In many states there is a waiting period for finalizing a divorce following the filing of the lawsuit for divorce. This waiting period is intended to allow the spouses to “cool-off” and reconcile if possible. And some states require the spouses to have separated and lived apart for some period of time before proceeding with the divorce. In some states that require such a separation period, if the spouses reconcile and begin living together again (cohabitating) after separating, the separation period must be restarted before the divorce process can proceed.

The waiting period or separation period is often 30-90 days but may be as long as 5-18 months in states such as Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Vermont. These waiting periods are generally in addition to any minimum time period a spouse must have resided in the county in which the divorce is filed before filing for divorce—known as the residency requirement.

In Wisconsin, there is a mandatory waiting period for finalizing a divorce after the initial filing. This waiting period is 120 days, which is intended to serve as a 'cooling-off' period to give the spouses an opportunity to reconcile if possible. Wisconsin does not require the spouses to live apart for a specific period before filing for divorce. However, the state does have a residency requirement, which mandates that at least one of the spouses must have been a resident of Wisconsin for at least six months and a resident of the county where the divorce is filed for at least 30 days prior to filing. The waiting period in Wisconsin is separate from the residency requirement and is one of the longer waiting periods compared to some other states.