2026 state court fee data · Florida

Florida Legal Processes

Filing fees, waiting periods, and procedural requirements for 12 common civil processes routed through Florida 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, Florida ranks #2 of 10 surveyed states by average maximum filing fee (highest avg max = #1). Civil Lawsuit is largest of 2 at $900 among 12 civil filings in Florida; that is not the longest wait: Guardianship records 60 days on a $500 ceiling.

12
processes tracked
$900
highest fee · Civil Lawsuit
60 days
longest wait · Guardianship
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.

Florida 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

$418 2nd of 10 higher than 8 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

Florida 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 Florida, benchmarked against every other state PlainCivil covers.

F 39/100
  • Average filing fee F $313 Averaged across 12 documented process types
  • Average waiting period C+ 10.3 days Mandatory waiting period, averaged across 12 process types
  • Longest single wait C- 60 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.

A practical reading of the schedule · STANDARD

What changes the cost of filing in Florida

Start with the filing fee

This page covers 12 civil process types tracked for Florida, all routed through the Florida Courts. Across those processes, the average maximum filing fee is $418, and 2 can be filed at no cost. The highest listed fee is for civil lawsuit, which can reach $900 in complex cases.

Then allow for timing and local charges

Guardianship has the longest mandatory waiting period on this page at 60 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 Florida compares

Peer states tracked on the same civil-process schedule

Florida tracks 12 civil-process types with an average maximum filing fee of $418. Use the peer comparison to gauge whether Florida courts run pricier or cheaper than neighboring jurisdictions, and whether procedural complexity (number of process types tracked) is broadly typical.

Selected

FL

Florida

$418 avg. max filing fee
Processes tracked
12

NY

New York

$357 avg. max filing fee
Processes tracked
12

IL

Illinois

$321 avg. max filing fee
Processes tracked
12

All Legal Processes in Florida

12 types 2 free

Fee profile

Maximum filing fees across Florida processes

Highlighted bar is the highest recorded maximum on this state schedule (Civil Lawsuit, $900). Average maximum across tracked processes: $418.

Process Filing Fee Details
Civil Lawsuit
Circuit Court (over $30,000) or County Court (under $30,000).
 $300–$900 Civil Lawsuit schedule details
Court Mediation
Court-connected free to $60/hr based on income. Private: $150-$400/hr.
 $0–$300 Court Mediation schedule details
Divorce
Petition fee $409 in most counties. Fee waivers available.
 $400–$409 Divorce schedule details
Domestic Violence Protection
Free. Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence.
 Free Domestic Violence Protection schedule details
Eviction
$185-$400 in County Court. Sheriff service fee ~$40 per tenant.
 $185–$400 Eviction schedule details
Guardianship
Probate Court. Court-appointed examining committee fees add $500-$1,500.
 $400–$500 Guardianship schedule details
Name Change
Circuit Court fee ~$409 + publication costs (~$100-$200).
 $400–$409 Name Change schedule details
Probate
Circuit Court Probate Division.
 $300–$600 Probate schedule details
Property Dispute
Circuit Court for disputes over $30,000.
 $400–$900 Property Dispute schedule details
Restraining Order
Injunctions for protection free.
 Free Restraining Order schedule details
Small Claims
$55 for claims up to $100; $80 for $101-$500; $175 for $501-$2,500; $300 for $2,501-$8,000.
 $55–$300 Small Claims schedule details
Tenant Rights
Security deposit in County Court.
 $55–$300 Tenant Rights schedule details

Take this with you

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

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 Florida 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 Florida 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.