Divorce Costs by State — Filing Fees & Cost Routes
Court filing fees are official and verifiable. Total divorce costs are not published by any court. This hub keeps the two apart: verified filing fees first, then total-cost ranges that are always labelled as industry estimates from firm guides and surveys, never as official statistics. Use the filing fee to budget the first step, and the route ranges to budget the case — then check the state page for service, mediation, fee relief and the cost drivers that move a case within or beyond a range.
Filing fees at a glance (verified)
| State | Filing fee | Fee relief |
|---|---|---|
| California | $435 base per petition; joint petition (FL-700) $870 total | Form FW-001 |
| Texas | No statewide fee; county fees typically $250–$400 | Rule 145 Statement of Inability |
| Florida | $408–$409 by county | Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status |
| New York | $335 minimum ($210 index number + $125 Note of Issue) | “Poor person” relief, CPLR §1101 |
Fee relief waives court fees for qualifying filers, not attorney fees. Always check the local fee schedule before filing — California surcharge counties and Texas counties vary.
Cost routes
- California — DIY $435–$1,000; attorney-reviewed uncontested $1,500–$3,500; mediated $3,000–$15,000; contested $15,000–$50,000 (industry estimates).
- Texas — no Texas-specific total range is published here, because none was sourced; national industry ranges are given as context only.
- Florida — DIY about $1,500–$3,500 including the filing fee; contested with lawyers about $13,000–$45,000+ (industry estimates).
- New York — uncontested professional fees about $1,500–$4,000 plus $335 court fees; mediation $3,000–$7,500; collaborative $7,000–$20,000 (industry estimates).
Frequently asked questions
These questions are shown on the page in full. They are not marked up as FAQ structured data.
Is the total cost range official?
No. No court publishes a total divorce cost. Every total range on this site is an industry estimate, labelled as such on each state page.
Why is there no Texas total-cost range?
Because no dedicated Texas total-cost source was located in the research. Inventing one would be worse than giving national context and saying so.
Related
Other pages for the same jurisdiction or the same topic: