12 Reasons You Can Legally Get Divorced in Oklahoma

While some Oklahomans are looking forward to the sappy love-filled holiday coming up, there are quite a few that may be struggling with their relationships this Valentine's Day. Some couples unfortunately could be calling it quits this year and getting a divorce if they're allowed to. According to Oklahoma law, there are several different grounds for getting a divorce in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma's Failed Marriages Amongst Most Numbers Nationally

Oklahoma unfortunately takes the cake as one of the states with the highest divorce rates in the country, with an astonishing 3.7% as of 2024. When couples in Oklahoma decide to cut ties, they usually choose divorce because of:

• Unmet needs
• Deficient Life-Work Balance
• Alcohol Addiction
• Physical and Emotional Violence
• Unfaithfulness

Since Oklahoma is recognized as a "no fault" state, a couple can file for divorce without "regard to the preference of the other spouse," according to Brown & Gould Attorney's At Law. This is true at least for traditional marriages. But covenant marriages in Oklahoma may be a little different, depending on the outcome of Senate Bill 228.

Proposed Senate Bill Requires Proof Of Abuse, Abandonment or Adultery For Divorce

Senate Bill 228, introduced by Senator Deevers earlier this month, will give couples the choice to enter into a covenant marriage. Under the bill, covenant law will incentivize couples to stay together longer by:

• Requiring pre-marital counseling before marriage
• Both parties signing a declaration of intent
• Divorce will only be granted if one spouse can prove the other was abusive, committed adultery or abandoned the marriage "continuous period of a year without justification."

Covenant marriages are not the same as traditional marriages and Oklahomans are not required to enter into this type of marriage if they don't want to. But for traditional marriages, couples could ask for a divorce for any of these reasons listed below.

Last year, that could have looked a lot differently had Oklahoma Senate Bill 1958 been passed into law.

Senate Bill 1958 Would've Done Away With "No Fault" Divorces in Oklahoma

Senate Bill 1958 was proposed in January of 2024. As of right now, Oklahoma has 12 grounds for divorce in the state, but if this senate bill was passed, it would've removed "no fault" divorces as an option.

According the bill, divorces would only be granted in Oklahoma due to:

• Abandonment for 1 year
• Habitual Drunkenness for 5 years
• Gross neglect of duty for 5 years
• Insanity for 5 years (as well as other qualifiers)
• Adultery
• Unknown Pregnancy
• Extreme Cruelty
• Fraudulent Contract
• "The procurement of a final divorce decree without this state by a husband or wife which does not in this state release the other party from the obligations of the marriage"

The bill died in the Judiciary Committee chambers. But the current Senate Bill 228 offering Covenant marriages for Oklahomans has been referred to Judiciary Committee then to Revenue and Taxation Committee as of Feb. 4, 2025.

Until we see more happen from this bill, these are the 12 reasons Oklahomans can get divorced.