Maryland Filing Fees and Fee Waivers

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Filing a family case in Maryland normally carries a fee. Divorce filing fee: ~$165. Fees are set locally and change, so treat any figure as a starting point and confirm the current amount with your clerk.

Not being able to pay does not close the courthouse door. Every state has a way to ask a judge to waive or defer the fee, usually by filing a short sworn statement about your income and expenses. The official Maryland documents for that request are below.

Official Maryland fee resources

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Maryland family law forms (official index) (Maryland judicial branch): The official statewide collection of Maryland family law forms. When a direct document link stops working, this index is where the current version lives. https://www.mdcourts.gov/family/forms

Maryland court self-help resources (Maryland courts self-help): Official self-help information for people handling their own Maryland family case, including instructions and plain-language guides. https://www.mdcourts.gov/selfhelp

Maryland courts directory (find your courthouse) (Maryland judicial branch): Find the courthouse or clerk that serves your area, with locations and contact details. https://www.mdcourts.gov/courtsdirectory

Maryland official filing information (Maryland judicial branch): The court's own page explaining how documents are filed in Maryland and what a parent without a lawyer is allowed to do. https://www.mdcourts.gov/mdec/efilingpublic

Verified official Maryland fee waiver documents

These official documents are how you ask a Maryland court to waive or defer a filing fee.

Request for Waiver of Prepaid Costs (CC-DC-089), form CC-DC-089 (Fee Waiver), official document: https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/court-forms/courtforms/joint/ccdc089.pdf/ccdc089.pdf

Official link data for Maryland was last verified June 2026. Report anything outdated through our contact page and we will re-check the official source.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to file a family case in Maryland?

Divorce filing fee: ~$165. If you cannot afford the fee, ask the clerk about a fee waiver or indigency application; every state has a process for requesting one.

Will asking for a fee waiver hurt my case?

No. The fee waiver request goes to the question of what you can afford, not to the merits of your case. Courts handle these routinely.

What if my waiver is denied?

Ask the clerk about paying in installments or deferring the fee. Practice varies by court, so ask before you assume the case cannot be filed.