Filing costs $165, a flat fee under Md. Courts Article § 7-202 that applies statewide, not just in Anne Arundel. If you can't afford it, file a Motion for Waiver of Prepayment of Filing Fees. A separate waiver covers fees for court-ordered mediation or other family services. With Marble Law, you pay only for what you need.

After you file, the court returns the summons to you for service; it won't arrange this for you. Pay the Sheriff's Office $60 per document, per person, or hire a private process server. Once served, your spouse has 30 days to respond in Maryland, 60 out of state, or 90 outside the country.

The Family Law Scheduling Conference is typically set 60+ days after your spouse's answer: the case management office has 30 days to schedule it, then it's held at least 30 days later. A Family Magistrate or Scheduling Conference Administrator presides, not a judge. The conference identifies disputed issues, orders any required mediation, and sets deadlines toward a Settlement Conference or Merits Hearing.

Divorce is uncontested when you and your spouse agree on property, alimony, and any child-related issues. Maryland's mutual consent ground skips the waiting period if you file a signed settlement agreement covering those terms, plus a child support worksheet (Md. Code, Fam. Law § 7-103(a)(3)). Without agreement, you file under six months' separation or irreconcilable differences, and the case follows the contested track to a Merits Hearing.

There's no fixed timeline, but Anne Arundel's case management plan sets benchmarks: the Scheduling Conference at 60+ days after the answer, discovery completed within three months after that (the cap for standard cases), then a Settlement Conference. A Merits Hearing follows if unresolved, with no published deadline for that stage. Overall, the court aims to close 90% of cases within a year and 98% within two.

Maryland uses equitable distribution, not a 50/50 split. Courts typically order a monetary payment rather than dividing assets directly, based on 11 factors: each spouse's contributions, financial circumstances, and length of marriage, among others (Md. Code, Fam. Law §§ 8-201, 8-205). Property owned before marriage, inherited, or gifted is excluded from division.