You can file for divorce in Harris County online through eFileTexas.gov, the state’s electronic filing portal, which routes your petition directly to the Harris County District Clerk.1eFileTexas.gov. eFileTexas.gov Home The filing fee is $350 for a divorce with no children and $365 when minor children are involved.2Harris County District Clerk. Fee Schedule Civil and Family Before you upload anything, you need to meet Texas residency rules, prepare an Original Petition for Divorce, and redact sensitive personal data from your documents.
Check Residency Before You File
Texas requires at least one spouse to have lived in the state for a continuous six months before filing, and the same or the other spouse to have lived in Harris County for at least 90 days immediately before the petition is submitted.3State of Texas. Texas Code 6.301 – General Residency Rule for Divorce Suit Both parts have to be satisfied. If you moved to Harris County from another Texas county recently, the state clock is fine, but you still have to wait out the 90 days locally.
What You Need Before You Start
The main document is the Original Petition for Divorce. Blank divorce kits with instructions, organized by whether you have children, are available through TexasLawHelp.org.4Texas Law Help. Divorce Gather this information before you fill it out:
- Full legal names and dates of birth for both spouses
- Date and location of your marriage, and the date you separated
- Full names, birthdates, and current addresses for any minor children of the marriage
- A general inventory of community property (assets acquired during the marriage) and separate property (anything owned before the marriage or received by gift or inheritance)
Your petition must state the grounds for divorce and your requests for property division. If you have children, it also has to address conservatorship (custody), possession and access, and child support. Most self-filers use the no-fault ground of insupportability, meaning the marriage has broken down with no reasonable expectation of reconciliation; you don’t have to prove wrongdoing.5State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 6.001 – Insupportability You will also file a Civil Case Information Sheet, an administrative form that goes alongside the petition.
Filing Fee and Fee Waiver
Harris County charges $350 to file a divorce with no children and $365 when minor children are involved.2Harris County District Clerk. Fee Schedule Civil and Family Payment happens inside the e-filing portal by credit card when you submit your documents.
If you cannot afford the fee, file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs instead. You automatically qualify for consideration if a legal aid attorney is representing you for free, or if you or your dependents receive certain public benefits, including Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, SSI, SSDI, Section 8 housing assistance, or CHIP.6Texas Judicial Branch (txcourts.gov). Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs or an Appeal Bond Without benefits, you can still apply by completing a detailed financial disclosure of income, expenses, and assets. Attach proof of benefits or hardship when you submit the form.
Redact Sensitive Data First
Texas court rules require you to remove sensitive personal data from any document before you upload it. That includes Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, bank and credit card account numbers, and tax identification numbers. In cases involving children, you also have to redact birth dates, home addresses, and the child’s name if they were a minor when the case was filed.7Texas Law Help. Sensitive Data Redact by marking an “X” over each sensitive digit or by replacing the information with “[REDACTED].” Keep an unredacted copy for your own records, and flag the filing as containing sensitive data when the e-filing system prompts you.
Filing the Petition Through eFileTexas.gov
All Texas court filings run through eFileTexas.gov, and the site has a guided interview built for people filing family cases without a lawyer. Click “Start a Filing,” choose the “Family Cases” interview, and the system walks you through each step.8Texas State Law Library. Filing for Divorce – Section: E-Filing
During setup, you select the Harris County District Court as your court and pick the case type (divorce with or without children). The system prompts you to upload your signed petition as a PDF along with any other documents you are filing.9Texas Law Help. How to E-File – Section: What Information Do I Need When E-Filing After the upload, you pay the filing fee by credit card. Once payment clears, the portal transmits everything to the Harris County District Clerk and sends you an electronic confirmation that the case has been accepted.
What Happens After the Clerk Accepts Your Filing
Filing online is the start of the case, not the end of it. Two things follow that you should know about before you file.
First, your spouse needs formal legal notice. You cannot hand-deliver the papers yourself; a constable, sheriff, or private process server has to deliver a copy of the filed petition and the court-issued citation.10Texas State Law Library. Serving Divorce Papers Private process servers typically charge between $20 and $200. If your spouse is cooperative, they can sign a Waiver of Service instead, which skips formal delivery and is the faster, cheaper option most uncontested divorces use.11TexasLawHelp.org. Waiver of Service Only (Specific Waiver)
Second, Texas imposes a mandatory 60-day waiting period. A judge cannot grant a divorce before the 60th day after the petition is filed, regardless of how quickly your spouse is served or how completely you agree on the terms. The clock starts the moment the clerk accepts your online filing. The only exception is in cases involving family violence, where a conviction, deferred adjudication, or active protective order can prompt the court to waive the wait.12Texas Public Law. Texas Family Code 6.702 – Waiting Period Most divorces take longer than 60 days anyway, because service, negotiation, and hearing dates all add time.