Dissolution is Arizona’s legal term for divorce. It is the court process that ends a valid marriage. Most people say divorce. Arizona law says dissolution. They mean the same thing.

To enter a dissolution decree the court must have jurisdiction over the parties and must find that the marriage is irretrievably broken in a non-covenant marriage. Arizona is a no-fault state for standard marriages.

The dissolution process includes filing the petition, service on the other party, the mandatory 60-day waiting period, disclosure and any necessary discovery, temporary orders if needed, settlement efforts, and either a consent decree or trial on unresolved issues.

Dissolution is more than ending marital status. It is the legal restructuring of two people’s financial lives and their relationship as parents. The decree that comes out of a dissolution case controls property rights, support obligations, and parenting arrangements for years to come.