When you are having marital difficulties and start looking for information about divorce in South Carolina, it is a good idea to take pause and consider the far reaching implications of a dissolution of marriage. The union is between two people at the center, but there are many others involved. Obviously the children will feel the effects of the divorce in many ways, and the extended family is also impacted. There are innumerable fine counseling resources in the Charleston area, and it is always advisable to view divorce as a last resort.

However, if you do decide that divorce is your only option after putting forth sufficient effort toward a reconciliation, you can find the laws in Chapter 3 of the Code Of Laws of South Carolina. To meet the residency requirements both the plaintiff and the respondent must have lived in the state for at least three months if both parties are current residents of the state. If one or the other is residing out of state the party that is living in South Carolina must have been a resident for at least a year to satisfy the residency requirement.

In South Carolina one can file for divorce on either fault or no-fault grounds. To file for a no-fault divorce the parties must have resided separately for a period of one year. The fault grounds for divorce in South Carolina include adultery, desertion, substance abuse problems, and physical cruelty. The court where you would file a Complaint For Divorce would be the Family Court, and the paperwork is handled by the County Clerk's Office of the Family Court. When and if the divorce becomes finalized by the court, a Decree of Divorce will be granted and the marriage will then be legally dissolved in the eyes of the state of South Carolina. 

If you have questions or concerns about a divorce, contact a Charleston military divorce attorney to arrange for a free consultation. The best divorce attorney Charleston South Carolina will give you the help you need with all aspects of a Charleston SC divorce.