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

Filing a petition for divorce in Utah costs $325 in every county. Utah is one of the simplest states in the country to price: the fee is set in a single statute, Utah Code §78A-2-301, and collected by the district court clerk whether you file in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo or St. George. What your spouse files back costs $130, changing the decree later costs $100, and the small add-ons — an $8 vital-statistics certificate and $4-plus-50-cents certified copies — are printed in the same section of the code.

Utah divorce fees at a glance

Every figure in the table comes from Utah Code §78A-2-301(1), the civil fee statute for Utah's courts of record, in the version effective May 7, 2025. Note what the $325 is not: it is not the general civil filing fee. A complaint that is not a divorce petition costs $375 under §78A-2-301(1)(a) and (1)(b)(iii) when $10,000 or more is at stake, while the legislature gives dissolution cases their own lower line at subsection (1)(b)(iv). The statute also allocates slices of each fee as it is collected — $30 of a divorce filing goes to the Court Security Account and $15 to the judges' retirement funds — which is bookkeeping for the state, not an extra charge to you: the amount the clerk collects is $325, full stop. The national comparison is on the divorce filing costs hub and the wider state picture on the Utah court costs guide.

What your spouse pays, and what changing the decree costs

A divorce is one of the few Utah cases where the second filer also has a named price. If your spouse answers with a counter-petition — competing requests of their own rather than a simple response — §78A-2-301(1)(d)(iv) sets that filing at $130. After the decree, the price of coming back is set by subsection (1)(q): a petition or counter-petition to modify a domestic relations order costs $100. That is the fee for asking the court to change custody, parent time or support terms in the decree; it is far cheaper than the $325 it cost to open the case, and it is worth knowing before you agree to a decree you expect to revisit. Couples who are not ready for divorce at all can file for temporary separation instead for $35 under subsection (1)(b)(v) — a separate, much cheaper proceeding that can order support and custody terms while the marriage legally continues.

Residency, the 30-day wait and mandatory classes

Utah Courts' divorce guidance requires the filing spouse to have lived in Utah, and in the county of filing, for at least three months before filing. Utah then imposes a short cooling-off period: a decree generally cannot be granted until 30 days after the petition is filed, although a court may waive the wait for good cause. There is no requirement that you live apart before filing. If you have minor children, Utah adds two mandatory classes before the decree can be entered — a Divorce Orientation course and a Divorce Education course for parents — administered through the Utah Courts' Mandatory Education programme. The courts set and publish those class charges themselves and they are separate from the clerk's filing fee, so this page does not fold them into the $325; check the Utah Courts Mandatory Education page for the current class fees and schedule. Utah also runs a Divorce Mediation Program, and contested cases are generally expected to attempt mediation before trial unless a party is excused for good cause.

How the case runs

1. Complete the Petition for Divorce and file it with the district court clerk in your county, paying the statewide fee $325
2. Serve your spouse, or file their signed acceptance of service in an agreed case; a counter-petition, if they file one, costs $130
3. Complete the mandatory Divorce Orientation and Divorce Education classes if you have minor children, and attempt mediation of any contested issues
4. Wait out the 30-day period, submit the proposed decree and supporting findings, and pay the vital-statistics certificate charge $8
5. Order certified copies of the decree for name, benefits and records changes $4 + $0.50/page

What divorce really costs beyond the clerk

The filing fee opens the case; it does not finish it. Sheriff or constable service of the petition is charged by the serving officer and is not set in §78A-2-301, so this page does not price it — ask the clerk or the server for the current rate before you choose a method. Mediation beyond any court-ordered session is priced by the mediator. The mandatory parent classes carry Utah Courts' own charges, noted above. Attorney fees are market-priced and are normally the largest cost in a contested Utah divorce. The clerk-side figures you can predict exactly are the ones in the statute: $325 to file, $130 for a counter-petition, $100 to modify later, $8 for the vital-statistics certificate, and $4 plus $0.50 per page for each certified copy ($6 plus $0.50 per page for an exemplified copy). Compare neighbouring structures in Colorado divorce costs and Arizona divorce costs.

Can't afford the fee?

Utah's fee statute sits in Title 78A, Chapter 2, Part 3 — "Court Fees and Waivers" — and Utah Courts publishes a motion asking the court to waive fees for a filer who cannot pay. A waiver is a judge's decision on your sworn financial statement, not a clerk courtesy, and the mandatory class fees can be addressed in the same request (the Utah Courts class pages tell attendees whose fees were waived to bring the signed waiver order). File the waiver motion with the petition rather than after it. The general mechanics are explained in the fee waiver guide.

Sources: Utah Code §78A-2-301(1) (2025, effective May 7, 2025) — divorce petition $325 (subsection (1)(b)(iv)); counter-petition in a dissolution action $130 ((1)(d)(iv)); modification of a domestic relations order $100 ((1)(q)); temporary separation $35 ((1)(b)(v)); certificate under §26B-8-128 $8 ((1)(y)); certified copy $4 plus $0.50 per page ((1)(z)); exemplified copy $6 plus $0.50 per page ((1)(aa)); general civil complaint $375 ((1)(a), (1)(b)(iii)) · Utah Courts (utcourts.gov) — Divorce self-help guidance (three-month state and county residency; 30-day waiting period), Mandatory Education in Divorce and Temporary Separation page, and Divorce Mediation Program page. Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with your district court clerk.