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Alabama court costs guide
Filing for divorce in Alabama costs County-set in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in Alabama — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.
| Alabama at a glance | Figure |
|---|---|
| Court | Circuit Court (divorce & civil) · Probate Court (name change) |
| Divorce filing fee | County-set — there is no single statewide divorce filing fee in Alabama. Example: Houston County (20th Circuit) charges a $214.00 Domestic Relations docket fee. |
| Name change filing fee | County-set — name changes are filed in Probate Court (Ala. Code §12-13-1(b)(10)). Example: Chambers County's probate petition form lists $32, cash only. |
| Name-change publication | Unverified — Not verified from an official source in our research — ask the probate court whether any notice or publication applies. |
| General civil filing fee | County-set. Example — Jefferson County District Civil tiers: $66 (claims to $1,500) · $140 ($1,500.01–$3,000) · $229 ($3,000.01–$6,000) · $261 (large claims $6,000.01–$20,000). |
Filing fee + service + publication + certified copies is the real number. Stack all four for your state and procedure in the calculator.
Open the cost calculatorDivorce filing fees
County-set — there is no single statewide divorce filing fee in Alabama. Example: Houston County (20th Circuit) charges a $214.00 Domestic Relations docket fee.
See the national picture — including the states where the fee is set county by county — in our divorce filing cost guide.
Name change: fee and publication
County-set — name changes are filed in Probate Court (Ala. Code §12-13-1(b)(10)). Example: Chambers County's probate petition form lists $32, cash only.
Publication: Not verified from an official source in our research — ask the probate court whether any notice or publication applies.
Publication is the step readers most often get wrong, because the rule changed recently in several states. The full state-by-state picture is in our name change cost guide.
General civil filing fees
County-set. Example — Jefferson County District Civil tiers: $66 (claims to $1,500) · $140 ($1,500.01–$3,000) · $229 ($3,000.01–$6,000) · $261 (large claims $6,000.01–$20,000).
Probate court costs
No probate filing figure for Alabama appears on the official schedules we read — in many states probate fees are set at county level (a register of wills or probate court fee schedule) rather than statewide. Confirm the current fee with the probate court where the estate will be filed. Our probate cost guide explains the cost layers every estate pays.
How filing works in Alabama
- Prepare the petition or complaint for the Circuit Court (divorce & civil) — most Alabama courts publish the forms on their self-help pages.
- File with the clerk and pay the filing fee above. Keep the stamped copy; it is your proof of filing.
- Arrange service of process on the other party where the case requires it (divorce and general civil cases do; a name change usually does not).
- Complete any publication the rules require — for a Alabama name change: unverified.
- Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.
Worked total: what a divorce filing costs
Because the filing fee itself is not a single statewide figure in Alabama, a worked total would be a made-up number — we don't publish those. Budget the county filing fee from the note above, plus $50–$100 for service of process if the other party must be served, and confirm the filing fee with the clerk before you file.
Sources: Houston County Circuit Clerk — Domestic Relations · Jefferson County — District Civil filing fees · Chambers County — Petition for Legal Name Change. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.
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