Wahkiakum County Superior Court Divorce by Mail

EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 the DIVORCE FILING FEE is $314.00

If you live in Washington State, you can file, by mail, an Agreed/Uncontested divorce in Wahkiakum County and your presence will not be required when the Ex Parte fee is paid.  In Washington, a divorce action is initiated when one spouse (the Petitioner) files a petition for dissolution of marriage in a Washington State Superior Court. (The other spouse is called the Respondent.)

Parties can choose one of the following methods to prepare the necessary divorce paperwork for filing:

• Contact our office to have a pre-printed packet of forms mailed to you:
  • Pre-printed packets for a Divorce Without Children are $28.00, (which includes postage).
  • Pre-printed packets for a Divorce With Children are $48.00, (which includes postage).
• Visit www.courts.wa.gov/forms/ to download and print the necessary forms at no charge; or www.washingtonlawhelp.org to download packets that include forms and instructions s to complete at no charge. WashingtonLawHelp.org  now also has an online interview process you can use to prepare and print divorce forms free here: WashingtonLawHelp Online Divorce Interview. NOTE: If you prepare your divorce forms through WashingtonLawHelp, when printing your documents, please check your computer/printer settings to be sure the documents print in the required format for Court documents per General Rule 14. Note: At this time, the Washington Online Divorce Interview process does not include completion of the final orders also needed to complete the divorce process. The additional packet of forms can be found on their website here: WashingtonLawHelp - Finalize a Divorce. 
• Pay an Online Divorce Service to prepare your documents to send to you to sign/date and then mail to the court for filing. NOTE: If you choose to use an Online Divorce Service, the fees you pay to them are for their service alone and do not include the required court filing fees to file your divorce case in Wahkiakum County Superior Court.
• Retain an Attorney or Professional Legal Service.

Instructions
(Please click on Instructions for Filing for Divorce by Mail for the complete printable version)

Fees:

• Filing Fee                   $314.00  (Effective September 1, 2023)
• Ex Parte Fee              $  30.00  (This fee is paid for the Judge to review your divorce file in  chambers, without parties having to schedule a court hearing to finalize the divorce). 
• Copy Fees are required to be paid if you want copies of any of the Final Divorce Orders that are file stamped and signed by the Judge - See Copy Fee Schedule* on last page. 
• Fees can be paid by check or money order and all fees including copy fees can be totaled together into one payment. Please make payment payable to Wahkiakum County Clerk.

The following is a list of minimum requirements to start the Divorce action and begin the State-mandated 90-day waiting period. 

• $314.00 Filing Fee
• Confidential Information Form
• Petition for Divorce (Dissolution) with signed Joinder.
• Self-addressed/postage paid envelope to return the pink form indicating your court assigned case number, scheduled dissolution date, documents received and payment receipt.

Note: the 90-day waiting period cannot begin until a Joinder is signed by the other party, or you file a Proof of Personal Service showing the other party was served with the Petition for Divorce and Summons, the waiting period then begins from the date of service. 

The remaining required documents and fees can be mailed in before the set dissolution date. Most clients find it is easier to send in all the necessary paperwork at the time of filing, with all the necessary fees (all fees may be paid in one check or money order).

Important things to keep in mind when filing in Wahkiakum County:

• We do not notify you when your divorce is final. All divorces are not automatically final on the set dissolution date. You can call our office to verify your divorce is final. We mail copies of final paperwork if copies are paid for in advance; paid copies are mailed to the person who paid for the copies in the provided self-addressed/stamped envelope.
  
• Only send in the Original Documents with original ink signatures, we do not accept copies for filing. You can send copies if you want them conformed and mailed back to you when the divorce is final.
• Do not fill in the case number on your documents, we will write in the case number once you are assigned one in Wahkiakum County. If you have used an online divorce service, the case number they provide you with is not your court assigned divorce case number.
• The court will only accept documents printed on one side of the paper. Any documents printed on both sides of the paper will not be filed and they will be returned to be printed properly and re-submitted.
• The Court does not complete any of the documents for you, review all documents carefully before sending them and be sure every section of every document has been completed.
• Verification of Findings of Facts – this is the form that each party must have their signature witnessed and notarized on by a public notary per our Local Court Rules, NOTE: your signatures on all signed documents must match your witnessed and notarized signature.
• Send 2 self-addressed/postage paid envelopes; one to mail the pink form and payment receipt confirming the filing of your case, and a larger envelope to mail any prepaid copies back to you in when the divorce is final.