Divorce filing fees by state (2026)
Key numbers
- The cheapest verified place to file is District of Columbia at $80 (DC Courts).
- The most expensive verified state is California at $435 (Superior Court of California, statewide civil fee schedule).
- Across the 43 fees we confirmed, the middle figure is $210, so a typical filing fee is roughly two hundred dollars (On Her Own Feet calculation from the verified rows in the table below).
- The filing fee is the entry ticket, not the cost. Average total attorney fees run about $11,300 per spouse, with a median of about $7,000 (Martindale-Nolo Research, 2019). Even the priciest filing fee in this table is a small fraction of that.
What this table is
This is the fee to open a divorce case, paid by whoever files first. It is one line on a much longer bill. It does not include serving the papers, the parent education class some states require, motion fees, certified copies, a mediator, or a lawyer.
Many states do not set one price. County clerks add their own surcharges, so the number on the counter changes across a state line and sometimes across a county line. For those states we show the base fee in one large, named county and say which one in the notes, because a real quoted fee is more useful than an average nobody actually pays.
Cheapest five we confirmed: District of Columbia $80, Virginia $89, South Dakota $97, Maine $120, West Virginia $135. Most expensive five: California $435, Florida $409, Minnesota $402, Illinois $388, Washington $364. Rows are listed alphabetically by state.
Divorce filing fees, all 50 states and DC
| State | Filing fee | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not confirmed | Confirm with your county clerk of court. Fees vary by county, a statutory base plus county add-ons, and every alacourt.gov clerk page refused our connection. | Alabama Unified Judicial System |
| Alaska | $250 not confirmed | Statewide uniform fee for a complaint for divorce or a petition for dissolution, set by Administrative Rule 9. The court fee page refused our connection, so we could not read the figure ourselves. Confirm with the court. | Alaska Court System |
| Arizona | $321 | Varies by county, Pinal County shown. Listed as a petition for dissolution of marriage, effective 28 December 2024. The Maricopa County clerk page returned a 403. | Pinal County Clerk of Superior Court |
| Arkansas | $165 | Statewide statutory fee under Ark. Code Ann. 21-6-403 to start any circuit court case, domestic cases included. Pulaski County schedule shown. | Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk |
| California | $435 | Statewide uniform fee. Row 97 of the 2026 Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, first paper in a dissolution, legal separation or nullity. | Superior Court of California, statewide civil fee schedule |
| Colorado | $230 | Statewide uniform fee under C.R.S. 13-32-101, shown on the JDF 1 petition fee chart for divorce, legal separation or invalidity. | Colorado Judicial Branch |
| Connecticut | $360 not confirmed | Statewide uniform entry fee for a Superior Court civil action under Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-259. Both jud.ct.gov and cga.ct.gov blocked our fetch, so we could not read the figure ourselves. Confirm with the court. | Connecticut Judicial Branch |
| Delaware | $175 | Statewide uniform Family Court fee, a 165 dollar divorce civil filing fee plus a 10 dollar court security fee. Schedule effective 20 July 2026. | Delaware Family Court |
| District of Columbia | $80 | Uniform fee. Family Court initial filing fee for a complaint or petition, which covers a complaint for absolute divorce. | DC Courts |
| Florida | $409 | Varies slightly by county on top of the Fla. Stat. 28.101 base, Miami-Dade shown. Listed as dissolution of marriage. | Miami-Dade Clerk of Court |
| Georgia | $220 | Varies by county, Fulton County shown. Listed as divorce under O.C.G.A. 15-6-77.4. Sheriff service is a separate 50 dollars. | Fulton County Clerk of Superior Court |
| Hawaii | $215 | Statewide uniform Family Court fee for a divorce with no minor children, made up of 100 dollars filing plus a 65 dollar surcharge plus a 50 dollar computer surcharge. With minor children it is 265 dollars. | Hawaii State Judiciary |
| Idaho | $207 not confirmed | Attributed to the Ada County Clerk for a divorce with no children. Every official Idaho court domain returned a 403 to our fetch, so we could not read the figure ourselves. Confirm with your county clerk of court. | Ada County Clerk |
| Illinois | $388 | Varies by county, Cook County shown. The clerk guide gives 388 dollars as the regular fee to file any case in the Domestic Relations Division. | Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County |
| Indiana | $157 | Statewide fee set by IC 33-37-4-4. It is 157 dollars with service by certified mail and 185 dollars if the sheriff serves. | Miami County Clerk of Courts, Indiana |
| Iowa | $285 not confirmed | Statewide fee. The Iowa Judicial Branch site blocked our fetch, so this figure comes from a legal aid organization rather than a court page. | Iowa Legal Aid |
| Kansas | $173 | Statewide docket fee in K.S.A. 60-2001. The statute also allows a Supreme Court surcharge of up to 22 dollars, so many counties collect about 195 dollars. | Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, K.S.A. 60-2001 |
| Kentucky | Not confirmed | Confirm with your county clerk of court. Fees vary by county and we found no official statewide schedule we could fetch and read. | Kentucky Court of Justice |
| Louisiana | $337.50 | Varies by parish, Orleans Parish shown. Listed as the advance cost for a domestic relations petition for divorce, schedule effective 1 July 2026. | Orleans Parish Civil Clerk of Court |
| Maine | $120 | Statewide uniform fee, listed as entry of a family matter action in the Judicial Branch court fees order. | Maine Judicial Branch, Administrative Order JB-05-26 |
| Maryland | $165 | Statewide circuit court schedule. It is 165 dollars when you file without a lawyer and 175 dollars with one. | Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland |
| Massachusetts | $215 | Statewide uniform fee, a 200 dollar complaint for divorce plus a 15 dollar Register surcharge. A summons is another 5 dollars if you need one. | Massachusetts Probate and Family Court |
| Michigan | $175 | Set by MCL 600.2529, so effectively uniform statewide. It is 150 dollars filing plus a 25 dollar electronic filing fee. With minor children it is 255 dollars because of the 80 dollar Friend of the Court fee. | Ingham County Circuit Court Clerk |
| Minnesota | $402 | A 340 dollar base plus a 50 dollar domestic relations fee, then a county law library fee, so the total moves a little by county. Hennepin County shown at 402 dollars. Same fee with or without children. | Minnesota Judicial Branch, Hennepin County |
| Mississippi | $158 | Varies by county, set by each chancery clerk within Miss. Code 25-7-9. DeSoto County shown at 158 dollars for a contested divorce and 148 dollars for an uncontested one. | DeSoto County Chancery Court |
| Missouri | $144.50 | Varies by judicial circuit. Jackson County, the 16th Circuit, shown for a dissolution of marriage. Service is separate and rose to 46 dollars on 1 January 2026. | 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri |
| Montana | $200 | Statewide uniform fee, listed as dissolution commencement of action, which includes summary and joint dissolutions. Legal separation is 180 dollars. | Montana Clerks of District Courts civil fee schedule |
| Nebraska | $200 | Statewide uniform fee for a district court dissolution complaint, made up of a 35 dollar county docket fee, a 26 dollar state docket fee, a 50 dollar mediation fee, a 25 dollar child abuse prevention fee and smaller statutory add-ons. | Nebraska Judicial Branch |
| Nevada | $299 | Varies by county, Clark County shown. Covers a divorce complaint or a joint petition, same fee with or without children. | Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County |
| New Hampshire | $280 | Statewide uniform fee. This is the no children amount. A divorce with minor children is 282 dollars. | New Hampshire Circuit Court Service Center |
| New Jersey | $300 | Statewide uniform fee for the divorce complaint. Cases with children add a 25 dollar parent education fee. | New Jersey Judiciary court fee schedule |
| New Mexico | $137 | Statewide uniform fee, listed as new and reopened domestic cases. | First Judicial District Court, New Mexico |
| New York | $210 | Statewide uniform fee to buy the index number, which is how a divorce starts. Later steps add more, roughly 335 dollars in total for an uncontested divorce. | New York Unified Court System, CourtHelp |
| North Carolina | $225 | Statewide uniform fee, a 150 dollar district court civil total plus the 75 dollar absolute divorce fee. | North Carolina Judicial Branch, civil court costs |
| North Dakota | $160 | Statewide uniform fee for a petition for divorce, annulment or separation, effective 1 July 2025. | North Dakota Court System fee schedule |
| Ohio | $275 | Varies by county, Franklin County shown. A divorce is 275 dollars and an agreed dissolution is 225 dollars, same fee with or without children. | Franklin County Clerk of Courts |
| Oklahoma | $183 | Statutory base fee under 28 O.S. 152 for a divorce or alimony without divorce. Counties add local surcharges, so the amount at the window is higher, roughly 200 to 235 dollars. | Tulsa County Court Clerk, state fee schedule |
| Oregon | $301 | Statewide uniform fee, first appearance by the petitioner in a dissolution, annulment or separation under ORS 21.155. | Oregon Judicial Department circuit court fee schedule |
| Pennsylvania | $334.73 | Varies by county, Philadelphia shown. Listed as Family Court, divorce, commencement of action. | Philadelphia Office of Judicial Records |
| Rhode Island | Not confirmed | Confirm with your county clerk of court. The Rhode Island Judiciary publishes fee schedules for the Superior and District Courts but not for the Family Court, and no official page we could fetch stated the divorce figure. | Rhode Island Judiciary |
| South Carolina | $150 | Statewide statutory fee for a family court summons and complaint. Shown from a county clerk page because sccourts.org refuses automated requests. | Charleston County Clerk of Court |
| South Dakota | $97 | Statewide uniform fee, a 50 dollar filing fee plus a 40 dollar court automation surcharge plus a 7 dollar law library fee, effective 1 July 2026. | South Dakota Unified Judicial System |
| Tennessee | $234.50 | Varies by county, Davidson County shown. This is a divorce with no minor children and no sheriff service. With children the range starts near 309.50 dollars and service adds 52 dollars. | Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk |
| Texas | $350 | Varies by county, Harris County shown. Listed as divorce with no children at 350 dollars and with children at 365 dollars. | Harris County District Clerk |
| Utah | $350 | Statewide uniform fee, listed as divorce or separate maintenance under Utah Code 78A-2-301. | Utah State Courts |
| Vermont | $295 not confirmed | Statutory fee under 32 V.S.A. 1431, which drops to 90 dollars when the case is filed with a full stipulation. vermontjudiciary.org blocked our fetch, so this figure comes from a legal aid self-help packet rather than a court page. | VTLawHelp, Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont |
| Virginia | $89 | Varies by county or city, Loudoun County Circuit Court shown. The base clerk fee is statutory but local add-ons differ. | Loudoun County Circuit Court, Virginia |
| Washington | $364 | Dissolution of marriage under RCW 36.18.020 and 36.18.016, King County shown. Close to uniform statewide. | King County Superior Court Clerk |
| West Virginia | $135 | Statewide uniform fee to file a divorce petition. Sheriff service and a 25 dollar parent education fee are extra when there are children. | West Virginia Judiciary, petitioner divorce packet |
| Wisconsin | $184.50 | Statewide statutory fee under Wis. Stat. 814.61. This is the amount with no minor children and no request for support or maintenance. It is 194.50 dollars with children or a support request. | Waukesha County Circuit Courts, Wisconsin |
| Wyoming | $160 | Statewide uniform district court civil filing fee, since a divorce is filed as a district court civil case. It is 110 dollars filing plus 40 dollars court automation plus 10 dollars civil legal services. | Wyoming Judicial Branch costs and fees table |
Methodology
What the fee covers. The initial filing fee for a divorce, dissolution of marriage or divorce complaint, paid by the petitioner or plaintiff. Where a state charges a different amount with and without children, we show the no children amount and say so in the notes. Service of process, parent education classes, motion fees and certified copies are all extra.
How we sourced it. For every state we looked for the official source first: the state judiciary fee schedule, the statute that sets the fee, or a county clerk of court schedule where the state leaves the fee to counties. We then opened that page and read the figure on it. We did not take fees from aggregator sites, listicles or divorce marketing pages.
The honest split. 43 of 51 fees were verified against official court sources on 4 September 2026. 5 carry a figure we could not confirm on a fetched official page, because the court site blocked us or the schedule was not published; those rows say so in the notes and are marked not confirmed. 3 states show no figure at all, because we would rather publish a blank than a number we cannot stand behind. In those rows the source link goes to the state judiciary, and the answer is to call your county clerk of court.
Accessed. Every source in this table was fetched and read on September 4, 2026.
Refresh promise. We recheck every row at least once a year and restate the verified count each time, so you can see whether the table got stronger or weaker. Court fees change by administrative order mid year, so treat any figure as a starting point and confirm the current amount with the court before you write the cheque.
Download the data
Download the CSV. It carries the same 51 rows, including the source URL, the date we accessed it, and the verified flag, so you can check our work rather than take our word for it.
Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Use it anywhere, including commercially, with this attribution: On Her Own Feet, Divorce filing fees by state (2026), https://onherownfeet.com/data/divorce-costs-by-state/.
Why the filing fee is the least of it
The spread in this table runs from $80 to $435, a difference of a few hundred dollars. The real money is in what happens after you file. Average total attorney fees are about $11,300 per spouse and the median is about $7,000 (Martindale-Nolo Research, 2019), full mediation commonly runs $3,000 to $8,000 shared between two people, and a litigated case commonly runs $15,000 to $30,000 per spouse (DivorcePlus, 2026). Choosing a cheaper state to file in is not a strategy. Choosing a cheaper process is.
More verified numbers on the money side of divorce are in our divorce money statistics, and the calculators that turn averages into your own figures are in the calculators.
Cite this page
On Her Own Feet. "Divorce filing fees by state (2026)." Last updated September 4, 2026. https://onherownfeet.com/data/divorce-costs-by-state/
If you use a single state's fee, please cite that court as well. Every source link in the table goes to the court page itself, not to a summary of it.
All 51 sources are linked in the Source column above and repeated in the CSV. Fetched and read on September 4, 2026.