Divorce Code Amended to Reduce Separation Period

Effective as of December 5, 2016, the Pennsylvania Divorce Code has been amended to substantially reduce the period of time that spouses have to be living separate and apart before one spouse can attempt to obtain a divorce decree without the consent of the other spouse. That waiting period has now been reduced from two years to one year, and applies to spouses who begin living separate and apart on or after the December 5, 2016 effective date. This change should substantially reduce the time it takes to get divorced in those cases in which, for either personal or strategic reasons, one of the spouses does not consent to the divorce.