Fees and residency rules checked against each state’s official court source on July 3, 2026. Download the table as CSV (includes the fee-waiver form and source link for each state).
| State | Approx. filing fee | Residency to file | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | About $200–$350, varying by county. | The plaintiff (or the defendant) must have lived in Alabama for 6 months before filing. | montgomery.alacourt.gov |
| Alaska | About $250 for a divorce or dissolution. | You must be an Alaska resident when you file (no minimum length). | courts.alaska.gov |
| Arizona | About $280–$365, varying by county (Maricopa petition is about $349). | One spouse must have been domiciled in Arizona for 90 days before filing. | azcourts.gov |
| Arkansas | About $165. | One spouse must meet Arkansas’s residency requirement (generally 60 days before filing and 3 months before the decree). | arcourts.gov |
| California | About $435–$450 first-appearance fee (each spouse who appears pays; a few counties add small surcharges). | You must have lived in California for 6 months and in the county where you file for 3 months before filing. (Fam. Code § 2320) | selfhelp.courts.ca.gov |
| Colorado | About $230 for the petitioner (plus about $116 for a co-petitioner or respondent). | One spouse must have been domiciled in Colorado for 91 days before filing. | coloradojudicial.gov |
| Connecticut | About $360 court entry fee, plus roughly $40–$75 for a marshal to serve. | Generally one spouse must have lived in Connecticut for 12 months before the divorce is final. | jud.ct.gov |
| Delaware | About $175 ($165 petition + $10 security fee). | One spouse must have been a Delaware resident for 6 months before filing. | courts.delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | About $80 for the Complaint for Absolute Divorce. | One spouse must have lived in DC for 6 months before filing. | dccourts.gov |
| Florida | About $408–$409 for the dissolution filing, plus about $10 to issue the summons. | At least one spouse must have lived in Florida for 6 months before filing (proved by a Florida driver license/ID or a corroborating witness). | flcourts.gov |
| Georgia | About $200–$225, plus roughly $50 if the sheriff serves the papers. | One spouse must have lived in Georgia for 6 months before filing. | georgiacourts.gov |
| Hawaii | About $215 without minor children ($265 with minor children). | One spouse must have been domiciled or physically present in Hawaii for 6 months before filing. (HRS 580-1) | courts.state.hi.us |
| Idaho | About $207 for the petitioner. | One spouse must have been an Idaho resident for 6 full weeks (42 days) — one of the shortest in the country. (Idaho Code § 32-701) | courtselfhelp.idaho.gov |
| Illinois | Varies by county, roughly $250–$390 for the petitioner. | One spouse must have lived in Illinois for 90 days before the judgment. (750 ILCS 5/401) | illinoiscourts.gov |
| Indiana | About $157–$177, depending on the county. | One spouse must have lived in Indiana for 6 months and in the filing county for 3 months. (IC 31-15-2-6) | in.gov |
| Iowa | About $185 for the petition. | The petitioner must have been an Iowa resident for 1 year (unless the other spouse is an Iowa resident served in the state). (Iowa Code § 598.6) | iowacourts.gov |
| Kansas | About $195 in most counties. | One spouse must have lived in Kansas for 60 days before filing — one of the shortest requirements. (K.S.A. 23-2703) | kjc.ks.gov |
| Kentucky | About $113–$250 by county (commonly about $148). | One spouse must have lived in Kentucky for 180 days before filing. (KRS 403.140) | kycourts.gov |
| Louisiana | Varies by parish — clerks commonly require an advance cost deposit of about $250–$500+. | One spouse must be domiciled in Louisiana; venue must be the correct parish (this is jurisdictional and cannot be waived). | 21stjdc.org |
| Maine | About $120 for the filing, plus $25–$40 for service. | The plaintiff must have lived in Maine for 6 months (with alternatives if you married in Maine or the other spouse is a Maine resident). (19-A M.R.S. § 901) | mjbportal.courts.maine.gov |
| Maryland | About $165 for a self-represented divorce filing, plus service costs. | If the grounds arose in Maryland, you only need to be a resident when you file; otherwise one spouse must have lived in Maryland for 6 months. (Md. Fam. Law § 7-101) | mdcourts.gov |
| Massachusetts | About $215 for a 1A joint petition ($200 fee + $15 surcharge). | One spouse must have lived in MA for at least 1 year, OR the grounds for divorce occurred in MA while you lived here as a married couple. | mass.gov |
| Michigan | About $175 without minor children, or about $255 with children. | One spouse must have lived in Michigan for 180 days and in the filing county for 10 days. | courts.michigan.gov |
| Minnesota | About $375–$405, varying by county. | One spouse must have lived in Minnesota for 180 days before filing. | mncourts.gov |
| Mississippi | About $100–$160, varying by county chancery clerk. | One spouse must have lived in Mississippi for 6 months before filing. | desotocountyms.gov |
| Missouri | About $130–$250, varying by circuit/county. | One spouse must have lived in Missouri for 90 days before filing. | courts.mo.gov |
| Montana | About $250 for a dissolution. | One spouse must have been domiciled in Montana for 90 days. | courts.mt.gov |
| Nebraska | About $158 for the district-court filing. | One spouse must have lived in Nebraska for 1 year (or you married in Nebraska and have always lived there). | supremecourt.nebraska.gov |
| Nevada | About $250–$330, varying by county (Clark County joint petition is about $299). | Only 6 weeks of residency by one spouse — the shortest in the country — plus a resident-witness affidavit. | selfhelp.nvcourts.gov |
| New Hampshire | About $250 (a bit more with children), plus a small TurboCourt payment surcharge. | Both spouses domiciled in NH, or the petitioner domiciled here with the other spouse served in NH (roughly a 1-year connection). | courts.nh.gov |
| New Jersey | About $300 for the Complaint for Divorce; $325 when there are minor children (adds the $25 Parents’ Education Program fee). | One spouse must have lived in NJ for at least 12 months before filing (except for the adultery ground). | njcourts.gov |
| New Mexico | About $137 (uniform statewide for domestic cases). | One spouse must have been domiciled in New Mexico for 6 months before filing. | nmcourts.gov |
| New York | About $335 total ($210 index number + $95 Request for Judicial Intervention + $30 Note of Issue). | One spouse must generally have lived in NY for at least 1 year with a NY connection (married in NY, lived in NY as spouses, or the grounds arose in NY); otherwise 2 years. (DRL § 230) | nycourts.gov |
| North Carolina | About $225 for an absolute divorce, plus about $30 if the sheriff serves the papers. | One spouse must have lived in North Carolina for 6 months before filing. | nccourts.gov |
| North Dakota | About $160 (raised from $80 in July 2025). | The plaintiff must have lived in North Dakota for 6 months before filing. | ndcourts.gov |
| Ohio | About $200–$420, varying by county. | For dissolution, one spouse must have resided in Ohio for six months immediately before filing; file in the proper county under the civil rules. | supremecourt.ohio.gov |
| Oklahoma | About $183–$262 by county, plus a co-parenting education fee when children are involved. | One spouse must have lived in Oklahoma for 6 months and in the filing county for 30 days. | tulsacountydistrictcourt.org |
| Oregon | About $301 per party for a dissolution. | One spouse must have lived in Oregon for 6 months (unless you were married in Oregon). | courts.oregon.gov |
| Pennsylvania | Varies widely by county, roughly $170–$350+. | One spouse must have lived in Pennsylvania for at least 6 months before filing. | pacourts.us |
| Rhode Island | About $160 for the Family Court divorce complaint. | One spouse must have lived in Rhode Island for 1 year. | courts.ri.gov |
| South Carolina | About $150. | The plaintiff must have lived in South Carolina for 1 year (or 3 months if both spouses are SC residents). | sccourts.org |
| South Dakota | About $95–$100. | No minimum length — you must be a bona fide South Dakota resident when you file and stay one until the decree. | ujs.sd.gov |
| Tennessee | About $200–$400, varying by county (higher with children). | If the grounds arose out of state, one spouse must have lived in Tennessee for 6 months; there is no length requirement if the grounds arose while a Tennessee resident. (T.C.A. § 36-4-104) | tncourts.gov |
| Texas | About $250–$400, varying by county. | One spouse must have lived in Texas for 6 months and in the filing county for 90 days. (Tex. Fam. Code § 6.301) | txcourts.gov |
| Utah | About $325 (plus a small document-prep fee if you use the state’s guided interview). | One spouse must have lived in a single Utah county for 3 months before filing. | utcourts.gov |
| Vermont | About $90 for a stipulated (fully agreed) divorce with a Vermont-resident spouse ($295 without a complete stipulation). | You must have lived in Vermont for 6 months to file, and one spouse for a year before the final hearing. | vermontjudiciary.org |
| Virginia | About $86–$105 for the circuit court filing, plus service costs. | One spouse must have been a resident and domiciliary of Virginia for 6 months before filing. | selfhelp.vacourts.gov |
| Washington | About $314–$364, varying by county. | No length-of-residency requirement — you only need to be a Washington resident when you file. | courts.wa.gov |
| West Virginia | About $135 to the circuit clerk. | One spouse must have lived in West Virginia for 1 year (or you married in WV and one spouse still lives there). | courtswv.gov |
| Wisconsin | About $184.50 ($194.50 when child support or maintenance is requested). | One spouse must have lived in Wisconsin for 6 months and in the filing county for 30 days. | wicourts.gov |
| Wyoming | About $70–$160 by county — among the cheapest states. | One spouse must have lived in Wyoming for 60 days before filing — one of the shortest in the nation. | wyocourts.gov |
Available LawCat drafts have no preparation charge. Court fees, service and other expenses are separate. Check your court’s current fees and fee-waiver options. Start your case →
Fees are approximate and change; confirm with your court. General information, not legal advice. LawCat is not a law firm.