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Divorce in Lee County, Florida: Forms, Fees, and Where to File

Reviewed by the Amicably document team · Updated August 10, 2026

If you live in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, or anywhere else in Lee County and you and your spouse agree on how to divide things, you file with the Lee County Clerk of Circuit Court, not a state agency, and the rest of the process follows the same Florida law that applies statewide. This guide covers exactly where a Lee County divorce is filed, what it costs locally, the county's self-help resources, and what to expect at the hearing.

Divorce in Lee County follows the same Florida rules as every other county, but the clerk's address, the local self-help center, and the courthouse handling your hearing are specific to Lee. Getting those details right the first time is most of what keeps a filing from bouncing back.

Where Lee County divorces are filed

Divorce cases in Lee County are filed with the Lee County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Domestic Relations Division, part of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit (which also covers Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties). The Domestic Relations Court sits on the third floor of the Lee County Justice Center, 2075 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33901.

Most filers never need to visit the Justice Center in person: Florida's statewide e-filing portal lets a self-represented spouse submit a complete uncontested packet online, from anywhere in the county.

Do you qualify to file in Lee County?

Two statewide rules apply the same way in Lee County as everywhere else in Florida:

• 6-month residency: at least one spouse must have lived in Florida for the 6 months before filing.
• 20-day waiting period: a judge cannot finalize the divorce until at least 20 days after the petition is filed.

Beyond residency and the waiting period, an uncontested case in Lee County just means you and your spouse agree on property, debts, support, and, if you have children, a parenting plan. Whether financial affidavits, a hearing appearance from both spouses, or specific supporting forms apply to your case depends on which of Amicably's three routes fits: simplified dissolution, uncontested without children, or uncontested with children.

Lee County filing fee and other costs

The clerk's filing fee is a court cost, never Amicably's fee, and it is paid directly to Lee County at submission. If the fee is out of reach, the clerk's office accepts an Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status, and a judge or clerk decides eligibility using the household-income test in Florida law.

E-filing vs. filing in person

Lee County gives self-represented spouses both paths, and most choose the same one:

1. Create a free account at myflcourtaccess.com, the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, and choose the Self-Represented Litigant role.
2. Select Lee County and the dissolution of marriage case type when you start a new case.
3. Upload your signed packet as searchable PDFs, one court document per file.
4. Pay the filing fee by card or e-check when you submit; the portal calculates the total.
5. Watch for a processing email from the Lee Clerk confirming your case has been docketed, or flagging a correction if something needs fixing.

If you prefer paper, you can bring or mail your signed documents to the Clerk's office at the Justice Center instead, and the Clerk scans them into the electronic case file. Once you choose to e-file in a case, though, switching back to paper generally needs the court's permission, so pick a path and stay with it. For the full sequence across every route, see our guide to how to file for divorce in Florida.

Self-help center resources in Lee County

Lee County runs the Honorable Linda Doggett Self-Help Center on the first floor of the Justice Center for people representing themselves. Justice Navigators there can hand you blank family law forms, point you to Florida Law Help and the Florida Family Law Handbook, and connect you to free virtual legal consultations through Lee County Legal Aid Society, but they cannot tell you what to write, review your specific answers, or give legal advice.

What the final hearing looks like

Simplified dissolution cases require both spouses at one short final hearing. Regular uncontested cases usually require only the filing spouse, since the other spouse's signed Answer and Waiver excuses their attendance. In Lee County, family hearings run through the Twentieth Circuit's Domestic Relations Court, and many uncontested matters are heard remotely by video rather than in person; your notice of hearing will say which format applies to your case. A typical timeline from filing to a finalized Lee County divorce looks like this:

1. Day 0You file your petition. The portal or clerk stamps the official filing date.
2. Day 20+Florida's mandatory waiting period ends, the earliest a judge can sign your final judgment.
3. Hearing setThe Lee Clerk or judicial assistant schedules your brief final hearing, in person or remote.
4. Final judgmentThe judge signs your Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage, and your divorce is final.

Divorcing with children in Lee County

If you and your spouse share minor children, your Lee County case can still be uncontested, but it needs a couple of extra pieces: a parenting plan covering time-sharing and decision-making, and a child-support worksheet based on Florida's guidelines. Florida also generally requires both parents to complete a state-approved parenting course before the divorce finalizes. Amicably prepares the parenting documents and points you to an approved course; you complete the course and file it yourself, the same as every other document in your packet.

What you'll need to get started

• Proof of the 6-month Florida residency requirement (Florida driver's license, ID, or voter registration).
• Basic information about your marriage, income, assets, and debts.
• Agreement with your spouse on how to divide property and debts.
• If you have children: your intended time-sharing schedule.

You do not need any of this organized before you begin. Amicably's questionnaire walks you through it one plain-English question at a time, then prepares your complete, court-ready Lee County packet.

Frequently asked questions