, or leaving out children’s names and dates of birth.
- Missing disclosure declarations. The FL-141 is required to show you served your preliminary disclosures. A true default case also requires an FL-141 for final disclosure or a signed waiver.
- Missing FL-130 in uncontested cases where the respondent filed a response and both parties agree.
- A marital settlement agreement that covers minor children but lacks the specific child support language the court requires. A general statement is not enough.
- A respondent’s signature on the agreement that was not notarized in a default case.
A rejected package resets the clerk’s review queue, and depending on your county’s backlog, that can push your finalization out by weeks or months. The FL-182 catches almost all of these problems if you actually use it.
Filing the Package
Submit the package to the clerk’s office in the county where your dissolution case was originally filed. Most clerks accept in-person and mail filing; some counties also allow electronic filing.
The general rule for copies is the original plus two copies, one for you and one for your spouse. The FL-180 is the exception: the FL-182 checklist calls for five copies of the FL-180 in a default case. Include two stamped envelopes large enough to hold the signed judgment and the notice of entry, one addressed to each party, with the court clerk’s address as the return address on both.5Judicial Council of California. Judgment Checklist – Dissolution/Legal Separation Form FL-182
There is no separate filing fee for submitting the judgment package. The initial petition fee of $435 (slightly higher in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Francisco counties due to courthouse construction surcharges) covers it.8Superior Court of California. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2026
When the Divorce Actually Becomes Final
Once the package is filed, a judge reviews the proposed judgment for compliance with California law and consistency with the documents on file. If everything is in order, the judge signs the FL-180. A signed FL-180, however, does not always mean you are legally single on the signing date.
California requires a six-month waiting period before a divorce can terminate the marriage. The clock starts on the date your spouse was served with the summons and petition, or the date your spouse first appeared in the case, whichever came first.9California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2339
After the judge signs, the clerk processes the FL-190, stamps it with the entry date, and fills in the “effective date of termination of marital or domestic partnership status.”10Judicial Council of California. Form FL-190 – Notice of Entry of Judgment If the six months have already passed when the judge signs, the termination date is the signing date. If the judge signs earlier, the termination date is six months and one day after service. Keep certified copies of the stamped FL-190; you will need them for tax filings, name changes, and financial account updates.
If You Need To Be Single Before the Full Judgment Is Ready
Filing the judgment package assumes you have resolved property, support, and custody. If you need legal single status before you can resolve all of that, California allows bifurcation: a judge can sever the marital status question from the rest of the case and grant the dissolution early, holding the remaining issues open.11California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2337
Bifurcation requires a noticed motion, and the moving spouse must have served preliminary disclosures. The court can impose protective conditions, including requiring the moving spouse to maintain existing health insurance for the other spouse until the remaining issues are resolved, and indemnifying the other spouse against tax consequences that would not have arisen if the marriage had remained intact when property was divided.11California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2337 It adds cost and complexity, and it is not the standard path to finalization; the standard path is the FL-180, FL-170, FL-190 package described above.