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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Bill Allows Couples to Opt Out of No-Fault Divorce When Obtaining Marriage Licenses
Last action · February 9, 2026: Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.Sponsor: Jesse Green
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What This Bill Would Do
Couples applying for a marriage license in Iowa may voluntarily elect to waive grounds, requiring instead specific fault-based grounds such as adultery, felony imprisonment, abandonment, abuse, or two years of separation to dissolve the marriage.
Couples who choose to sign the waiver limit their future legal grounds for ending the marriage, meaning a divorce could require proof of specific fault rather than a general breakdown of the relationship.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
individuals applying for marriage licenses
Couples are given the option to voluntarily waive standard no-fault divorce and bind themselves to specific fault-based grounds for future marriage dissolution.
county registrars
County registrars are required to accept, file, and record the newly established divorce waivers at the time marriage license applications are submitted.
Key Facts
- Parties applying for a marriage license may jointly elect to waive dissolution of marriage based solely on a breakdown of the relationship by filing a waiver prescribed by the judicial branch.
- The waiver must be signed voluntarily by both parties and filed with the county registrar at the time the marriage license application is filed.
- If a waiver is filed, a party may petition for dissolution only upon proof of adultery, felony imprisonment, abandonment for one year or more, physical or sexual abuse, or living separate and apart continuously for two years or more.
- A waiver is presumed valid unless a party establishes by clear and convincing evidence that it was not executed voluntarily or was the result of fraud, duress, or coercion.
Show all 5 facts
- A decree dissolving a marriage when a spouse has a mental illness does not relieve the other spouse of legal support obligations, though the court may modify or waive support to prevent undue hardship.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do couples opt out of no-fault divorce under this bill?
What grounds for divorce apply if a couple signs the waiver?
Can a signed waiver be challenged in court?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 9, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
- Feb 6, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/09/2026 2:30PM Room G15.
- Feb 4, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Green, Bisignano, and Webster. S.J. 200 .
- Feb 2, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Judiciary. S.J. 177 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Opt-Out No-Fault Divorce Framework
The bill establishes a mechanism for couples to bypass standard no-fault dissolution standards at the point of marriage licensure by agreeing to specific fault grounds.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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