There are only two grounds for divorce in the District of Columbia. Both are so-called no-fault grounds that is, a party does not have to prove that his spouse did something wrong (for example, committed adultery) to get a divorce. The two grounds are voluntary separation for six months, or separation for a year. The difference between the two is that with the former, the couple must agree to separate that is, the separation must be voluntary. With the second ground, the couple does not have to agree to separate; one person can unilaterally decide to separate from the other.

District of Columbia law allows a couple to seek a court recognized separation, called a legal separation. A legal separation is usually sought by a couple when there are not yet grounds for a divorce, but the couple wants the Court to decide certain issues such as child custody, child support, and property issues. There are four grounds for a legal separation: a voluntary separation, separation for a year, adultery, and cruelty.

An annulment is where a court declares that a marriage does not exist. There are several grounds for an annulment in the District of Columbia. One ground is where someone marries someone who is already married. Another ground is when someone marries someone who is insane. Other grounds include where a marriage was obtained by fraud or force, where one of the people getting married is not yet 16, where one of the parties is matrimonially incapacitated without the knowledge of the other party, and where certain relatives get married.