Filing Fee for Divorce in Florida: County Costs and Waivers (2026)

Filing Fee for Divorce in Florida: What to Expect in 2026

1. What Is the Filing Fee for Divorce in Florida?

The filing fee to open a divorce case in Florida runs approximately $395 to $420 depending on the county, paid to the circuit court clerk when you submit your Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. This fee is collected under Fla. Stat. § 28.241, which sets a statewide base fee and permits counties to add supplemental technology and administrative surcharges. The respondent, the spouse who receives the petition, pays a comparable fee to file an Answer or Counter-Petition.

The filing fee is not the total cost of a Florida divorce. It opens the case. Service of process, parenting class tuition, mandatory mediation, and certified copies of the final judgment each carry separate charges that can push total out-of-pocket costs to several hundred dollars or more before an attorney fee is considered. Planning around the full cost picture, not just the initial filing fee, prevents surprises that delay the case. For an overview of the full procedure from filing through final judgment, see the Florida Divorce Process guide.

The fee schedule is public record. Every county clerk's office publishes its current civil fee schedule on the county court website, and the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (portal.flcourts.org) displays applicable fees before you submit. Always confirm the exact amount with the clerk before the day you file, because fees are updated when the legislature amends § 28.241 or when a clerk adopts a new technology surcharge.

2. Petitioner's Filing Fee by County

Florida has 67 counties grouped into 20 judicial circuits, and the filing fee varies by circuit. In the major metropolitan counties, the petitioner's fee for a dissolution of marriage currently falls in the following approximate ranges:

• Miami-Dade County: approximately $408-$412
• Broward County: approximately $407-$410
• Palm Beach County: approximately $409-$413
• Hillsborough County (Tampa): approximately $408-$411
• Orange County (Orlando): approximately $408-$412
• Duval County (Jacksonville): approximately $408-$412
• Pinellas County: approximately $407-$410

Smaller, rural counties with lighter dockets sometimes charge closer to $395, reflecting a lower technology surcharge. The base statutory fee and the per-circuit surcharge together produce the final number. Neither the presence of minor children nor the complexity of the marital estate changes the initial filing fee at the petition stage, although both factors add other costs downstream.

One detail that catches filers off guard: if you file a Motion for Temporary Relief simultaneously with or shortly after the petition, for example a Motion for Temporary Support or a Motion for Temporary Time-Sharing, some circuits charge a separate motion filing fee of $10-$50. Others absorb motion fees within the same case number at no additional charge. Check the clerk's fee schedule for your circuit before preparing your initial filing packet.

3. Respondent's Answer and Counter-Petition Fee

The spouse served with the divorce petition is the respondent. To participate in the case, the respondent must file a response. An Answer acknowledging the petition and either agreeing or contesting the claims carries a filing fee that mirrors the petitioner's charge in most circuits, typically running $395-$415. This charge is separate from what the petitioner paid; each party's first filed document triggers its own fee.

If the respondent files a Counter-Petition for Dissolution of Marriage asserting affirmative claims such as an alimony award under Fla. Stat. § 61.08, a specific equitable-distribution outcome under Fla. Stat. § 61.075, or a time-sharing schedule under Fla. Stat. § 61.13, the Counter-Petition is treated as a new filing and carries the full dissolution fee. A respondent who merely files a Notice of Appearance through an attorney, without yet filing an Answer, may owe a nominal appearance fee of $10-$15 in some circuits, with the full answer fee due when the Answer is later filed.

If the respondent never files a response, the petitioner may request a default under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.500. A clerk's default does not carry a filing fee in most circuits, though a subsequent motion to set the case for a final hearing may. Proceeding by default eliminates the respondent's answer fee from the cost picture but does not shorten the mandatory 20-day waiting period under Fla. Stat. § 61.19.

4. Simplified Dissolution: One Combined Fee

Florida's Simplified Dissolution of Marriage, authorized under Fla. Stat. § 61.103, is available to couples who meet a narrow checklist: no minor or dependent children, neither spouse pregnant, both spouses agree to waive the right to a trial and the right to appeal, and both have fully agreed on all property and debt division. When those conditions are met, both spouses sign and file a single joint petition at the clerk's counter.

Because only one petition is filed, even though both spouses are parties, only one filing fee is collected rather than two. The fee is the same per-county amount as a standard dissolution, but the savings come from paying it once rather than paying both a petition fee and an answer fee. In Broward County, for example, a standard dissolution requires approximately $408 from the petitioner and $408 from the respondent, totaling roughly $816 in clerk fees before any other cost. A simplified dissolution by the same couple produces one $408 charge.

Beyond the fee savings, the simplified path moves faster through the docket because it requires fewer forms, no parenting class (no children are involved), and often no mediation. The mandatory financial disclosure requirements under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285 are reduced in the simplified track. For a walkthrough of the required forms and eligibility criteria, see Florida Divorce Forms.

5. Fee Waivers for Low-Income Filers

Florida law recognizes that a $400-plus filing fee is a genuine barrier for low-income residents. Fla. Stat. § 57.081 allows any civil litigant, including a divorce petitioner or respondent, to apply for a waiver or deferral of filing fees and court costs upon a sworn showing of indigency. The statute defines "indigent" as a person whose net income is at or below 200 percent of the applicable federal poverty guidelines, or a person receiving means-tested public assistance such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, SNAP, or TANF.

The application is submitted on the Clerk's Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status form, available at any clerk's office, filed at the same time as your petition or answer. The clerk reviews it administratively. If approved, the filing fees are either waived entirely or deferred to be assessed against any marital assets you receive when the case closes. If the clerk denies the application, you may request that a judge review the decision before you are required to pay.

Important limitation: the § 57.081 waiver covers clerk-collected filing fees and court costs, but it does not automatically waive the parenting class fee, process server fees, or mediation costs. Some Florida judicial circuits maintain reduced-fee mediation programs for income-qualified parties. Florida Legal Services (floridalegal.org) and county legal aid societies can help you identify those programs and complete the waiver application correctly.

6. Service of Process Fees

Filing the petition opens the case but does not notify your spouse. Florida requires formal service of process, delivery of the petition and summons to the respondent, before the case can proceed. Unless the respondent voluntarily signs a Waiver of Service of Process and files it with the clerk, eliminating the service cost entirely, you must pay for service.

The Florida sheriff is the default process server for domestic cases. Most counties charge approximately $40 per service attempt, with fees capped around $60-$80 for multiple attempts at the same address. If your spouse lives in a different county or a different state, you must contact that jurisdiction's sheriff or hire a licensed private process server. Private process servers in Florida are regulated under Fla. Stat. § 48.27 and typically charge $50-$150 for standard service and $150-$250 or more for rush or out-of-county service.

When the respondent's location is unknown after a diligent search documented in a court-filed affidavit, Florida permits service by publication under Fla. Stat. § 49.011. You must run a legal notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of the respondent's last known address for the statutory period, typically four consecutive weeks. Publication fees generally run $150-$350 depending on the newspaper. Service by publication is a last resort because it triggers a longer timeline before any final judgment can enter. For more on this scenario, see Florida File Divorce Without Spouse.

7. Parenting Class and Mediation Costs

Any dissolution involving minor children requires both parents to complete a court-approved parenting education and family stabilization course before the court enters a final judgment, under Fla. Stat. § 61.21. The course covers the impact of divorce on children, communication strategies between co-parents, and Florida's time-sharing framework. Most approved courses run four hours and cost $25-$50 per parent, paid directly to the course provider. Some circuits set a 45-day deadline from filing for completion, and the court will not finalize the divorce until certificates of completion are on file.

Mediation is often the largest variable cost in a Florida divorce. Florida Supreme Court family mediation rules require most contested family law matters to attend at least one mediation session before a final hearing is scheduled. Certified family mediators in Florida are credentialed by the Florida Supreme Court and charge on an hourly basis. Market rates range from approximately $150 to $400 per hour, with fees divided equally between the parties by default unless the court orders otherwise. A three-hour session could cost each party $225-$600.

What mediation accomplishes when it works is significant: a full agreement reached in mediation allows both parties to submit a Marital Settlement Agreement and Parenting Plan directly to the court for approval, bypassing a contested evidentiary hearing entirely. That eliminates the cost and time of trial preparation, witness coordination, and exhibit preparation. For a side-by-side comparison of resolution costs, see Florida Divorce Mediation vs. Litigation.

8. Additional Costs After the Initial Filing

Court-related expenses do not stop at the initial filing fee. Certified copies of the final judgment of dissolution, which you will need to update a driver's license, Social Security record, bank accounts, and real estate titles, cost approximately $1-$2 per page plus a per-document certification fee, producing a typical total of $5-$15 per certified copy. Most parties need two to four certified copies immediately after the judgment enters.

Recording fees apply when real property is transferred as part of the equitable-distribution award. The Official Records fee under Fla. Stat. § 28.24 is approximately $10 for the first page and $8.50 per additional page. If a Qualified Domestic Relations Order is required to divide a retirement account or pension, the plan administrator may charge a separate QDRO review fee of $300-$1,500 depending on the plan, which is unrelated to the court's fee schedule.

In high-conflict cases where either party files emergency motions, for example a Motion to Relocate under Fla. Stat. § 61.13001 or a Motion for Temporary Injunctive Relief, some circuits charge a motion filing fee of $10-$50 per motion. These are modest individually but accumulate over a lengthy contested case and are worth including in a realistic budget from the outset.

9. Strategies to Manage Total Filing Costs

The most effective way to reduce total court costs is to resolve all issues before filing or very early in the case. When both spouses have already agreed on the division of marital property under Fla. Stat. § 61.075, child support under Fla. Stat. § 61.30, time-sharing under Fla. Stat. § 61.13, and any alimony under Fla. Stat. § 61.08, the case can proceed as uncontested. Uncontested cases still require both a petition fee and an answer fee, but they avoid contested hearings, discovery disputes, deposition costs, and multiple mediation sessions.

Using the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal correctly the first time prevents re-filing fees that result from rejected documents. The Florida Supreme Court's standardized family law forms, available at no cost at floridacourts.gov, cover the most common filing scenarios and are accepted by all 67 county clerks. Filing an incomplete or incorrectly formatted petition causes a clerk's deficiency notice, which may require a corrected re-submission and an additional fee. Reviewing the applicable statutes and Florida Divorce Laws alongside the clerk's document checklist before filing reduces that risk.

For self-represented parties who are unsure whether their case qualifies as uncontested, or whether simplified dissolution is available, limited-scope legal representation is worth considering. Under this arrangement, an attorney reviews your paperwork for a flat fee far lower than full representation, confirms the forms are complete, and identifies issues such as a pension that requires a QDRO or a business that requires a formal valuation before they become costly surprises. To explore how Louis Law Group approaches Florida divorce matters, visit our services or pricing pages.

Bottom Line

The filing fee for divorce in Florida is approximately $395 to $420 paid to the circuit court clerk under Fla. Stat. § 28.241, with the respondent paying a comparable fee. Simplified dissolution filers pay one combined fee. Low-income parties may qualify for a waiver under Fla. Stat. § 57.081. Service of process, parenting class tuition, mediation, and certified copies add further costs that can bring total case expenses to several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on complexity and level of conflict. Reaching full agreement before or shortly after filing is the single most effective way to keep those costs manageable.

Attorney Advertising Disclaimer

This article is general legal information only and does not constitute legal advice. It reflects Florida law as of 2026 and is provided for educational purposes only. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Louis Law Group or any of its attorneys. Every dissolution proceeding is fact-specific, and outcomes vary based on individual circumstances. Past results obtained in prior cases do not guarantee future outcomes. For advice about your particular situation, consult a licensed Florida family law attorney.