Maryland Form CC-DR-020 is the Complaint for Absolute Divorce, the document that opens a divorce case in a Maryland Circuit Court. You download it from the Maryland Courts website, fill in the facts of your marriage, check boxes for the grounds and the relief you want, sign it under penalty of perjury, and file it with the clerk in the county where you or your spouse lives. The filing fee is $165 if you are self-represented. After the clerk issues a summons, your spouse must be formally served by someone other than you.
Choose Your Grounds First
Maryland recognizes two grounds for absolute divorce, and the form requires you to select at least one.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law 7-103 – Absolute Divorce
- Six-month separation. You and your spouse have lived separate and apart, without interruption, for at least six months before filing. Maryland law explicitly allows this separation to happen under the same roof, so long as you have been leading separate lives.
- Mutual consent. Both spouses sign a written settlement agreement resolving every issue between them — property, alimony, and any child custody and support — and you attach that signed agreement to the complaint. There is no waiting period.
The six-month ground works when one spouse wants out and the other has not agreed to terms. Mutual consent is faster, but it requires full agreement on everything before you file.
Residency and Where to File
If the events behind the divorce happened in Maryland, there is no minimum residency period; either spouse just needs to be a current Maryland resident. If the grounds arose outside the state, at least one spouse must have lived in Maryland for six months or more before filing.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Family Law 7-101 – Absolute Divorce
File with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where you or your spouse resides.3Maryland Courts. Divorce If you live in Baltimore County and your spouse lives in Montgomery County, either one works. The county you choose goes in the caption at the top of the form.
What to Have in Front of You Before You Start
Pulling these details together before you open the form prevents the half-finished drafts where mistakes creep in.
- Marriage details: the exact date of the wedding, the city or county and state where it took place, and whether the ceremony was civil or religious.
- Your spouse’s full legal name and current address. The court needs the address to issue the summons.
- Full names and dates of birth for every minor child of the marriage. If there are none, you will check a box saying so.
- Combined gross monthly income for you and your spouse, before taxes. This figure determines which financial statement you file with the complaint.
- For mutual consent filings, the signed settlement agreement. Maryland provides a template, Form CC-DR-116, that covers property, alimony, custody, and support in one document.4Maryland Courts. Joint Marital Settlement Agreement
Filling Out the Complaint
Download the form and its instruction sheet (CC-DRIN-020) from the Maryland Courts family law forms page, or pick up a paper copy at any Circuit Court clerk’s office.5Maryland Courts. Family Law Court Forms6Maryland Courts. Complaint for Absolute Divorce Instructions for Completing Form CC-DR-020
The Caption
Enter the county of filing, your full legal name as plaintiff, and your spouse’s full legal name as defendant. Use names exactly as they appear on government-issued identification. Leave the case number blank; the clerk assigns one at filing.
The Body
The numbered paragraphs ask for the marriage date, location, and ceremony type; where each spouse currently lives; how long you have been a Maryland resident; and whether there are minor children. You then check the box for your chosen ground. If you select separation, state when the separation began. If you select mutual consent, confirm that a signed settlement agreement is attached.
If the form has fields for confidential financial information such as partial Social Security or account numbers, mark the “Restricted Information” box at the top of the page so the clerk limits public access.7Maryland Courts. Maryland Form CC-DR-020 Complaint for Absolute Divorce
The Prayer for Relief
The final section is a checklist of what you are asking the court to do. Read every checkbox carefully. Common requests include:
- Absolute divorce. Always checked; it is the point of the form.
- Child custody and support, if you have minor children.
- Alimony, if you want spousal support or want to reserve the right to request it later.
- Property division or a monetary award.
- Restoration of a former name, if you took your spouse’s name at marriage and want your prior legal name back.
Anything you do not check here, you may lose the right to ask for later. If you are unsure about alimony or property division, check the box. Withdrawing a request later is easier than adding one after the case is underway.
Signing
You sign at the bottom under penalty of perjury that the facts are true to the best of your knowledge. If you are not represented by an attorney, include a daytime phone number and an email address if you have one.
Forms That Go With the Complaint
The complaint does not go to the clerk alone. Depending on your situation, you also file:
- Civil Domestic Case Information Report (CC-DCM-001). Required in every case. One page covering expected hearing length and any interpreter or disability accommodation needs.8Maryland Courts. Maryland Civil Domestic Case Information Report
- Financial Statement — Child Support Guidelines (CC-DR-030). File this if child support is the only financial issue and combined gross monthly income is $30,000 or less.
- Financial Statement — General (CC-DR-031). File this instead if combined gross monthly income exceeds $30,000, or if you are requesting alimony or property division. It covers income, expenses, assets, and debts in detail.9Maryland Courts. Financial Statement of (General)
- Settlement Agreement (CC-DR-116). Required for mutual consent filings. Both spouses must sign before you file.
The $30,000 threshold refers to gross pay before taxes, not take-home pay. If you request alimony or property division in the prayer for relief but leave off the matching financial statement, the clerk will flag it and your case stalls.
Filing Fee and Fee Waiver
The filing fee is set statewide and does not vary by county. A self-represented filer pays $165. If you are represented by an attorney, the fee is $185.10New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Circuit Court Fee Schedule
If you cannot afford the fee, file Form CC-DC-089 (Request for Waiver of Costs) and Form MDJ-008 (Notice Regarding Restricted Information) together with your complaint. A judge reviews the request against the Maryland Legal Services Corporation income eligibility guidelines. If the waiver is granted, the clerk accepts the filing at no cost. If it is denied, you have 10 days to pay the fee or the case is treated as withdrawn.11Maryland Courts. Filing Fee Waivers
You can hand-deliver or mail your complete packet to the clerk. Maryland also offers electronic filing through the Odyssey File and Serve system (MDEC) in participating counties. Check with your local clerk’s office to confirm whether e-filing is available for family law cases where you are filing.
Serving Your Spouse
Once the clerk processes the complaint and issues a Writ of Summons, your spouse must be formally notified. You cannot deliver the papers yourself.12New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Rules Rule 2-121 – Process–Service–In Personam Maryland allows three methods of personal service:
- Hand delivery by a sheriff or private process server, who physically gives your spouse copies of the summons, complaint, and all filed papers.
- Certified mail with restricted delivery, marked “Restricted Delivery — show to whom, date, address of delivery.” Service is complete when your spouse signs for the delivery.
- Leaving copies at your spouse’s residence with a person of suitable age and discretion who lives there, handled by a sheriff or process server.
Whoever serves the papers must file proof of service with the court. Without that proof, the case cannot move forward. Private process servers typically charge between $60 and $150, depending on how many attempts it takes to find your spouse.
Service outside Maryland uses the same methods, but the response window changes. A spouse served inside the United States but outside Maryland has 60 days to respond. A spouse served outside the country has 90 days.
If your spouse never responds and you later ask for a default, you must first verify through the Department of Defense SCRA website whether your spouse is on active military duty. Active-duty servicemembers are entitled to a stay of at least 90 days under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, and the court will not enter a default without confirmation of military status.
After You File
A spouse served in Maryland has 30 days from the date of service to file a written answer. The answer may include a counter-complaint with your spouse’s own requests for custody, support, alimony, or property division. If one is filed, you then have 30 days to respond to it.
If no response arrives within the deadline, you can request an Order of Default using Form CC-DR-054. A default does not end the case on its own. You still appear before the court and give testimony supporting the divorce, and the judge can then grant the relief you requested in the complaint based on your evidence alone.
When your spouse does respond, the clerk forwards the file to the family law case management office, which schedules a conference, usually within roughly 30 to 60 days. A magistrate works with both sides to reach agreement on contested issues. If everything settles at that conference, the magistrate can take brief testimony on the grounds for divorce and send a proposed judgment to the judge. If issues remain, the magistrate sets discovery deadlines and schedules a pre-trial settlement conference, with a merits hearing only if that conference does not resolve the remaining disputes. Maryland courts aim to conclude 90 percent of family law cases within 12 months of filing and 98 percent within 24 months.