Divorce cost · WA
Cost of divorce in Washington
Washington builds its dissolution fee from statutes that apply in every county, then lets each county add a small local charge, and asks for residence but no minimum stay.
Rules read on official Washington pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Filing fee
- $364
- county (King County)
- Response fee
- See rules
- Waiting period
- 90 days
- Fees read on
- October 8, 2026
Filing a petition for dissolution of marriage in King County, Washington's most populous county, costs $364 at the Superior Court Clerk's office. Most of that comes from state law and is the same everywhere: $344 made of the civil filing fee and two surcharges in RCW 36.18.020 and the dissolution fee in RCW 36.18.016. The remaining $20 is King County's own addition, the kind of local charge for a courthouse facilitator program that RCW 26.12.240 allows. A spouse who files a counter petition pays $310 in King County. The court can enter the decree only after 90 days have passed since the petition was filed and since the summons was served, under RCW 26.09.030. Washington has no minimum residence period: the petitioner only has to live in the state, be stationed there with the armed forces, or be married to someone who does. Fees can be waived under General Rule 34.
Estimated cost of a divorce in Washington
$364
of which $364 in court fees · earliest final decree after 90 days
| Court filing fee (petition) | $364 |
Low income? Court fees can be waived in Washington: Motion and Declaration for Waiver of Civil Fees and Surcharges (WPF GR 34.0100) with Order Re Waiver (WPF GR 34.0500).
Court fees are the official Washington amounts; attorney, mediation and service costs are the figures you enter. How this is calculated.
$344 from Olympia, $20 from King County
King County Superior Court Clerk: Dissolution of Marriage $364.00 (RCW 36.18.020(2),(5),(6); RCW 36.18.016(2)(b); RCW 36.18.016(15)). The statewide statutory part is $200 (RCW 36.18.020(2)(a)) + $40 surcharge (36.18.020(5)(c)) + $50 surcharge (36.18.020(6)) + $54 dissolution fee (36.18.016(2)(b)) = $344; counties may add up to $20 for a courthouse facilitator program (RCW 26.12.240). The split matters if you file outside Seattle: Spokane, Pierce or Clark County start from the same $344 and add their own local amount, which is why their totals sit close to King County's without matching it. The King County schedule is the reference the calculator uses.
A respondent who simply answers the petition is not listed for a fee in this schedule; a counter petition asking for different relief is, at $310.
Ninety days, counted twice
The court may enter a decree only when ninety days have elapsed since the petition was filed and since service of the summons (or its first publication) on the respondent (RCW 26.09.030). The two conditions run in parallel, so the 90 days end on whichever date is later: filing or service. A petitioner who files today and serves the spouse three weeks later waits 90 days from the service. A respondent who signs an acceptance of service on the day of filing closes the gap, so both conditions are met on the same date.
No minimum residence period: the petitioner must be a resident of Washington, a member of the armed forces stationed in Washington, or married to such a person (RCW 26.09.030). A spouse who has just moved to Washington can therefore file at once; the ninety days are the only delay.
Forms, facilitators and seminars
No separate summary dissolution procedure in chapter 26.09 RCW; agreed cases use the standard statewide divorce forms and the same 90-day wait. The statewide family law forms are free to download, and courthouse facilitators, the program the local surcharge supports, help self-represented parties with them. No statewide statute requires a parenting class; some superior courts require a parenting seminar by local family law rule.
Example budget for a Seattle couple
Suppose the spouses mediate their parenting plan for $900 and one hires a lawyer for 8 hours at $325 to finalize the decree. Those three figures are illustrative; put your own quotes into the calculator. The clerk's share is $364 and the total $3,864. If the filer qualifies, the Motion and Declaration for Waiver of Civil Fees and Surcharges (WPF GR 34.0100) with Order Re Waiver (WPF GR 34.0500) removes the filing fee and surcharges. For a state that sets its divorce fees by statewide schedule instead, compare California.
The Washington fees and rules this calculator applies
| Court fee | Washington |
|---|---|
| Petition for divorce | $364 |
| Counter Petition in a Domestic Relations Action (King County) | $310 |
| Statewide statutory base for a dissolution petition before county surcharges (RCW 36.18.020 + 36.18.016(2)(b)) | $344 |
Filing fee. King County Superior Court Clerk: Dissolution of Marriage $364.00 (RCW 36.18.020(2),(5),(6); RCW 36.18.016(2)(b); RCW 36.18.016(15)). The statewide statutory part is $200 (RCW 36.18.020(2)(a)) + $40 surcharge (36.18.020(5)(c)) + $50 surcharge (36.18.020(6)) + $54 dissolution fee (36.18.016(2)(b)) = $344; counties may add up to $20 for a courthouse facilitator program (RCW 26.12.240). source
Fee waiver. Motion and Declaration for Waiver of Civil Fees and Surcharges (WPF GR 34.0100) with Order Re Waiver (WPF GR 34.0500). source
Residency. No minimum residence period: the petitioner must be a resident of Washington, a member of the armed forces stationed in Washington, or married to such a person (RCW 26.09.030). source
Waiting period. The court may enter a decree only when ninety days have elapsed since the petition was filed and since service of the summons (or its first publication) on the respondent (RCW 26.09.030). source
Simplified procedure. No separate summary dissolution procedure in chapter 26.09 RCW; agreed cases use the standard statewide divorce forms and the same 90-day wait. source
Parenting class. No statewide statute requires a parenting class; some superior courts require a parenting seminar by local family law rule.