Divorce cost · NC
Cost of divorce in North Carolina
North Carolina grants an absolute divorce on one ground only, a year of separation, and charges the same district court costs from Murphy to Manteo.
Rules read on official North Carolina pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Filing fee
- $225
- statewide
- Response fee
- See rules
- Waiting period
- None
- Fees read on
- October 8, 2026
Filing a complaint for absolute divorce in North Carolina costs $225 in any county: the ordinary district court civil costs under G.S. 7A-305, plus a separate cost the General Assembly attached to every action for absolute divorce. Because the amounts are set by statute rather than by a county clerk, the figure does not change between Mecklenburg and a mountain county. What North Carolina asks for instead is time. The spouses must have lived separate and apart for one year before the complaint is filed, and one of them must have lived in the state for six months; once those conditions are met there is no further waiting period. Equitable distribution of property is a separate claim that must be asserted before the divorce judgment, or it is destroyed (G.S. 50-11(e)). A Petition to Proceed as an Indigent asks the clerk to excuse the costs.
Estimated cost of a divorce in North Carolina
$225
of which $225 in court fees
| Court filing fee (petition) | $225 |
Low income? Court fees can be waived in North Carolina: Petition to Proceed as an Indigent (AOC-G-106).
Court fees are the official North Carolina amounts; attorney, mediation and service costs are the figures you enter. How this is calculated.
How the $225 is built
District court civil costs of $150 ($16 facilities fee under G.S. 7A-305(a)(1), $4 court information technology fee under (a)(1a), $130 General Court of Justice fee under (a)(2)) plus the $75 absolute-divorce cost under G.S. 7A-305(a2), for $225 in total. The divorce-specific part is collected only in actions for absolute divorce, so a separate complaint for custody or child support filed on its own is charged the civil costs without it. The statute applies in every district court, which is why the calculator shows a statewide figure rather than a county one. Sheriff's service on the other spouse is a separate charge.
The year that comes first
There is no waiting period after filing, but an absolute divorce requires that the spouses have lived separate and apart for one year before filing (G.S. 50-6). The year is counted before filing, not after. A complaint filed before the year is complete does not meet G.S. 50-6, and filing again later means paying the costs again. Keeping a record of the date one spouse moved out is the cheapest protection.
The plaintiff or the defendant must have resided in North Carolina for at least six months before the complaint is filed (G.S. 50-8; also G.S. 50-6). The complaint has to state the residency and the date of separation under oath.
Claims that must not be left behind
No separate simplified or summary divorce procedure was found in Chapter 50; the one-year-separation divorce under G.S. 50-6 is the standard no-fault route. The absolute divorce decides only the marital status. Under G.S. 50-11, an absolute divorce destroys the right to equitable distribution unless it was asserted before the judgment, and protects a claim for alimony or postseparation support only if it is pending at the time of the divorce. That is the costly mistake in North Carolina: a cheap $225 divorce granted before a spouse has asserted a property claim. Custody and child support are not cut off by the divorce.
An example
Take spouses separated for more than a year, with no property or support disputes. One files, the other accepts service, and a lawyer spends 4 hours at $275 to review the complaint; both are placeholders for your own quote. The court's share is $225 ($150 of civil costs and $75 for the divorce), and the total $1,325. A filer who qualifies can submit the Petition to Proceed as an Indigent (AOC-G-106). Child support follows the income shares worksheets on the North Carolina child support page; neighboring Virginia also requires separation but shortens it in some cases.
The North Carolina fees and rules this calculator applies
| Court fee | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Petition for divorce | $225 |
Filing fee. District court civil costs of $150 ($16 facilities fee under G.S. 7A-305(a)(1), $4 court information technology fee under (a)(1a), $130 General Court of Justice fee under (a)(2)) plus the $75 absolute-divorce cost under G.S. 7A-305(a2), for $225 in total. source
Fee waiver. Petition to Proceed as an Indigent (AOC-G-106). source
Residency. The plaintiff or the defendant must have resided in North Carolina for at least six months before the complaint is filed (G.S. 50-8; also G.S. 50-6). source
Waiting period. There is no waiting period after filing, but an absolute divorce requires that the spouses have lived separate and apart for one year before filing (G.S. 50-6). source
Simplified procedure. No separate simplified or summary divorce procedure was found in Chapter 50; the one-year-separation divorce under G.S. 50-6 is the standard no-fault route.
Parenting class. No statewide statute requiring a parenting class in divorce was found; some judicial districts may require one by local rule.