Summary dissolution and the joint petition in California

Summary dissolution is set out in Family Code sections 2400 to 2406. All of the conditions must be true at the time you file. If even one is not met, you need to use the joint petition process or the regular divorce process instead. The California Courts Self-Help Guide and the Summary Dissolution Information booklet (form FL-810) list the current requirements, which generally include the following.

The dollar limits for property and debts are adjusted periodically for inflation under Family Code section 2400. As of late 2026, the official materials list a community debt limit of $7,000 (not counting car loans) and a limit of $57,000 for community property and for each spouse's separate property (not counting cars). Always check the current figures on the official self-help page or in form FL-810 before you file, and remember that retirement accounts count as property.

You and your spouse complete and both sign the Joint Petition for Summary Dissolution (form FL-800), prepare the Judgment of Dissolution and Notice of Entry of Judgment (form FL-825), and attach a signed property agreement. There is no service of a summons and no response, because you file together. You still exchange preliminary financial disclosures, but final disclosures are not required in summary dissolution cases.

You file the forms with the clerk and pay the current filing fee (check the court's fee schedule), or each ask for a fee waiver. The judgment is dated six months after filing, and that is the date the divorce becomes final. Until then, either spouse can stop the process by filing a Notice of Revocation of Petition for Summary Dissolution (form FL-830). If one of you revokes, you would need to start a regular divorce if you still want to end the marriage.

Senate Bill 1427 (2024) created a new way for spouses who expect to agree on everything to start a divorce or legal separation together, even if they do not qualify for summary dissolution because of children, property, or the length of the marriage. According to the official self-help guide, both spouses sign and file a Joint Petition (form FL-700) and a Summons for the joint petition (form FL-710), plus the UCCJEA declaration (form FL-105) if they have minor children. They are listed as Petitioner 1 and Petitioner 2, and the standard restraining orders on the summons take effect when the case is filed.

You do not need a finished agreement to file, but you must reach a full agreement by the end. You cannot ask the court for temporary orders inside a joint petition case. You still exchange financial disclosures within 60 days of filing, write and sign a settlement, and submit a judgment. For a divorce, the six-month waiting period runs from the date the joint petition is filed.

Either spouse can revoke a joint petition at any time before judgment without the judge's or the other spouse's approval. The person revoking files a Notice of Revocation of Joint Petition (form FL-720) along with an amended Petition (form FL-100) if they were Petitioner 1, or a Response (form FL-120) if they were Petitioner 2, and has those papers served. The case does not close or restart; it continues as a regular divorce, and the standard restraining orders stay in place.

Because these procedures are new, local courts may still be adjusting their practices. Check your court's website or self-help center, and consider a consultation with an independent family-law attorney licensed in California before choosing between summary dissolution, a joint petition, and a regular divorce.