Filing for Divorce in Kent County Michigan: Step by Step (2026)

Where do you file for divorce in Kent County?

You file for divorce in Kent County at the 17th Circuit Court, located at 180 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. The court clerk's office handles divorce filings on the 2nd floor. Kent County is the fourth most populous county in Michigan with approximately 660,000 residents and processes thousands of divorce filings each year.

Before filing, at least one spouse must have lived in Michigan for 180 days and in Kent County for at least 10 days (MCL 552.9).

Filing fees

Kent County follows the standard Michigan filing fee schedule set by MCL 600.2529:

• Base filing fee: $150
• E-filing system fee: $25
• Friend of the Court fee (cases with minor children): $80
• Total without children: $175
• Total with children: $255

If you cannot afford the filing fee, you can file a fee waiver request (Affidavit and Order of Indigency, MC 20). The court evaluates your income and may waive part or all of the fee.

For a complete breakdown of all divorce costs, see our Michigan divorce costs guide.

The 17th Circuit Court Family Division

Kent County's Family Division handles all divorce, custody, and support cases. Key details:

Address: 180 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Phone: (616) 632-5100

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

E-filing: Kent County uses the Michigan Courts E-Filing system (MiFILE) at mifile.courts.michigan.gov. E-filing is mandatory for attorneys and available to self-represented parties. If you file in person, the clerk will process your documents at the counter.

Kent County Friend of the Court

The Kent County Friend of the Court office is located in the same building as the circuit court. The FOC handles child support, custody investigations, and parenting time enforcement for all domestic relations cases with minor children.

Address: 82 Ionia Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Phone: (616) 632-5200

Walk-in hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

The Kent County FOC is one of the larger offices in the state and handles a high volume of cases. Expect processing times of 2-4 weeks for routine matters. For urgent issues, such as denied parenting time or failure to pay support, the FOC offers a complaint process. See our Friend of the Court guide for details on how the FOC works.

Step-by-step: Filing for divorce in Kent County

Step 1: Prepare your documents. Gather the required forms based on your case type. At minimum, you need a Complaint for Divorce, Summons, Verified Financial Information Form (CC 320), and Record of Divorce or Annulment (DCH-0838). Cases with children require additional FOC forms. See our complete filing guide for the full list.

Step 2: File with the clerk. Submit your documents either through MiFILE (online) or in person at the 2nd floor clerk's office. Pay the filing fee. The clerk assigns a case number in the format of the current year followed by a sequential number and case type designation (e.g., 26-XXXXX-DO for divorce).

Step 3: Serve your spouse. After filing, your spouse must be formally served. In Kent County, you can use a process server, the Kent County Sheriff's office, or have your spouse sign an Acknowledgment of Service. The Sheriff's office charges a fee for service; private process servers are typically faster.

Step 4: Wait the mandatory period. Michigan requires a 60-day waiting period for cases without minor children and a 6-month waiting period for cases with minor children (MCL 552.9f). The clock starts on the date of filing, not the date of service.

Step 5: Reach an agreement or proceed to trial. During the waiting period, work with your spouse to reach agreements on property division, custody, parenting time, child support, and spousal support. If you agree on everything, you can schedule a pro confesso (default) hearing.

Step 6: Attend your final hearing. For an uncontested divorce, the final hearing is a brief pro confesso hearing lasting about 15 minutes. The judge will ask you to confirm residency, state that the marriage has broken down, and verify the terms of your agreement. If everything is in order, the judge signs the Judgment of Divorce that day.

Kent County divorce timeline

Realistic timelines for Kent County divorces:

• Uncontested, no children: 2-3 months from filing to final judgment
• Uncontested, with children: 6-8 months from filing to final judgment
• Contested, moderate complexity: 8-14 months
• Contested, high complexity (custody disputes, significant assets): 12-24 months

Kent County's caseload is heavy. Scheduling a contested hearing or trial may take several months after the waiting period expires. Settlement is strongly encouraged; the court expects parties to participate in mediation and settlement conferences before trial.

Mediation and settlement conferences

Kent County requires mediation in most contested cases before a trial date is set. The court maintains a roster of approved mediators. Mediation fees vary but typically run $150-$300 per party per session. Many cases settle at mediation, avoiding the expense and uncertainty of trial.

For cases that do not settle at mediation, the court may schedule a settlement conference with the assigned judge or another judge. Settlement conferences are a final opportunity to resolve the case before trial.

Cost of divorce in Kent County

Typical costs for Kent County divorces:

Type	Estimated Cost
Uncontested, DIY (no attorney)	$175-$500
Uncontested with Autonomy	$499-$699
Uncontested with attorney	$2,500-$5,000
Contested with attorney	$10,000-$30,000+

Attorney fees in the Grand Rapids market typically range from $200-$400 per hour for family law practitioners.

How Autonomy can help

Autonomy (autonomy.legal) was built by a Michigan family law attorney based in Kent County. The platform is designed with Kent County procedures in mind:

• Paige, our AI assistant, walks you through a conversational interview and generates all required documents for Kent County, including the correct court heading and case type designations
• Child support is calculated using the exact Michigan Child Support Formula that the Kent County FOC uses
• All FOC forms required by the 17th Circuit Court are generated automatically
• Documents are formatted and ready to file through MiFILE or in person
• The platform accounts for Kent County-specific procedures and requirements

Whether you are filing a straightforward uncontested divorce or need help preparing documents for a more complex case, Autonomy gets you court-ready documents at a fraction of the cost of an attorney.

Visit autonomy.legal to get started.