Yes. A legal separation in California begins with the filing of a Petition for Legal Separation document. The form is like the Dissolution of Marriage document; the petitioner simply checks the box for Legal Separation rather than Dissolution of Marriage at the top of the form. Once the document is filed with the county court, the other party has 30 days to file a response. Since it is a legal separation and not a divorce, there is no six-month minimum waiting period like a divorce.