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

The divorce filing fee in California is $435. Petition fee $435. Response fee $435 if contested. Fee waivers (FW-001) available.. Fee waivers are available for individuals who cannot afford the filing fee. Additional costs may include service of process fees, mediation requirements, and parenting class fees for cases involving minor children.

What civil processes can I file in California?

California courts handle a wide range of civil processes including divorce, small claims, eviction, name change, guardianship, protective orders, probate, child custody, civil lawsuits, tenant rights, and more. Each process has its own filing fees, required forms, waiting periods, and procedural steps.

Can I get a fee waiver for court filings in California?

Yes. California, like all states, offers fee waiver programs for individuals who cannot afford court filing fees. Eligibility is typically based on household income (below 125-200% of the federal poverty level) or enrollment in public assistance programs. Applications are available from the court clerk or on the state court website.

2026 state court fee data · California

California Legal Processes

Filing fees, waiting periods, and procedural requirements for 12 common civil processes routed through California Courts. Plain-language reference, refreshed against state court fee schedules.

See all processes → Methodology

Fee rank is not wait rank

According to PlainCivil's compiled state court fee schedules, California ranks #1 of 10 surveyed states by average maximum filing fee (highest avg max = #1). Civil Lawsuit is largest of 2 at $1,435 among 12 civil filings in California; that is not the longest wait: Divorce records 180 days on a $435 ceiling.

12
processes tracked: $1,435
highest fee · Civil Lawsuit: 180 days
longest wait · Divorce: 2
free-to-file

Fee rank and wait-time rank are tracked separately: this page sorts by average maximum filing fee, not by waiting period. See how we rank states.

California vs tracked states by average maximum filing fee

Where this state's average max filing fee sits among the 10 states on PlainCivil's civil-process schedule

$539 1st of 10 the highest of 10 states

Tracked states, banded by average maximum civil filing fee

Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCivil compiled state court fee schedules · 2026

California civil-process accessibility score

One verdict number from PlainCivil's own compiled filing-fee and waiting-period schedule across the 12 process types tracked for California, benchmarked against every other state PlainCivil covers.

F 7/100

Average filing fee F $393 Averaged across 12 documented process types
Average waiting period F 26.2 days Mandatory waiting period, averaged across 12 process types
Longest single wait F 180 days The slowest mandatory waiting period among this state’s documented processes

Lower fees and shorter waits score higher. A dimension with no documented data for this state drops out and its weight redistributes across the rest - it never silently lowers the score. Full method: civil-process accessibility score.

Start with the filing fee

This page covers 12 civil process types tracked for California, all routed through the California Courts. Across those processes, the average maximum filing fee is $539, and 2 can be filed at no cost. The highest listed fee is for civil lawsuit, which can reach $1,435 in complex cases.

Then allow for timing and local charges

Divorce has the longest mandatory waiting period on this page at 180 days, so the court cannot issue a final order before that window expires. Actual resolution commonly takes longer because of court backlogs, response deadlines, and service requirements. County courthouses may also add charges for service of process, motions, certified copies, or a jury demand.

How California compares

Peer states tracked on the same civil-process schedule

California tracks 12 civil-process types with an average maximum filing fee of $539. Use the peer comparison to gauge whether California courts run pricier or cheaper than neighboring jurisdictions, and whether procedural complexity (number of process types tracked) is broadly typical.

Selected

California

$539 avg. max filing fee

Processes tracked: 12

Florida

$418 avg. max filing fee

Processes tracked: 12

New York

$357 avg. max filing fee

Processes tracked: 12

All Legal Processes in California

12 types 2 free

Fee profile

Maximum filing fees across California processes

Civil Lawsuit

Highlighted bar is the highest recorded maximum on this state schedule (Civil Lawsuit, $1,435). Average maximum across tracked processes: $539.

Process	Filing Fee	Timeline	Waiting Period	Details
Civil Lawsuit Limited civil (under $35,000) ~$435. Unlimited civil varies.	$435–$1,435	12-36 months	None	Civil Lawsuit schedule details
Court Mediation Court-connected mediation free to $100/hr. Private: $200-$500/hr.	$0–$500	1-3 sessions, each 3-8 hours	None	Court Mediation schedule details
Divorce Petition fee $435. Response fee $435 if contested. Fee waivers (FW-001) available.	$435	6 months minimum, 12-18+ months if contested	180 days	Divorce schedule details
Domestic Violence Protection Free. File DV-100 at Superior Court.	Free	TRO same-day; permanent hearing within 21-25 days	None	Domestic Violence Protection schedule details
Eviction Unlawful Detainer filing: $240-$450 depending on county.	$240–$450	Uncontested: 3-5 weeks. Contested: 2-3 months.	3 days	Eviction schedule details
Guardianship Probate Court filing fee $465. Investigator fees additional (~$600-$1,200).	$465	3-6 months	45 days	Guardianship schedule details
Name Change Superior Court filing fee. Publication may add $50-$100.	$435	2-4 months	60 days	Name Change schedule details
Probate Probate Court filing $465. Probate referee fees ~0.1% of estate.	$465–$1,000	9-18 months typical	None	Probate schedule details
Property Dispute Superior Court civil jurisdiction. Limited civil for under $35,000 ~$435.	$435–$1,435	6-24 months	None	Property Dispute schedule details
Restraining Order Free for domestic violence, civil harassment, elder abuse.	Free	TRO same-day; permanent hearing within 21-25 days	None	Restraining Order schedule details
Small Claims $30 for claims up to $1,500; $50 for $1,501-$5,000; $75 for $5,001-$12,500.	$30–$75	30-70 days from filing to hearing	N/A	Small Claims schedule details
Tenant Rights Small claims for security deposit $30-$75. Civil harassment TRO free.	$30–$240	1-3 months depending on action	None	Tenant Rights schedule details

Take this with you

Where to go next from California's civil filing fees.

See how California ranks against every other state on average filing costs View state rankings
Check where a specific dollar amount sits against our full indexed database Use the fee percentile tool
Read a step-by-step guide before filing a specific process Browse guides

Filing fees and requirements change; verify current figures with your local court before filing.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. National civil trial-rate context also lives there.

According to published California court schedules compiled in the PlainCivil state-process database. See our methodology for source categories and vintage.

Fee and timeline figures on PlainCivil are rendered from the portal's state-process database compiled from published court schedules, no fee is invented for a ranking. State hub aggregates process rows for California from the portal database. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-09-01. PlainCivil does not rate, rank-recommend, or advise on legal strategy, it reports what published schedules and court materials contain.

Compiled by PlainCivil, Civil legal-process data reference

Publisher	PlainCivil
Sources	Public state court datasets and federal civil-justice records