Filing for Divorce in Lee County, Florida

Lee County divorce cases are filed and heard at the Lee County Justice Center, 2075 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers. The filing fee for dissolution of marriage runs roughly $400. leeclerk.org blocks automated verification, so confirm the exact current amount with the Clerk's Office before you file. Lee is the largest county in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit and has more judges and magistrates than its circuit-mates, each publishing separate JACS scheduling procedures. Find out which judge your case is assigned to before you assume a standard process applies; that matters more here than in a smaller county.

The Self-Help Center on the first floor of the Justice Center offers free virtual legal consultations through Lee County Legal Aid, notary services, and public access computers. Call ahead to confirm current hours before you visit, since leeclerk.org blocks automated verification of its own page. Self-represented parties can also use TurboCourt to prepare forms for an additional fee. Call the Clerk's Office to confirm TurboCourt's current pricing and any P.O. Box mailing address before you rely on them, since leeclerk.org blocks automated verification of those details too.

Simplified dissolution works for couples with no minor or dependent children together, property already divided, and no alimony request, as long as both spouses agree to attend one joint final hearing. Families with minor children face an added step: both parents must complete a parenting course before a judge finalizes the case.

Family mediation in Lee follows the same income-based framework used in Charlotte and Collier under the Twentieth Circuit, scheduled through the circuit's JACS calendar.

Where you file in Lee County, FL

Divorce cases in Lee County, FL are handled by the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Lee County. Because courthouse locations, hours, filing fees, and electronic filing options change over time and can differ between branches, use the Florida court clerk directory to confirm the current address and filing details for your case:

Find the Lee County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

The Florida divorce process, step by step

Florida calls divorce "dissolution of marriage," governed statewide by Florida Statutes chapter 61. At least one spouse generally must have lived in Florida for six months before filing (Fla. Stat. 61.021). The core steps are:

1. File a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage with the circuit court.
2. Serve your spouse, or, if you are filing together and agree on all terms, file jointly and skip service.
3. Exchange mandatory financial disclosure, including a Financial Affidavit (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c) depending on income).
4. Reach a Marital Settlement Agreement, or ask the court to decide contested issues.
5. Attend a mandatory parenting course if you have minor children and your circuit requires one, then submit your final paperwork for the judge to enter a Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage.

The clerk's filing fee to open a dissolution case is generally around $409, and an application for civil indigent status is available if you cannot afford it (Fla. Stat. 57.082). Florida does not use a fixed statewide waiting period from filing to final judgment the way some states do; timing depends on your circuit's calendar, whether the case is contested, and how quickly required steps like financial disclosure are completed. Couples who agree on every term, have no minor children, and meet certain conditions may qualify for Florida's simplified dissolution of marriage process, which is faster.

Local notes for Lee County, FL

Lee is the busiest county in the Twentieth Circuit, so expect more variation in scheduling procedures between judges than you'd find in a smaller county like Glades or Hendry. Several Lee judges and magistrates publish their own JACS procedure documents. Check which one is assigned to your case before you assume a single circuit-wide process applies.

TurboCourt gives you an online alternative to an in-person Self-Help Center visit, if you're comfortable using a paid tool. leeclerk.org blocks automated verification, so confirm current TurboCourt pricing directly before you use it.

Call the clerk directly to confirm current Self-Help Center hours before visiting the Justice Center. That's more reliable than hours listed on third-party sites, since leeclerk.org's own pages block automated verification.

Official divorce resources in Lee County, FL

Lee County Justice Center handles divorce filings, located at 2075 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Fort Myers 33901.

The filing fee is roughly $400 (leeclerk.org blocks automated verification; confirm exact amount with the clerk). E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com/. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal; TurboCourt is also advertised for form preparation for an additional cost, though leeclerk.org blocks automated verification so the exact current TurboCourt pricing could not be confirmed for this guide. A mailing address for paper filings has also been reported for the clerk's office, but leeclerk.org's page could not be verified directly, so confirm the correct current mailing address by phone before mailing anything.

Self-Help Center (Lee County Justice Center) (https://www.ca.cjis20.org/About-The-Court/Locations/leecounty.aspx) can help with procedure and paperwork. The clerk's own leeclerk.org self-help page describes a Self-Help Center on the 1st floor of the Lee County Justice Center offering free virtual legal consultations through Lee County Legal Aid, notary services, and public access computers; leeclerk.org blocked automated verification for this guide, so confirm current hours by phone before visiting. Admin. Order 1.16 (Court-Ordered Mediation in Circuit Civil, Family, Dependency & County Court Civil Cases) applies; see https://www.ca.cjis20.org/Documents/admin-orders.aspx.

• Twentieth Judicial Circuit - Lee County Justice Center
• Twentieth Judicial Circuit - JACS Online Scheduling
• Twentieth Judicial Circuit - Administrative Orders
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Lee County, FL Divorce FAQs