Bill would shorten separation period, expand immediate‑divorce options
REGIONAL NEWS: North Carolina’s divorce requirements could shift under Senate Bill 626, a proposal that would cut the state’s mandatory separation period from one year to six months. The measure, filed as the Domestic Violence Divorce Reform Act, remains eligible for consideration when lawmakers return to Raleigh.
The bill would allow immediate divorce in two situations: when both spouses agree and the case is uncontested with no minor children, or when domestic violence is documented through law‑enforcement, court, medical, or advocacy records.
SB 626 also seeks to repeal the state’s civil actions for alienation of affection and criminal conversation, ending the ability to file new “homewrecker” lawsuits. Existing cases would continue.
The proposal passed its first reading before stalling in the Senate Rules Committee.
As of September 2026, no changes have been enacted and current divorce laws remain in effect.
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