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Michigan court costs guide

Filing for divorce in Michigan costs $175 in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in Michigan — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.

Michigan at a glance	Figure
Court	Circuit Court
Divorce filing fee	$175 with no minor children: the $150 statutory filing fee (MCL §600.2529) plus the $25 electronic filing fee. With minor children, an $80 custody/parenting-time fee applies — $255 total.
Name change filing fee	$187 on the Muskegon County Circuit Court's published figures; totals vary slightly by county.
Name-change publication	Required — Required by default — MCR 3.613(B): the court must order publication of notice in a newspaper in the county where the action is pending. Under MCR 3.613(C), publication is excused and the record kept confidential on a good-cause (safety) showing.
General civil filing fee	$175 at filing — $150 statutory fee plus the $25 electronic filing system fee (the amount the Muskegon Circuit Court lists for a circuit filing with no custody add-on).

Divorce filing fees

$175 with no minor children: the $150 statutory filing fee (MCL §600.2529) plus the $25 electronic filing fee. With minor children, an $80 custody/parenting-time fee applies — $255 total.

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

$187 on the Muskegon County Circuit Court's published figures; totals vary slightly by county.

Publication: Required by default — MCR 3.613(B): the court must order publication of notice in a newspaper in the county where the action is pending. Under MCR 3.613(C), publication is excused and the record kept confidential on a good-cause (safety) showing.

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

$175 at filing — $150 statutory fee plus the $25 electronic filing system fee (the amount the Muskegon Circuit Court lists for a circuit filing with no custody add-on).

Probate court costs

No probate filing figure for Michigan 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 Michigan

Prepare the petition or complaint for the Circuit Court — most Michigan 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 Michigan name change: required.
Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.

Worked total: what a divorce filing costs

Item	Cost
Filing fee	$175
Service of process (typical private process server)	$50–$100
Estimated total to file	$225–$275

Filing fee plus service for one respondent, before any mediation, parenting-class, or copy charges described in the guides. Run your own combination in the cost calculator.

Sources: Muskegon County Circuit Court — Frequently Asked Questions · MCR 3.613 (ADM File No. 2021-21) — Michigan Courts. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.

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