A California divorce decree does not look like a diploma or an ornate certificate. It is a two-page Judicial Council form called FL-180, titled simply “Judgment,” filled with checkboxes and blanks, signed by a judge and stamped “Filed” by the court clerk.1California Courts. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law) The real substance of the divorce lives in the documents stapled behind that cover sheet. Every page of the package becomes a binding court order the moment the judgment is filed.
The FL-180 Cover Sheet
The front of the form carries a standard court header: the name of the superior court, the county, a street address, and a branch name. Below that are lines for both spouses’ names, labeled “Petitioner” and “Respondent,” and the case number.
The rest is a series of checkboxes and short fill-in blanks. A judge checks how the case was resolved (default, uncontested agreement, or contested trial), the date the court gained jurisdiction over the respondent, and whether the judgment includes restraining orders. The most important checkbox states that marital status is terminated and the parties are “restored to the status of single persons,” followed by either a specific date or a note that the date will be set later.1California Courts. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law) More checkboxes indicate which attachments are included for custody, support, property, and other orders. A single sentence near the bottom makes every attachment part of the judgment itself.
The power of the document comes from two marks: the judge’s signature and the clerk’s filing stamp at the top. Without both, it is just paper.
The Attachments Behind the Cover
Because FL-180 is essentially a routing sheet, almost everything a reader thinks of as “the divorce” sits in the attachments. The mix varies from case to case.
Marital Settlement Agreement
In most uncontested divorces, the main attachment is a Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA). This is a detailed contract both spouses draft and sign, covering property division, support, custody, and anything else they have negotiated. When the MSA is attached to the FL-180 and the judge signs the judgment, every term in that agreement becomes an enforceable court order.
Standardized Order Attachments
California also provides preprinted forms for specific topics that get stapled behind the FL-180:
- FL-341, the Child Custody and Visitation Order Attachment, lays out which parent has legal and physical custody and the visitation schedule.2California Courts | Self Help Guide. Child Custody and Visitation (Parenting Time) Order Attachment (FL-341)
- FL-345, the Property Order Attachment to Judgment, lists how community assets and debts are divided, identifies separate property, and can include orders for the sale of property or equalization payments.3California Courts. FL-345 Property Order Attachment to Judgment (Family Law)
Some judgments rely on the MSA alone, some use only the court forms, and many combine both.
Qualified Domestic Relations Order for Retirement Accounts
If the divorce divides a pension or retirement account, a separate document called a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) travels alongside the judgment. The QDRO instructs the plan administrator to split the account between the spouses without triggering early-withdrawal penalties or tax consequences.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC Chapter 18 – Employee Retirement Income Security Program Getting one approved is its own process: draft the QDRO using language the plan will accept, submit it to the plan for pre-approval, file it with the court, then send the filed copy back to the plan for a second review.5CalPERS. Divorce and Your Pension It is a common post-divorce loose end.
What the Full Package Decides
Together, the FL-180 and its attachments resolve every legal issue created by the marriage.
- Termination date. The decree states the exact date the marriage legally ends. California law requires at least six months and one day to pass from the date the respondent was served or first appeared before marital status can terminate, and a judge cannot shorten that window.6California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2339
- Property division. The judgment assigns specific assets to each spouse. California requires the community estate to be divided equally unless both spouses agree in writing to a different split. Real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, investments, and business interests all get allocated.7California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2550
- Debt allocation. Community debts are divided alongside assets. The judgment spells out who is responsible for each mortgage, car loan, and credit card balance.
- Child custody and parenting time. For couples with children, the decree incorporates a parenting plan covering legal custody (major decisions about health, education, and welfare) and physical custody (where the children live day to day).
- Child and spousal support. The judgment specifies the dollar amount, payment schedule, and duration of any support obligations.
- Name restoration. If either spouse wants to go back to a birth or former name, the court is required to grant that request as part of the dissolution, even if it was not in the original petition.8California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2080
- Security for support. When one spouse pays ongoing support, the court can order that spouse to maintain life insurance or other security so the support does not evaporate if the paying spouse dies. This authority covers both spousal and child support.9California Legislative Information. California Family Code 436010California Legislative Information. California Family Code 4012
Anything the judgment leaves out can resurface later. Community property accidentally omitted stays jointly owned, and either spouse can go back to court to divide it. That is one reason the attachments behind the FL-180 matter so much.
One thing you will not find inside the judgment package: the preliminary and final declarations of disclosure that both spouses exchanged earlier in the case. Those are signed under penalty of perjury and are a prerequisite to a valid judgment, but they are exchanged between the parties and not filed with the court.11California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2104 If you are reviewing a decree, do not expect to see disclosure forms attached.
How You Know It Is Final
Once the judgment package is submitted, a clerk checks it for completeness and passes it to a judge.12California Courts | Self Help Guide. Submit Your Default Judgment to Finish Your Divorce If anything is missing, the court sends it back for corrections. When the judge is satisfied, they sign the FL-180.
The judge’s signature alone does not finish the job. The clerk must stamp the judgment “Filed” and record the filing date. That stamped date is when the divorce is legally entered. The clerk then mails both parties a Notice of Entry of Judgment on form FL-190, which confirms the type of judgment entered and the date your marital status changed.13California Courts | Self Help Guide. Notice of Entry of Judgment (FL-190) FL-190 is a short companion form; it is not the decree itself but it is the piece of paper most people receive in the mail and treat as proof the divorce is done.
Your marital status may not terminate on the same day the judgment is filed. The FL-180 lists the termination date separately, and it cannot fall earlier than six months and one day after the respondent was served or appeared.6California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2339 If the judgment is filed before that window closes, the paperwork is done but you are not legally single, and you cannot remarry, until the termination date arrives.
Getting a Copy of Your Decree
Divorce records in California are kept by the superior court in the county where the case was filed, not by the county recorder.14Judicial Branch of California. Public Records To request a copy, contact the clerk’s office of that court. Most clerks accept requests in person, by mail, or through an online portal. You will need both parties’ names and ideally the case number; without the number, the clerk can search for it, usually for an additional fee.
California sets a statewide fee of $15 for a certified copy of a dissolution record.15California Courts. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2025 A certified copy carries an official court stamp and is the version government agencies, lenders, and other institutions generally require. Uncertified copies cost less but are not accepted for most official purposes.
One more thing worth knowing if your divorce transferred real property between spouses: the judgment itself does not update the county land records. You will need to record a quitclaim deed or a certified copy of the judgment with the county recorder in the county where the property sits. Until that recording happens, title records will still show the old ownership, which can create problems when refinancing or selling.