How much does a divorce cost in Delaware County, and what drives the cost?

Last updated October 25, 2026.

The court's part of the bill is set by the Delaware County Office of Judicial Support: $291.25 to file a basic divorce complaint, more for each added count up to $889.00 with eight counts, and $359.65 or more when a custody count is included. Later steps carry smaller fees, such as $250.00 for a motion to appoint a hearing officer and $24.50 for the praecipe that asks for the decree. What drives the total cost is whether you and your spouse agree, because a contested case adds inventories, appraisals, hearing officer proceedings and sometimes a new trial before a judge.

This page covers government fees only. It does not estimate lawyer's fees, which depend on the work a case needs. For how we approach divorce cases in Media, see our divorce page.

What does Delaware County charge to file a divorce?

The figures below come from the Office of Judicial Support's civil filing fee schedule, which says it took effect March 28, 2025, and is the file the office's fees page links today. A "count" is an added claim in the complaint, such as equitable distribution of property, alimony, counsel fees, or costs and expenses.

Over the counter, the office takes cash, money order, MasterCard, Discover or an attorney's check, and it does not accept personal checks. Fees sent by mail must be a money order or an attorney's check. Electronic filing fees are paid through a PayPal account linked to a registered e-filing account. The office's own page gives its location as Room 127, Government Center, 201 W. Front St., Media, with the phone number 610-891-4370; the county handbook directs divorce filings to Room 124 on the first floor of the Government Center.

What other court fees come later in the case?

The same schedule lists the fees for the steps that follow the complaint. Which ones you pay depends on how the case unfolds.

How does the cost build, step by step?

1. The complaint. You choose the grounds and the claims, and the fee follows the number of counts. Claims for alimony, counsel fees and costs that are not raised before the final decree are treated as waived unless the court says otherwise (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.31(c)). The papers and office are covered in how to file for divorce in Delaware County.
2. Service. A sheriff or a competent adult may hand the papers to your spouse, or you may mail them by first class and certified mail, restricted to the addressee (Pa.R.C.P. 1930.4). Mail service costs postage; the sheriff's charges are not on the Office of Judicial Support schedule, so ask the Sheriff's Office.
3. Financial paperwork. A property claim requires each spouse to file an inventory of assets and debts as of the separation date (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33(a)). An alimony or counsel fee claim requires the latest federal tax return, six months of pay stubs and income and expense statements (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.31(a)(1)).
4. The hearing officer. No one may ask for a hearing officer on property until 30 days after filing their own inventory (Rule 1920.33(a)(2)). In Delaware County, a motion for a case management conference must also certify that an inventory was filed and that grounds are ripe (Local Rule 1920.54(d)). The motion to appoint a hearing officer costs $250.00.
5. Experts and the pre-trial statement. At least 60 days before the hearing, unless the court sets another date, each side files a pre-trial statement with values, documents and a report from every expert it plans to call (Rule 1920.33(b)). Appraisals of a house, a pension or a business are often the largest cost after lawyer's fees.
6. The report and any appeal. The county handbook says the hearing officer's report becomes a final order if nobody appeals within the time stated in it. An appeal for a new hearing before a judge costs $300.00 and adds a recorded trial. The steps and the 20-day deadline are in what happens at a contested property division hearing in Delaware County.
7. The decree and after. The praecipe to transmit the record costs $24.50. A retirement plan split needs a separate order, which the schedule lists at $30.00.

The timeline for each route, from filing to decree, is in how long a divorce takes in Pennsylvania.

How do Chester and Montgomery County fees compare?

Each county sets its own schedule, so the same divorce costs a different amount in Media, West Chester and Norristown. These figures come from each county's current official schedule; the two-count totals are added up from the per-count fees.

The local steps differ too. Chester County sends property claims to a hearing officer on motion and charges by the matters referred; see what to expect in Chester County family court. Montgomery County uses its own equitable distribution unit and conference sequence, described in what to expect in Montgomery County family court. Which county you file in depends on where you or your spouse lives, or on a county you both agree to (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.2(a)).

What changes the answer?

• Whether you agree. A mutual consent divorce needs both affidavits and 90 days from the start of the case (23 Pa.C.S. 3301(c)); without consent, one year of separation (3301(d)). Fault grounds under 3301(a) require proof at a hearing, which a hearing officer can be appointed to hear (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.51(a)(1)(ii)(C)). See what if your spouse will not consent. When both of you agree on everything, the papers-only route is explained in whether you can get an uncontested divorce in Delaware County.
• How many claims you raise. Each count raises the filing fee. Child support, spousal support and alimony pendente lite are not counts in a divorce complaint; they go to the domestic relations section (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.31(a)(2)). In Delaware County an alimony pendente lite application is filed at the Office of Judicial Support, which forwards it to Domestic Relations (Local Rule 1920.31(f)). The difference between these payments is in spousal support, APL or alimony.
• What there is to divide. A house, a pension or a business may need an appraisal, and the expert's report must be attached to the pre-trial statement (Rule 1920.33(b)(2)). Which assets are in the pool at all is explained in what counts as marital property. A company brings its own issues, covered in what happens to a family business in a divorce. Tracing money a spouse has kept off the books can take discovery and a forensic expert; see what to do if your spouse hides money or assets.
• Whether a spouse is ordered to help pay. In proper cases the court may allow a spouse reasonable counsel fees and expenses while the case is pending (23 Pa.C.S. 3702(a)). The court may award costs to the winning party, have each side pay their own, or divide them (23 Pa.C.S. 3323(e)). If a spouse fails to comply with an equitable distribution order, the court may award counsel fees and costs (3502(e)(7)).
• Whether you qualify for a fee waiver. A party who receives needs-based public assistance, or has income at or under 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and assets under $10,000 (not counting the home and one vehicle), is deemed without financial resources; substantial financial hardship is a second basis (Pa.R.J.A. 1990(c), applied in civil cases by Pa.R.C.P. 240). The county handbook says the petition is filed at the Office of Judicial Support, Room 127, with financial documentation.
• Whether there is an agreement already. A valid premarital or postnuptial agreement can exclude property from division (23 Pa.C.S. 3501(a)(2)), which narrows the issues; see what a prenuptial agreement can cover.

For example: two Delaware County divorces, two very different court bills

Here is a hypothetical. A couple in Springfield have no children, rent their home and have already divided their bank accounts. One spouse files a basic no-fault complaint with no added counts for $291.25 and serves it by first class and certified mail. Once 90 days have passed since service, both sign consent affidavits and waive the notice of intention, and the filer pays $24.50 for the praecipe to transmit the record. Their court fees total $315.75 plus postage.

A second couple in Newtown Square own a house and two retirement plans and cannot agree. The filer adds counts for equitable distribution and alimony, so the complaint costs $410.50. After the inventories, one spouse pays $250.00 for a hearing officer. The other disagrees with the report and pays $300.00 to appeal for a hearing before a judge. Add the $24.50 praecipe and a $30.00 retirement plan order, and the court fees alone reach $1,015.00, before any appraisal or expert. How their assets are weighed is covered in how property is divided in a Pennsylvania divorce. This example only illustrates the fee schedule; it does not predict any case.

What mistakes do people make about divorce costs?

• Leaving claims out to save on the filing fee. Alimony, counsel fee and cost claims not raised before the decree are treated as waived (Rule 1920.31(c)).
• Bringing a personal check. The office does not accept them over the counter or by mail.
• Paying first, then asking for a waiver. A fee waiver application is filed with or after the start of the case, and fees already paid are not refunded (Pa.R.J.A. 1990(d)).
• Skipping the inventory. The court may order sanctions, and a party who omits matters from the pre-trial statement may be barred from offering evidence on them (Rule 1920.33(c) and (d)).
• Waiting too long to line up an appraiser. The report must be attached to the pre-trial statement, often 60 days before the hearing (Rule 1920.33(b)(2)).
• Relying on averages found online. Court fees are set county by county, and lawyer's fees depend on the work a case needs.

What should I do this week?

1. List the claims you may need: property, alimony, counsel fees, costs and custody.
2. Check the fee for that number of counts in the table above.
3. Gather your last tax return, six months of pay stubs and recent statements for every account.
4. Note the assets that may need an appraisal, such as a house, a pension or a business.
5. If money is tight, collect proof of income and benefits for a fee waiver application.
6. Bring all of it to a consultation; see what to bring to a divorce consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays the filing fee?

The spouse who files pays it at filing. At the end, the court may award costs to one side, have each pay their own, or divide them as it finds just (23 Pa.C.S. 3323(e)).

Can my spouse be ordered to pay my lawyer's fees?

It is possible. In proper cases, on petition, the court may allow a spouse reasonable counsel fees and expenses while the case is pending (23 Pa.C.S. 3702(a)), and the hearing officer addresses legal fees and costs with property and alimony, according to the county handbook.

Is custody part of the divorce fee?

Only if you add it. A basic divorce with one custody count costs $359.65, a custody count added later costs $43.50, and a custody complaint filed on its own costs $324.75. The steps are in the steps in a Delaware County custody case.

Does a same-sex divorce cost the same?

Yes. The county schedule has one set of divorce fees for every marriage. Our page on same-sex divorce in Pennsylvania covers the issues these couples raise most often.

What does it cost to divide a pension or 401(k)?

The court fee to file the plan order is $30.00 on the Delaware County schedule. The larger cost is often valuing the plan; see how pensions and retirement accounts are divided.

What happens if a fee waiver is denied?

You have 30 days from notice of the denial to pay the filing fee, and the case cannot go forward while it is unpaid unless you appeal or the court gives permission (Pa.R.J.A. 1990(d)(3)). The county handbook warns that an unpaid filing will be dismissed.

Where do Delaware County divorce hearings take place?

Hearing officer conferences are set by notice, and trials are held in the main Courthouse in Media; see what to expect in Delaware County family court.

Call Giribaldi Law at (610) 891-8303 or contact us online for a free consultation about the cost of your divorce. Evening and weekend appointments are available.