Home › All 50 states › North Carolina › Costs chart

North Carolina court costs chart: every fee in one table

By the Court Cost Guide Editorial Team · Last updated: November 2026

North Carolina publishes its court costs as statewide charts, so unlike the county-set states there is one honest number for each kind of filing. This page puts the whole chart — civil, small claims, divorce, name change, and probate — in one table, from the North Carolina Judicial Branch Court Costs charts effective January 1, 2026 (G.S. chapter 7A).

The complete North Carolina court costs chart

Every figure above is the statewide chart total for the filing itself. Service of process, copies, and mediation are charged separately where a case needs them. For the narrative version of these numbers — what each case type involves and how filing works — see the main North Carolina court costs guide.

Same dispute, three tracks: $96, $150, or $200

The most useful comparison in the chart is horizontal. A general civil dispute in North Carolina can enter the system at three levels, and the entry fee depends on the track, not on how complicated the dispute feels to the people in it: $96 before a magistrate on the small claims track, $150 in District Court, and $200 in Superior Court. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive door is $104 ($200 − $96 = $104) for what may be the same underlying disagreement. The takeaway is practical: choosing the correct track is the single largest fee decision a North Carolina filer makes, and it is made once, at the start, by picking the court whose limits fit the claim. Filing a small claim in Superior Court does not buy a better hearing — it buys the same dispute at more than double the magistrate's fee. The national context for track-based pricing is in our civil filing fees guide.

Worked probate examples: the $0.40-per-$100 math

Probate is the one North Carolina fee that is a formula instead of a flat number: a $120 base under G.S. §7A-307, plus $0.40 for every $100 of the gross estate, with a minimum assessment of $15 and a maximum cumulative assessment of $6,000. Worked through real estates, the formula looks like this:

Two things follow from the arithmetic. First, the percentage charge overtakes the base fee almost immediately — by a $100,000 estate it is already more than three times the $120 base, so estate size, not the filing itself, is what drives probate cost. Second, the cap matters only at the top: the uncapped formula crosses the $6,000 maximum cumulative assessment well before a $2,000,000 estate, which means very large estates stop paying more even as the estate keeps growing. And at the bottom of the scale, filing a will for probate without qualifying an executor is a flat $30 — the cheapest line on the chart.

Why the fees differ: components and add-ons

North Carolina's chart totals are stacks, not single charges. The civil totals combine the facilities and general-court components the Judicial Branch charts itemize — the money that keeps courtrooms open and the court system funded — into one published figure per track, which is why the three tracks price differently even for similar paperwork: each level of court carries its own component amounts. On top of the stack, the legislature adds case-specific charges. The clearest example is divorce: an absolute divorce costs $225 not because divorce paperwork is worth $75 more, but because G.S. §7A-305(a2) adds a flat $75 on top of the $150 District Court civil total ($150 + $75 = $225). When a North Carolina fee looks oddly specific, it is almost always a base component plus a named statutory add-on like that one.

Worked total: an absolute divorce, filed

The state guide's worked example adds the one charge nearly every divorce filer also pays — service on the other spouse — to the chart fee:

The full breakdown, including what happens after service, is in the North Carolina divorce cost guide. One related saving is worth flagging on the chart itself: a North Carolina name change costs the flat $120 Special Proceedings fee and nothing more for notice — publication is not required, because G.S. chapter 101 contains no publication requirement and §101-2(b) was repealed effective December 1, 2025. Filers budgeting for a newspaper notice can take that line out; details are in the North Carolina name change cost guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to file a civil case in North Carolina?

It depends on the track: $96 before a magistrate (small claims), $150 in District Court, and $200 in Superior Court, per the Judicial Branch Court Costs charts effective January 1, 2026.

Why does a North Carolina divorce cost $225 when civil filing is $150?

Because G.S. §7A-305(a2) adds a $75 absolute-divorce charge on top of the $150 District Court civil total: $150 + $75 = $225.

How is the North Carolina probate fee calculated?

A $120 base plus $0.40 per $100 of gross estate value, with a $15 minimum assessment and a $6,000 maximum cumulative assessment. A $100,000 estate pays $120 + $400 = $520.

Do I have to publish a notice for a North Carolina name change?

No. Publication is not required — G.S. chapter 101 has no publication requirement, and §101-2(b) was repealed effective December 1, 2025. The filing fee is $120.

Sources: North Carolina Judicial Branch (nccourts.gov) — Court Costs charts, January 1, 2026 · North Carolina General Assembly (ncleg.gov) — G.S. chapter 7A, chapter 101. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.