If you live in Frisco and want a divorce, your case goes to Collin County, not Denton County, even though Frisco straddles both. The Frisco portion north of Highway 121 sits in Collin County, and the vast majority of Frisco residents file at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building in McKinney. This page covers the local logistics: which courthouse, what it costs, how long it takes, and the Texas statutes that govern each step.
Key Facts: Filing for Divorce in Frisco
| Detail | Frisco (Collin County) |
|---|---|
| County | Collin County |
| Filing court | Collin County District Clerk, district courts |
| Court address | Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney, TX 75071 |
| Filing fee | ~$350-$385 (initial petition; higher with children/service) |
| State residency | 6 months in Texas |
| County residency | 90 days in Collin County |
| Waiting period | 60 days from filing |
| Property model | Community property |
How do I file for divorce in Frisco, Texas?
To file for divorce in Frisco, submit an Original Petition for Divorce to the Collin County District Clerk and pay the roughly $350-$385 filing fee. Texas requires e-filing for divorce cases through the statewide eFileTexas portal, though you may also file in person at 2100 Bloomdale Road in McKinney. You must meet residency rules under Texas Family Code § 6.301 before filing.
The process starts with the petition, which names you as the petitioner and your spouse as the respondent. After filing, you must give your spouse legal notice, usually through formal service by a constable or process server, or by a signed waiver of service if the divorce is agreed. Collin County assigns your case to one of its 14 district courts, and the family law divisions on the 3rd and 4th floors of the courthouse handle divorce matters.
If you and your spouse agree on everything, an uncontested divorce can move through quickly once the 60-day clock under § 6.702 runs. Contested cases involving disputed property or children take longer because they require temporary orders, discovery, and often mediation before a final hearing.
Where do I file for divorce in Frisco? (which courthouse)
Frisco residents file divorce cases at the Collin County District Clerk's office inside the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Road, Suite 12132, McKinney, TX 75071. Divorce records and decrees are kept by the District Clerk, not the County Clerk, so direct all divorce filings there. The District Clerk's divorce line is (972) 548-4320.
The drive from central Frisco to the McKinney courthouse runs about 20 to 30 minutes via Highway 380 or Eldorado Parkway, depending on traffic. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Family courts occupy the 3rd and 4th floors. Because Collin County operates 14 separate district courts plus a magistrate court, confirm your assigned court number on any hearing notice before you appear, since you could end up in front of a different judge than a neighbor filing the same week.
Frisco's southern neighborhoods that fall within Denton County file at the Denton County courthouse instead. Check which county your home address sits in before filing, because filing in the wrong county can get your petition dismissed for improper venue.
How much does a divorce lawyer cost in Frisco?
A Frisco divorce lawyer typically charges $250 to $450 per hour, and an uncontested case often runs $1,500 to $4,000 in total. Contested divorces with custody or property fights commonly reach $10,000 to $25,000 or more. These figures sit on top of the Collin County filing fee of roughly $350-$385 and any process server costs of $75 to $150.
Flat fees are common for simple, agreed divorces with no children, while hourly billing against a retainer is standard for contested matters. Your total depends heavily on conflict level: every disputed issue adds attorney hours for negotiation, drafting, and court appearances. Mediation, required or encouraged in most Collin County family courts before trial, costs $1,000 to $3,000 split between spouses but usually saves far more by avoiding a contested final hearing.
If you cannot afford the filing fee, Texas lets you file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs. The judge reviews your finances and may waive the fee entirely. Use the divorce cost estimator to model your likely range before you hire counsel.
How long does a divorce take in Frisco?
The fastest a Frisco divorce can finalize is 61 days, because Texas Family Code § 6.702 bars any judge from granting a divorce before the 60th day after the petition is filed. The clock starts on the District Clerk's file-stamp date, not the date your spouse is served. Most uncontested Collin County divorces finalize in 2 to 4 months.
Contested divorces routinely take 6 to 12 months, and complex cases with significant assets or custody disputes can stretch past a year. The waiting period has only two exceptions, both involving family violence: a final conviction or deferred adjudication for a family-violence offense, or an active protective order against the respondent. Outside those situations, the 60-day floor applies to everyone, including fully agreed divorces with signed decrees ready on day one.
After the decree is signed, two more 30-day windows follow: an appeal period and a bar on remarrying anyone but your former spouse, unless the judge waives it.
What are the residency requirements to file in Collin County?
To file for divorce in Collin County, at least one spouse must have lived in Texas for 6 months and in Collin County for 90 days immediately before filing, under Texas Family Code § 6.301. Only one spouse needs to meet both thresholds. Domicile means an intent to make Texas your permanent home, not just physical presence.
This matters for Frisco specifically because the city spans two counties. If you recently moved within Frisco from the Denton County side to the Collin County side, your 90-day county clock may have reset. A non-resident spouse can still be sued for divorce in Collin County under § 6.302 as long as the filing spouse meets Texas residency. Active-duty military stationed elsewhere may keep Texas residency for filing purposes if Texas remains their state of domicile.
How is property divided in a Frisco divorce?
Texas is a community property state, so most assets and debts acquired during the marriage belong equally to both spouses under Texas Family Code § 3.002. At divorce, the Collin County court divides the community estate in a manner it finds just and right, which under § 7.001 does not always mean a 50/50 split. Separate property stays with its owner.
Property owned before marriage, plus gifts and inheritances received during marriage, counts as separate property. Texas law presumes everything possessed at divorce is community property, and a spouse claiming an asset is separate must prove it by clear and convincing evidence, a high standard. Frisco's strong home values make the marital residence a major dividing point, and retirement accounts often require a Qualified Domestic Relations Order to split. Model your division with the property division tool.
What about child custody and support in Frisco?
Texas calls custody conservatorship, and Collin County courts decide it under the best-interest standard in Texas Family Code § 153.002. The law presumes that naming both parents joint managing conservators serves the child's best interest unless evidence shows it would harm the child. One parent usually has the right to set the child's primary residence.
Child support follows statewide percentage guidelines based on the paying parent's net resources: 20% for one child, 25% for two, rising with each additional child. Spousal maintenance is harder to win in Texas; under § 8.051, a spouse generally must show a marriage of 10 years or more plus an inability to meet minimum reasonable needs, or family violence. Estimate figures with the child support calculator and the alimony estimator.