A divorce in Snohomish County follows rules specific to this courthouse, and most of what’s online describes some other county or no county at all. This post is part of a series answering the questions our clients ask about how the process actually works here.
The shortest possible divorce in Snohomish County takes just over 90 days. An agreed case usually finishes in three to five months. A contested case usually takes 12 to 18 months to reach trial, though the court’s own FAQ estimates six to eight. What sets the pace is how much you disagree, not the court.
The 90-day floor
Washington won’t finalize a divorce until 90 days have passed since both the filing of the petition and service on the other spouse. RCW 26.09.030; RCW 26.09.181(7). The clock starts on the later of the two dates. If your spouse signs a joinder, the filing date and the service date are the same day, and the 90 days runs from filing.
That’s a floor, not an estimate. It applies even when both spouses agree on everything. It does not apply to a legal separation, which the court can finalize sooner.
The first month: filing and service
The petitioner files and pays the $364 fee. The respondent then has 20 days to respond after service in Washington and 60 days after service outside the state. RCW 4.28.180. Along with the petition, the petitioner serves Snohomish County’s automatic temporary order and the Compliance Schedule the clerk issues at filing. That schedule sets two deadlines: proof of service and completion of mediation. It comes from SCLSPR 94.04(c)(1).
If nothing happens for 180 days, meaning no proof of service, no joinder, and no response, the court can dismiss the case on its own motion. SCLSPR 94.04(c)(2). Cases that stall at this stage usually stall because nobody has served the other spouse.
Months one through three: temporary orders
If you need rules while the case is pending, someone files a motion for temporary orders. In Snohomish County that motion has to be on pattern form FL Divorce 223 and has to include everything you want at once. SCLSPR 94.04(c)(6)(B). You file the motion at least 12 calendar days before the hearing, and a commissioner hears it in person. Most temporary orders hearings happen within the first two or three months.
A judge can revise the commissioner’s ruling, but only if a party files a motion within 10 days. RCW 2.24.050. The revision hearing has to happen within 14 days after that. SCLCR 7(b)(12). So the temporary orders phase, including any revision, usually wraps up within about four months of filing.
The 60-day parenting seminar deadline
If you have children, both parents must complete an approved parenting seminar within 60 days after service on the respondent. SCLSPR 94.04(d)(4)(B). This runs alongside everything else. A parent who hasn’t completed it can’t confirm the case for trial or present a final parenting plan, so ignoring it now can stop the whole case later.
Months three through eight: discovery and mediation
This is the stretch that decides how long your divorce takes. Both sides exchange financial records. If there’s a house, someone gets an appraisal. A business needs a valuation, which alone can take two to four months. A pension needs someone to figure out what it’s worth.
Then you mediate. Snohomish County requires mediation or a judicial settlement conference on every contested issue before trial, and you have to finish it within eight months of filing or before you confirm trial, whichever comes first. SCLSPR 94.04(c)(3)(C). Until March 30, 2026, the court held a compliance hearing to check on this. The court rescinded that hearing, and you now show compliance by filing a Notice of ADR/Mediation Compliance signed by the mediator.
Most cases settle at mediation or soon after. When yours does, a Notice of Settlement of All Issues is due within seven days, and final documents are due within 60 days after that. SCLSPR 94.04(i). An agreed case that goes to mediation early typically finishes in four to six months.
Months eight through eighteen: trial setting and trial
Snohomish County doesn’t hand you a trial date when you file. A party has to file a Note for Trial Setting under SCLCR 40(b)(1). The court then assigns a date. Each side’s proposed permanent parenting plan is due by the earlier of 30 days after the note for trial or 180 days after the case began. RCW 26.09.181(1).
How far out the trial date lands depends on the court’s calendar. The court’s FAQ page says contested cases typically take six to eight months to reach trial. Our experience is longer. A case with a contested parenting plan, a business, or real property in dispute usually takes 12 to 18 months from filing to trial, because the trial date waits on the valuation and discovery work.
Two weeks before trial, both sides confirm it online. Miss the confirmation and the court can strike the trial date. SCLCR 40(d)(2). A one-day divorce trial is common. Two or three days is typical for a case with a business or a contested parenting plan.
What slows a divorce down
The most common one is service. Nothing starts until you serve the other spouse, and if your spouse is avoiding the process server, talk to your attorney about alternatives early rather than waiting it out. The second is records. Every financial motion requires two years of tax returns and six months of pay stubs (SCLSPR 94.04(e)), and people who haven’t gathered them lose weeks at the temporary orders stage.
The parenting seminar is the third. The 60-day deadline is short, and the penalty is a case you can’t confirm for trial. And the last is mediating too late. Eight months is a maximum, not a target. Parties who mediate at month four usually finish faster and spend less than parties who mediate at month eight.
Two things you can do now
Pull your records. Two years of federal returns with all schedules, six months of pay stubs, and a current statement for every account, retirement plan, and debt. Any motion involving money requires these, and the case moves faster when you have them organized.
Register for the parenting seminar the week you’re served or file. The county approves two options. One is a four-hour live Zoom class for $85. The other is a self-paced online course for $61.95. Either one clears the requirement.
Common questions
Can we finish before 90 days if we agree on everything? No. The 90-day waiting period in RCW 26.09.030 applies to agreed cases too. The clock runs from the later of filing and service, so a joinder signed at filing gets you to day 91 as fast as the law allows.
Does the 90-day period apply to a legal separation? No. RCW 26.09.181(7) says the 90-day rule doesn’t apply to decrees of legal separation, so the court can finalize an agreed separation sooner.
What happens if we miss the eight-month mediation deadline? You can’t confirm a trial date until you finish mediation, and the court can set a status hearing or impose monetary terms. Motions to move the deadline go on the commissioner’s Domestic Motions calendar, and you must note them at least 60 days before trial.
This post is part of our series on how a divorce works in Snohomish County. Start with the main guide, How a Divorce Actually Works in Snohomish County, or read about the mediation requirement and what happens at a temporary orders hearing.
This post describes Snohomish County procedure as of September 2026. Local rules change on their own schedule; check the court’s current rules before relying on a deadline.
Last updated September 2026.
Law Offices of Daniel Ehrlich, Everett. Family law in Snohomish, Island, King, and Skagit Counties. (425) 954-5578.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different. If you’re facing a divorce in Snohomish County, talk to an attorney.
