Divorce cases for Tampa residents are handled by the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsborough County. You file at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in downtown Tampa, near the Hillsborough River and the Riverwalk, just blocks from the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. The current filing fee is $408, Florida is a pure no-fault state, and one spouse must have lived in Florida for at least six months before filing under Florida Statutes § 61.021. If you are searching for a Tampa divorce lawyer, the sections below walk through where you file, what it costs, how long it takes, and the 2023 law changes that now shape alimony and time-sharing across Hillsborough County.
Key Facts: Divorce in Tampa, Florida (2026)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| County | Hillsborough County |
| Filing court | Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, George E. Edgecomb Courthouse |
| Court address | 800 E. Twiggs Street, Room 101, Tampa, FL 33602 |
| Filing fee | $408 (dissolution of marriage petition) |
| Residency requirement | 6 months in Florida (§ 61.021) |
| Waiting period | 20 days minimum before final judgment (§ 61.19) |
| Property model | Equitable distribution (§ 61.075) |
How do I file for divorce in Tampa, Florida?
To file for divorce in Tampa, you complete a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, sign and notarize it, and submit it to the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court with the $408 filing fee. Florida is a no-fault state under § 61.052, so you only state the marriage is irretrievably broken. Most Tampa filers use the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com.
The process starts with choosing the correct petition. Florida offers a simplified dissolution for couples with no minor children, no requests for alimony, and full agreement on property, plus the standard petition for everyone else. After filing, you must serve your spouse, who then has 20 days to respond under § 61.052. If your spouse does not respond, the court may enter a default judgment. Blank forms are available for a fee at the Court Business Center on the 6th floor of the Edgecomb Courthouse, or you can download them free from the Florida Courts website. Tampa filers with minor children or contested assets typically need a financial affidavit, a parenting plan, and mandatory disclosure documents before a judge will finalize the case.
Where do I file for divorce in Tampa? (which courthouse)
Tampa residents file divorce cases at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs Street, Room 101, Tampa, FL 33602, the family law home of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. The Clerk's office operates 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the main family law phone line is 813-272-5894.
The Edgecomb Courthouse sits in the downtown Tampa government complex, a short walk from the Hillsborough County Center and the Tampa Riverwalk. Victor D. Crist serves as the elected Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Hillsborough County. While downtown Tampa is the primary filing location, the county also maintains a Plant City branch where residents in eastern Hillsborough can view or pick up family law files. Parking near the Edgecomb Courthouse is available in the Fort Brooke garage and several downtown lots along Twiggs and Jackson Streets. Most Tampa attorneys file electronically through the state portal rather than appearing in person, but self-represented filers can hand-deliver documents to Room 101. The official source for Hillsborough County divorce procedures is the Clerk's website at hillsclerk.com.
How much does a divorce lawyer cost in Tampa?
A divorce lawyer in Tampa typically charges $250 to $450 per hour, with uncontested cases often running $1,500 to $3,500 in total legal fees, while contested divorces involving custody or significant assets commonly reach $7,000 to $20,000 or more. The court filing fee of $408 is separate from attorney fees and is paid directly to the Hillsborough County Clerk.
Several factors drive the cost of a divorce lawyer in Tampa. An uncontested case where both spouses agree on property division, time-sharing, and support resolves quickly and keeps fees low. Disputes over the marital home, retirement accounts, or a closely held business require depositions, expert valuations, and court hearings that increase the bill substantially. Many Tampa family law attorneys require an initial retainer of $2,500 to $5,000, billed against their hourly rate. If you cannot afford the $408 filing fee, you may apply for a civil indigent status determination from the Clerk under § 57.082, which can waive or defer the fee for qualifying low-income filers. Bay Area Legal Services, headquartered in Tampa, offers free or reduced-fee help for income-eligible residents. To estimate your own numbers, use a divorce cost estimator before scheduling a consultation.
How long does a divorce take in Tampa?
An uncontested divorce in Tampa typically takes 4 to 8 weeks after filing, because Florida law requires a minimum 20-day waiting period under § 61.19 before a judge can sign the final judgment. Contested divorces in Hillsborough County usually take 6 to 18 months, depending on the complexity of asset division, custody disputes, and the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit's docket.
The 20-day clock starts when the original petition is filed, not when your spouse is served. A judge may waive the waiting period only on a showing that injustice would result from the delay, which is rare. Uncontested cases that include a signed marital settlement agreement and an agreed parenting plan move fastest because they often require only a brief final hearing. Contested matters stretch longer when the parties exchange financial discovery, attend mediation, and litigate disputed issues. Hillsborough County requires most family law cases to attempt mediation before trial, and the court maintains a roster of certified family mediators. The case timeline also depends on whether minor children are involved, since the court must approve a parenting plan that meets the best-interest standard in § 61.13 before granting the dissolution.
What are the residency requirements to file in Hillsborough County?
To file for divorce in Hillsborough County, at least one spouse must have resided in Florida for a minimum of six months immediately before filing the petition, as required by Florida Statutes § 61.021. You prove residency with a Florida driver's license, a Florida voter registration card, or the sworn testimony of a corroborating witness.
The six-month residency rule is a jurisdictional requirement, meaning the court cannot grant your divorce without it. You do not need to have lived in Hillsborough County specifically for any set period, only in Florida for six months, but venue is proper in the county where either spouse resides. For Tampa filers, that means the Edgecomb Courthouse is the correct venue if you or your spouse live anywhere in Hillsborough County, including Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, or Town 'n' Country. Military members stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in South Tampa can establish Florida residency for divorce purposes even while serving, provided Florida is their state of legal residence. If neither spouse meets the six-month threshold, the petition will be dismissed, so confirm your residency proof before filing.
What are Florida's 2026 alimony and time-sharing rules?
Florida eliminated permanent alimony effective July 1, 2023, under Senate Bill 1416, leaving only bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational alimony, with payments capped at 35% of the difference between the spouses' net incomes. A separate 2023 law created a rebuttable presumption that equal 50/50 time-sharing serves a child's best interest.
These two reforms reshape how Tampa courts handle divorce. Under the alimony changes, durational alimony cannot be awarded for marriages under three years; for marriages of 3 to 10 years it is capped at 50% of the marriage length, 60% for marriages of 10 to 20 years, and 75% for marriages over 20 years. Rehabilitative alimony is now limited to five years. On the parenting side, HB 1301 amended § 61.13 to require Hillsborough County judges to start from a 50/50 time-sharing assumption; a parent opposing equal time-sharing must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that it is not in the child's best interest. The court must still make written findings on the best-interest factors. Property in a Tampa divorce is divided under the equitable distribution standard in § 61.075, which begins with the premise of an equal split of marital assets and debts. To estimate support figures, try the alimony estimator or the child support calculator.