A divorce becomes contested the moment the spouses cannot agree on one or more issues, whether that is time-sharing, support, or the division of a business or home. It does not require hostility on every front. Couples who agree on most things but deadlock on a single major question are still in a contested posture for that issue.
Knowing which disputes are worth fighting and which are better conceded is part of what a contested divorce lawyer in Sanford brings to a case. Spending leverage on the issues that matter, rather than on every issue, usually serves a client better in the end.