Divorce fees in Texas start at a $350 base court filing fee in most large counties, rising to roughly $365 to $401 when minor children are involved. On top of that, you’ll pay for service of process (usually $60 to $100), certified copies of your decree, and, depending on your situation, a parenting course, mediation, or a specialist to divide retirement accounts. What you actually spend depends on whether your spouse agrees to cooperate, whether children are part of the case, and how much property has to be split.
Base Filing Fee by County
When you file an Original Petition for Divorce with the district clerk, the base filing fee covers opening the case and assigning it to a court. That base is remarkably consistent across Texas’s largest counties. Travis, Dallas, Denton, Harris, and Bexar counties all set the base at $350 for a divorce without children.
Divorces involving minor children cost more because counties add fees for domestic relations office services and child support processing. Harris County charges $365 for a divorce with children.1Harris County District Clerk. Fee Schedule Civil and Family Dallas County and Bexar County both charge $401.2Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Fee Schedule The gap between those numbers and the base $350 reflects local add-ons set by each county’s commissioners court, not a different kind of filing.
Smaller and rural counties sometimes come out at slightly different totals. The statewide statutory pieces are the same everywhere; the variation comes from optional local fees for courthouse security, law libraries, and alternative dispute resolution programs.
Service of Process
After you file, your spouse has to be formally notified through a document called a citation. Delivering that citation is a separate cost on top of your filing fee, and the amount depends on the method.
Having a county constable or sheriff hand-deliver the citation is the usual route. The Denton County sheriff’s office charges $80 for citation service.3Denton County, TX. Service Fees Bexar County charges $100, with a lower $8 fee when service goes through a private process server or an out-of-county officer.2Bexar County, TX – Official Website. Fee Schedule Private process servers usually charge in the same range, roughly $60 to $100, depending on the area and how many attempts delivery takes.
Service by Publication
If you genuinely cannot locate your spouse, the court can authorize service by publication, where the citation runs in a local newspaper. This is substantially more expensive. Texas law uses a $200-per-week threshold as a benchmark, and total newspaper costs often exceed that across the required publication period.4Texas Law Help. Service by Publication (When You Can’t Find the Other Parent) If you have a fee waiver and publication would cost $200 or more per week, or if there’s no newspaper in the jurisdiction, you may be able to serve through the state’s public information website instead.
Waiver of Service
The cheapest option is having your spouse sign a Waiver of Service, which eliminates delivery costs entirely. Your spouse signs a document acknowledging notice of the divorce. This only works when both parties are cooperating, but it’s worth pursuing when the divorce is amicable.
Extra Costs When Children Are Involved
Beyond the higher filing fee, two other expenses tend to appear in cases with minor children.
Parent Education Course
A judge can order both parents to complete a parent education and family stabilization course. Under Texas Family Code 105.009, the course runs between four and twelve hours and covers the emotional effects of divorce on children, co-parenting communication, and conflict management.5State of Texas. Texas Family Code 105.009 – Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course The statute caps the cost at $100 per party, and the court cannot order it at all if neither parent can afford it. Online providers often charge less, with four-hour courses running around $25 and longer versions up to $65 or $85. Many local courts treat the course as effectively mandatory in contested custody situations, even though the statute frames it as discretionary.
Temporary Orders
If you need emergency orders for temporary custody, child support, or a temporary restraining order at the start of your case, expect more fees. In Denton County, serving a temporary restraining order costs $125, and a temporary protective order notice runs $95.3Denton County, TX. Service Fees These motions typically require a hearing, which generates attorney fees if you have counsel.
Certified Copies and Small Administrative Fees
Several smaller charges accumulate around the case. None are large on their own; together they matter.
Every Texas divorce must be reported to the Vital Statistics Unit at the Texas Department of State Health Services. The clerk handles this reporting, and the cost is typically bundled into the filing fee or charged as a nominal administrative fee.6Texas Law Help. Information on Suit Affecting the Family Relationship (Excluding Adoptions)
Certified copies of your final decree carry a per-page charge plus a certification fee. Tarrant County charges $1 per page plus a $5 certification and seal fee per document.7Tarrant County. Copies – Tarrant County Harris County uses the same structure of $1 per page plus a $5 certification charge.8Harris County District Clerk. Purchase Copies You’ll usually need at least two or three certified copies for banks, employers, and name changes, so budget $20 to $40.
Fee Waivers If You Can’t Afford to File
If the filing fee is out of reach, Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145 lets you file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs. Once you file it, the clerk must docket your case and issue citation without payment.9Jefferson County Texas. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 145 – Payment of Costs Not Required
The statement is a sworn document attesting that you cannot afford court costs. You strengthen it by attaching evidence: proof that you receive benefits from a means-tested government program like SNAP or Supplemental Security Income, or proof that a legal aid organization funded by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation or Legal Services Corporation is representing you for free. Even without either, you can qualify by showing you simply lack the funds.9Jefferson County Texas. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 145 – Payment of Costs Not Required
The form is available free at any district clerk’s office, and clerks must make it available to anyone who asks. The clerk cannot reject it for technical defects other than a missing notarization or penalty-of-perjury declaration. If something material is missing, the court will let you fix it rather than throw the case out.
How to File and Pay
Texas uses the eFileTexas.gov portal as the official electronic filing system. E-filing is mandatory for attorneys handling civil and family cases.10eFileTexas.Gov. Official E-Filing System for Texas If you’re representing yourself, e-filing is generally not required under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1), though some local courts have adopted rules that make it mandatory anyway.11Texas Law Help. I Want to Electronically File (E-File) My Documents Check with your county’s district clerk before assuming.
The eFileTexas portal itself is free, but some third-party electronic filing service providers charge convenience fees. Using the state’s own portal avoids those. You pay by credit card through the system, or upload your completed fee waiver form instead.
Filing in person at the district clerk’s office usually means paying by cash or money order. The clerk file-stamps your documents with the date and time, assigns a cause number, and designates a court.
Professional Costs Beyond Court Fees
Court fees are the floor, not the ceiling. For many people, professional services are the larger expense.
Mediation
Texas courts frequently order mediation before setting a contested divorce for trial. Private mediators typically charge $300 to $600 per hour, with a full-day session running roughly $800 to $2,500 per side. The cost is usually split between spouses, though the court can allocate it differently. Mediation resolves a surprising number of cases that look hopeless at the outset, and even when it doesn’t produce a full agreement, it often narrows the issues enough to shorten the trial.
Dividing Retirement Accounts
If either spouse has a 401(k), pension, or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan, dividing it requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). This is a separate court order that the plan administrator must approve before funds transfer. A QDRO drafted by a specialist typically runs from $300 to several thousand dollars depending on the plan’s complexity. Getting it wrong can mean losing retirement benefits entirely or triggering unnecessary tax penalties, so this is not a place to cut corners.