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Prenup laws by state
A prenup replaces your state’s default rules with your own — so the first thing to know is what those defaults are. Pick your state for its property-division system, typical cost range, and execution rules. Not sure where to start? The cost calculator shows every state’s range in one screen.
Alabama
Alabama applies equitable-distribution factors — and below-average attorney rates keep drafted prenups toward the affordable end.
$1,000 – $4,500 typical range
EquitableAlaska
Alaska defaults to equitable distribution, but it is one of the few states where couples can opt into community property by written agreement.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
Community propertyArizona
Arizona is a community-property state: without a prenup, marital property is generally divided 50/50.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableArkansas
Arkansas divides marital property equitably — and it is one of the few states where marital fault can still influence the split.
$1,000 – $4,000 typical range
Community propertyCalifornia
California is community property and home to the country’s highest family-law rates — landmark cases like Marvin v. Marvin also shaped cohabitation rights.
$2,500 – $10,000 typical range
EquitableColorado
Colorado uses equitable distribution with strict full-disclosure expectations — a prenup sharply narrows what is left to argue about.
$1,500 – $6,500 typical range
EquitableConnecticut
Connecticut divides property equitably with a strong eye toward the length of the marriage; attorney rates run above the national average.
$2,000 – $7,500 typical range
EquitableDelaware
Delaware follows equitable distribution — and proximity to the Philadelphia–Wilmington corridor pushes hourly rates up a tier.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableDistrict of Columbia
The District of Columbia divides property equitably; like every big-city market, attorney rates sit at the top of the national range.
$2,500 – $9,000 typical range
EquitableFlorida
Florida is equitable distribution: courts start from a 50/50 split of marital assets, then adjust — a prenup usually keeps the split where you left it.
$1,500 – $7,000 typical range
EquitableGeorgia
Georgia applies equitable-distribution factors; clean records of what stayed “separate” before the wedding are worth their weight.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableHawaii
Hawaii divides property equitably — with a small attorney pool island-wide, booking early keeps costs in the mid-range.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
Community propertyIdaho
Idaho is community property: marital earnings default to an equal split unless a prenup says otherwise.
$1,000 – $4,500 typical range
EquitableIllinois
Illinois divides marital property equitably under its dissolution statute — statutory factors, not guesswork.
$2,000 – $7,000 typical range
EquitableIndiana
Indiana requires a “just division” of property — broad discretion for the court is exactly why written terms matter.
$1,500 – $5,500 typical range
EquitableIowa
Iowa divides property equitably, weighing how each asset was acquired and each spouse’s contribution.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableKansas
Kansas uses equitable division — and because it recognizes common-law marriage, some couples are legally married before they think they are.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableKentucky
Kentucky divides marital property equitably, weighing contributions and economic misconduct on either side.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
Community propertyLouisiana
Louisiana’s civil-law roots make it community property with unusually sharp lines between separate and marital assets — notarized marriage contracts carry real weight.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableMaine
Maine divides property equitably; rural attorney rates keep prenups near the low end of the national range.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableMaryland
Maryland splits marital property equitably with separate property preserved — rates track the DC metro orbit.
$2,000 – $7,500 typical range
EquitableMassachusetts
Massachusetts applies equitable distribution with heavy weight on the length of the marriage; Boston-area rates sit near the top.
$2,500 – $9,000 typical range
EquitableMichigan
Michigan divides marital property fairly under statutory factors — but only what counts as “marital” is on the table.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableMinnesota
Minnesota divides property equitably under its dissolution statute — contributions and opportunity costs both count.
$1,500 – $6,500 typical range
EquitableMississippi
Mississippi’s chancery courts divide marital property equitably, with separate property kept apart when it can be traced.
$1,000 – $4,500 typical range
EquitableMissouri
Missouri applies equitable-distribution factors — from contribution to the marriage to each spouse’s future circumstances.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableMontana
Montana divides property equitably under family-code factors — with hourly rates well below the coastal markets.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableNebraska
Nebraska divides marital property fairly, considering each spouse’s contribution and the marriage’s circumstances.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
Community propertyNevada
Nevada is community property — and it uniquely lets spouses contract over alimony, making prenup support clauses unusually durable here.
$1,500 – $6,500 typical range
EquitableNew Hampshire
New Hampshire splits property equitably — and with no general income tax, support planning takes a different shape.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableNew Jersey
New Jersey is equitable distribution with a full statutory factor list; NYC-metro rates put drafting near the premium end.
$2,500 – $9,000 typical range
Community propertyNew Mexico
New Mexico is community property: earnings and acquisitions during the marriage are presumed shared.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableNew York
New York follows equitable-distribution factors under the Domestic Relations Law — and the NYC market makes it the priciest prenup state alongside California.
$3,000 – $12,000 typical range
EquitableNorth Carolina
North Carolina presumes marital property is divided equally — unless a court finds equal is not equitable. Equal is the starting gun.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableNorth Dakota
North Dakota divides property equitably under no-fault dissolution rules — modest local rates keep drafting affordable.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableOhio
Ohio divides marital property equitably under statutory factors; tracing separate property is where good paperwork wins.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableOklahoma
Oklahoma applies equitable-distribution factors with contribution at the center — rates sit below the national median.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableOregon
Oregon divides property fairly and pushes couples toward mediation before a judge decides; rates cluster in the middle.
$1,500 – $6,500 typical range
EquitablePennsylvania
Pennsylvania is equitable distribution — and its courts have long enforced prenups that meet disclosure and execution rules.
$2,000 – $7,500 typical range
EquitableRhode Island
Rhode Island divides property equitably; a small coastal market with mid-range drafting costs.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableSouth Carolina
South Carolina applies equitable distribution — the statute weighs marriage length, contributions, and future needs.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableSouth Dakota
South Dakota splits marital property equitably under its unified dissolution statute — one of the cheapest states to file in.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range
EquitableTennessee
Tennessee works through statutory factors, with longer marriages nudging the court toward an equal split.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
Community propertyTexas
Texas is community property: what you earn together is presumed shared. A prenup is how Texas couples redefine “mine and ours.”
$1,500 – $7,500 typical range
EquitableUtah
Utah divides marital property equitably under its marriage statute — and rates stay well below the coasts.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableVermont
Vermont applies equitable distribution with explicit credit for each spouse’s contributions, including homemaking.
$1,500 – $6,000 typical range
EquitableVirginia
Virginia divides property equitably under a statutory factor list; prenups must meet Virginia’s own formalities to hold up.
$2,000 – $7,500 typical range
Community propertyWashington
Washington is community property — earnings during the marriage are split equally unless an agreement says otherwise.
$2,000 – $7,500 typical range
EquitableWest Virginia
West Virginia divides marital property equitably using statutory factors — among the lowest rates in the country.
$1,000 – $4,500 typical range
Community propertyWisconsin
Wisconsin is community property under the Marital Property Act — rigid defaults make a prenup the main source of flexibility.
$1,500 – $6,500 typical range
EquitableWyoming
Wyoming applies equitable distribution in a small, low-rate legal market — simple cases stay simple.
$1,200 – $5,000 typical range