A covenant marriage is a type of marriage that is only available in Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In a covenant marriage the spouses promise that (1) they will participate in marriage counseling before filing for divorce; (2) agree to a longer waiting period before the divorce can be finalized; and (3) must allege fault grounds for the divorce (cannot seek a divorce on no-fault grounds such as irreconcilable differences).

Laws vary among states that recognize covenant marriages, but in a covenant marriage a spouse seeking a divorce generally must allege fault grounds such as:

• Adultery by the other spouse;

• Commission of a felony by the other spouse and sentence of imprisonment at hard labor or death;

• Abandonment by the other spouse for one year;

• Physical or sexual abuse of the spouse or of a child of either spouse; or

• The spouses have lived separate and apart for two years; or the spouses are judicially or legally separated and have lived separate and apart since the legal separation for (a) one year and six months if there is a minor child or children of the marriage; (b) one year if the separation was granted for abuse of a child of either spouse; or (c) one year in all other cases.

Covenant marriage is a special type of marriage that is not recognized in West Virginia. This form of marriage, which includes additional steps and requirements such as mandatory counseling before divorce, longer waiting periods for divorce proceedings, and the necessity to allege fault grounds for divorce, is only available in Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana. In West Virginia, couples seeking to marry or divorce follow the standard marriage and divorce laws of the state, which include both fault and no-fault divorce grounds. No-fault divorce can be sought on the basis of irreconcilable differences without the need to prove fault. For those interested in similar provisions like those in a covenant marriage, such as counseling, they would need to arrange them privately or agree upon them in a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, as the state's legal framework does not provide for covenant marriage stipulations.