Under Georgia law, there are 13 grounds upon which a petition for divorce may be brought by one spouse against the other. Twelve of the 13 grounds involve some type of “fault” by one party (e.g., adultery, abandonment, habitual intoxication, cruel treatment, etc.).

The thirteenth ground involves a situation where the marriage is “irretrievably broken” and there exists no chain of reconciliation between the parties. This is, by far, the most common ground for divorce in Georgia and is usually referred to as a “no-fault” divorce. In such a “no-fault” situation, a party does not specifically complain of  the other party’s conduct; the complaining party merely states that marital differences exist and he/she no longer desires to live together as husband and wife.