Court Filing Fees

All states

Court filing fees in Kentucky

What the court charges to start a divorce or an adult name change in Kentucky, as stated in the fee schedule or statute. Lawyer fees, service of papers and newspaper costs are extra.

$228to file for divorce
$80to file for an adult name change

The details

Fee to file for divorce
Circuit Civil: $188.00 Civil Filing Fee (effective 7/1/2026), $20.00 Access to Justice Fee, $20.00 Court Technology Fee. Court Facilities $25.00 and Attorney Tax $5.00 if applicable.1

Same fee statewide.

Manual has no separate dissolution line. Total is $228.00 base or $258.00 with optional fees.

Fee to respond to a divorce
No counterclaim fee in the Circuit Civil section1
Fee for an adult name change
District Civil (5) Name Change $50.00 Civil Filing Fee (effective 7/1/2026), $10.00 Access to Justice, $20.00 Court Technology. Library, Facilities and Attorney Tax fees if applicable.1

Same fee statewide.

Court that handles divorce
Circuit Court (divorce). District Court handles name changes.1
If you cannot afford the fee
Motion for Waiver of Costs and Fee and to Proceed In Forma Pauperis, with affidavit: Kentucky residents with household income at or below 100% of federal poverty guidelines, or too little income to meet basic needs.3 Get the form
Fees change, and some counties add local fees. Check the court's own fee page or call the clerk before you file.

Sources

  1. Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks' Accounting Manual (rev. July 22, 2026), Kentucky Court of Justice, checked 1 November 2026
  2. AOC-295 Petition for Name Change (Rev. 8-23), Kentucky Court of Justice, checked 1 November 2026
  3. Court Filing Fees and Getting Filing Fees Waived, Kentucky Justice (Legal Aid) (secondary), checked 1 November 2026

Checked 1 November 2026. "Secondary" marks a source we used only because the official page could not be read.