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How much does it cost to file for divorce in Michigan?

Michigan prices divorce statewide in circuit court: $175 to file a complaint for divorce when there are no minor children, and $255 when there are — the same $175 filing fee plus an $80 Friend of the Court fee. The county clerk collects both at filing, so the worked cost to open the case is one of those two numbers in every county.

Michigan divorce fees at a glance

The $175 / $255 split is published identically by county clerks across Michigan. Grand Traverse County's clerk, for example, instructs pro per filers in a divorce with minor children that the plaintiff pays a $175 filing fee and an $80 Friend of the Court fee, a total of $255, in cash, check or money order — and county guides for Livingston, Kent and Genesee counties publish the same two figures. The underlying charges are set in the Revised Judicature Act, MCL 600.2529, which fixes circuit court filing fees, and the Friend of the Court component reflects the office that will investigate and make recommendations on custody, parenting time and support whenever minor children are involved. Because the fee is statutory, there is no cheap county to shop for: a divorce filed in Wayne County costs the same at the window as one filed in a rural circuit. The Michigan court costs guide shows where the same fee schedule appears in other civil cases.

Residency and the two waiting periods

Under MCL 552.9, one spouse must have lived in Michigan for 180 days immediately before filing and in the filing county for 10 days. Michigan is a no-fault state: the complaint states only that there has been a breakdown of the marriage relationship to the extent that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed and there remains no reasonable likelihood the marriage can be preserved (MCL 552.6). The filing fee is the same either way, but the calendar is not. A divorce without minor children cannot be granted until 60 days after filing; with minor children the statutory waiting period is six months, which a court may shorten only on a showing of unusual hardship or compelling necessity (MCL 552.9f). During that period the Friend of the Court fee earns its keep: the office typically holds a conciliation or mediation process and issues temporary recommendations on custody and support that govern until judgment.

How the case runs

1. Confirm the 180-day state and 10-day county residency no court fee
2. File the complaint for divorce, summons and — with children — the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act affidavit and verified statement at the county clerk, circuit court $175, or $255 with minor children
3. Serve your spouse personally or by certified mail, restricted delivery, through any adult who is not a party; the summons runs 91 days (longer if service is outside Michigan).
4. Observe the waiting period — 60 days without children, six months with children — while temporary orders, mediation or Friend of the Court review proceed $20 per motion
5. Attend the final hearing and have the judgment of divorce signed; the $40 judgment fee and certified copies for name changes, benefits and remarriage are the last clerk charges.

The extras that actually move the total

For most Michigan filers the filing fee is the smallest line in the case. A contested custody dispute triggers Friend of the Court investigation and evaluation work inside the $80 structure, but private custody evaluations, parenting coordinators and appraisals are market-priced and dwarf it. Two clerk-side extras do recur: every contested motion costs $20 to file, so a case with temporary-order, discovery and enforcement motions can add $60–$100 in motion fees alone, and entry of the judgment carries the $40 judgment fee under the same fee statute. Electronic filing through MiFile is mandatory for attorneys and available to self-represented filers in most counties; the e-filing provider's service charge is separate from the clerk's statutory fee. Compare Michigan's flat statewide structure with the county-set deposits in Ohio divorce costs, or browse the national table on the divorce filing costs hub.

Can't afford the fee?

Michigan Court Rule 2.002 lets a filer ask the court to waive or suspend fees and costs based on a verified statement of income and assets; recipients of public assistance are presumptively entitled to waiver. If the waiver is granted it covers the filing fee and service costs advanced by the court, and the court may revisit it if the filer's finances change. The fee waiver guide covers the pattern nationally, and custody-specific filing costs are compared on the child custody filing cost page.

Sources: Grand Traverse County Clerk / Circuit and Family Court Records — Divorces With Minor Children (DM) pro per handout (filing fee $175 + Friend of the Court fee $80 = $255) · Livingston, Kent and Genesee County clerk divorce guidance (same $175 / $255 figures) · Michigan State Court Administrative Office forms and fee information · MCL 552.6 (no-fault ground), 552.9 (residency), 552.9f (waiting periods), 600.2529 (circuit court fees; motion and judgment fees) · Michigan Court Rule 2.002 (fee waiver). Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with your county clerk.