How to File Uncontested Divorce in Tampa FL: $750 (2026)

To file an uncontested divorce in Tampa, one spouse must have lived in Florida for 6 months (F.S. 61.021), then file a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage with the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court through the 13th Judicial Circuit. The county filing fee is about $408. Our firm prepares the full case for a $750 flat attorney fee (court costs ~$408-$410 and notary separate).

Filing for divorce in Tampa is more straightforward than most people expect when both spouses agree on the terms. Hillsborough County processes thousands of dissolution cases each year through the 13th Judicial Circuit, and the standardized Florida family law forms make an uncontested case a matter of paperwork, disclosure, and a short final hearing rather than a courtroom battle. Below is a complete, step-by-step walkthrough of how to file uncontested divorce Tampa residents can rely on, including the exact forms, the Hillsborough County clerk of court divorce process, and what our $750 flat-fee representation covers.

What Is an Uncontested Divorce in Florida?

An uncontested divorce means both spouses agree on every issue in the dissolution: division of property and debts, time-sharing and parental responsibility for any minor children, child support, and alimony. Florida is a no-fault state under F.S. 61.052, so the only ground is that the marriage is "irretrievably broken" — you do not prove adultery, abandonment, or cruelty, and you do not need your spouse's permission to end the marriage.

When spouses agree on all terms, the case avoids the contested track: no mediation battles, no discovery fights, and no trial. Instead, the agreement is memorialized in a written Marital Settlement Agreement (and a Parenting Plan if children are involved), and the court enters a Final Judgment of Dissolution after a brief hearing. If you and your spouse cannot agree on even one issue, the case is contested and a flat fee does not apply.

Do You Qualify to File for Divorce in Tampa?

Before you file, confirm three things. First, residency: under F.S. 61.021, at least one spouse must have been a Florida resident for at least 6 months immediately before filing. You prove this with a Florida driver's license, voter registration, or a corroborating witness who can sign an affidavit. Second, venue: you file in the county where either spouse resides — for Tampa residents, that is Hillsborough County in the 13th Judicial Circuit. Third, agreement: you and your spouse agree on all issues.

Florida imposes no mandatory waiting period after filing, though the responding spouse has 20 days to file an Answer once served. Military personnel stationed in Florida satisfy the residency requirement under the same statute. If neither spouse has lived in Florida for 6 months, you cannot file here yet.

Which Uncontested Path Applies: Simplified or Regular?

Florida offers two uncontested routes, and choosing correctly matters. Simplified dissolution under F.S. 61.052(2) is faster but has strict eligibility limits and waives certain rights. Regular uncontested dissolution is broader and works for almost everyone else. Here is how they compare.

Simplified dissolution works only when there are no minor or dependent children, neither spouse seeks alimony, both agree on property and debt division, and both are willing to appear together at the final hearing. If any of those conditions fail — most commonly because there are children or one spouse cannot appear — you use the regular uncontested path with a Marital Settlement Agreement. For a deeper comparison, see our simplified dissolution guide.

How to File Uncontested Divorce Tampa: Step by Step

Here is the sequence a Hillsborough County uncontested case follows from start to finish.

The Hillsborough County clerk of court divorce forms are available through hillsclerk.com and the statewide forms library at flcourts.gov. The clerk's family law self-help resources can point you to the right packet, but clerk staff cannot give legal advice or tell you whether your agreement is complete.

What Does It Cost to File for Divorce in Tampa?

Costs split into two buckets: court/clerk costs paid to Hillsborough County, and your attorney fee. Our firm charges a $750 flat attorney fee for an uncontested Florida divorce — the same price statewide in all 67 counties — and the county court costs are separate.

Court filing fees are set by each county clerk and are separate from our flat attorney fee. As of July 2026, verify the current amount with your local clerk. If you cannot afford the filing fee, you may file an Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status to request a waiver. For a full price breakdown, see our Tampa uncontested divorce cost guide.

Attorney-Prepared vs. DIY or Form Services

Many Tampa residents start with a do-it-yourself packet or an online form-typing service to save money, then hit a wall when the Marital Settlement Agreement is incomplete or the parenting plan does not meet the court's requirements. Non-lawyer document-preparation services can type your forms, but by law they cannot give legal advice, cannot tell you whether your agreement protects you, and cannot catch a substantive error that leads the judge to reject or continue your case.

With our firm, a licensed Florida attorney prepares and reviews every document, confirms the MSA covers property, debts, time-sharing, child support, and alimony, ensures any parenting plan is complete, and answers your legal questions — all for the $750 flat fee. Self-help filing is not forbidden, and a genuinely simple case can be done pro se. The value of attorney preparation is avoiding the costly do-over when something is missing. If you are weighing options, our common mistakes guide covers the errors that most often derail uncontested cases.

How Long Does an Uncontested Divorce Take in Tampa?

Florida has no mandatory waiting period, so timing depends on how quickly you complete the paperwork and how the 13th Judicial Circuit schedules your final hearing — the court controls its own calendar. In a cooperative case where both spouses sign promptly and disclosure is complete, an uncontested Tampa divorce commonly moves from filing to final judgment in a matter of weeks, typically about 2 to 4 weeks after filing, though this varies with the court's docket and is never guaranteed.

The biggest delays in otherwise-simple cases come from incomplete financial affidavits, an MSA that leaves an issue unresolved, or difficulty serving a spouse who lives elsewhere. If your spouse is out of state, our out-of-state spouse guide explains how service and joint filing work.

Frequently Asked Questions