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How much does it cost to file for divorce in California?
California charges the highest verified statewide divorce fee in the country: $435 for the petition — and the same $435 again for the response, because California prices each side's first paper identically. A two-sided filing therefore puts $870 into the court before anything else happens.
California divorce at a glance
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Petition (first paper, petitioner) | $435 |
| Response (first paper, respondent) | $435 |
| Same filings in Riverside, San Francisco | $450 — a local courthouse construction surcharge is added on the statewide schedule |
| Motion or order to show cause later in the case | $60 (Gov. Code §70677(a)) |
| Certified copy of the judgment (dissolution record) | $15, plus $0.50 per page for the copies themselves |
One fee for almost everything family
California's uniform fee structure charges the same $435 first paper across family law: divorce, legal separation, nullity, a standalone custody case, and other family-law matters (Gov. Code §70670). What changes by case type is what happens after filing — custody motions carry a $25 additional charge when they modify or enforce custody or visitation, for example — not the price of opening the case. A joint petition for summary dissolution is filed as a family-law first paper at the same $435, paid once because both spouses file together.
How filing works in California
- Prepare the Petition (FL-100) and Summons (FL-110) — the Judicial Council publishes the full form set, and the court's self-help center will review paperwork for free.
- File with the superior court clerk in your county and pay the first-paper fee $435
- Serve your spouse — a sheriff, registered process server, or any uninvolved adult may serve; only the server's charge varies.
- Your spouse's response, if they file one, is a second first paper $435
- After the mandatory waiting period, submit the judgment paperwork and order certified copies of the judgment for your records.
Can't afford the fee?
California's fee waiver (Form FW-001) is one of the most-used in the country, and the court must still process a filing while a waiver application is decided. The fee waiver guide explains the standards. A waiver covers court fees — it does not pay a private process server.
The national picture
California's $435 tops the verified statewide range of $97–$435 in the divorce filing cost guide; every other California fee — civil, probate, name change — is in the California court costs guide.
Sources: California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule (Judicial Council, effective January 1, 2026), rows 97–102 and appendix of county totals · Gov. Code §§70670, 70674, 70677. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.