Monroe County, New York Court Filing
Fee Lookup

Court filing fees in Monroe County, New York are collected by the Monroe County Surrogate's Court in Rochester according to New York's statutory fee schedule, plus any local surcharges authorized by county ordinance. With 759,443 residents and ranked in the top quarter of New York jurisdictions by population, Monroe County operates within the Supreme Court (civil/family) / Surrogate's Court (probate) / Family Court / Civil Court (small claims) and follows both the state's base fee requirements and its own local additions.

Home to Rochester on the shores of Lake Ontario, Monroe County has a legacy of innovation from Kodak and Xerox and is now a center for optics, imaging, and higher education. These local economic characteristics shape the types of legal proceedings filed in Monroe County — from probate of estates that include commercial property or business interests near Rochester to civil disputes arising from the county's primary industries.

The Monroe County Surrogate's Court handles the full range of case types for this community, with filing fees applying uniformly based on case type regardless of the underlying subject matter.

Monroe County is known for landmarks including George Eastman Museum, Highland Park, Strong National Museum of Play. For residents and businesses in the areas surrounding these community anchors, knowing the applicable filing fees and court procedures in advance helps legal matters proceed efficiently at the Monroe County Surrogate's Court in Rochester.

• Filing fees in Monroe County are based on New York's statutory schedule, which applies statewide, plus any local surcharges assessed by the county. For reference, the statewide base fees by case type are: probate and estate filings — $45–$1,250 (Surrogate's Court — scales with gross estate value)
• civil complaints and appearances — $210 (Supreme Court — index number) / $50–$100 (Civil Court)
• family law matters (divorce, custody, support) — $210 (Supreme Court) / $65–$115 (Family Court)
• small claims filings — $15–$20 (Civil Court / City Court small claims). These figures represent the state-level base
• the total amount due at the Monroe County Surrogate's Court in Rochester may include additional local charges.

As one of New York's larger jurisdictions, Monroe County may assess higher local surcharges than the state's rural counties, reflecting the greater administrative cost of operating a high-volume court in Rochester.

• Beyond the initial filing fee, Monroe County litigants and estate administrators should budget for recurring court costs throughout the proceeding: fees for filing subsequent motions and responses, charges for certified copies of letters testamentary or court orders (typically $5 to $25 per document in New York), jury demand deposits in civil cases, and in probate matters, fees associated with filing the inventory, accountings, and petition for discharge.
• For a complete picture of expected court costs in Monroe County, request the full fee schedule from the Monroe County Surrogate's Court clerk in Rochester before initiating the proceeding.

New York has been expanding electronic filing (e-filing) capabilities across its court system. Monroe County is among the jurisdictions where e-filing is more established.

For this major county, the Monroe County Surrogate's Court in Rochester likely participates in the state's e-filing system, and represented parties in civil and family matters may be required to file electronically. Contact the Monroe County Surrogate's Court clerk directly to confirm the current e-filing requirements for your specific case type.

When e-filing is available in Monroe County, the system charges a convenience fee per transaction — typically $2 to $8 — in addition to the applicable statutory court fees. This convenience fee is charged by the e-filing service provider rather than the court itself and is generally non-waivable even for litigants who have received a court fee waiver.

Self-represented litigants (pro se filers) are often exempt from mandatory e-filing requirements and may file in paper at the Monroe County Surrogate's Court clerk's window in Rochester during regular business hours.

For probate and estate matters in Monroe County, e-filing availability may differ from civil cases. Some New York probate courts have been slower to adopt e-filing given the document-intensive nature of estate proceedings — original wills, certified death certificates, and original deeds often require in-person or mail submission regardless of whether other case types accept electronic filing.

Verify with the Monroe County Surrogate's Court in Rochester which documents can be e-filed and which require physical originals before planning your filing strategy.

• Monroe County residents who cannot afford court filing fees may apply for a fee waiver under CPLR § 1101.
• To apply, file a declaration of financial condition with the Monroe County Surrogate's Court clerk's office in Rochester at the time of your initial filing.
• The declaration lists all household income sources, monthly expenses, assets, and liabilities.
• A judge or court commissioner reviews the application and issues an order granting or denying the waiver, typically within a few days of submission.

• Eligibility for a fee waiver in Monroe County generally requires that household income fall at or below 125% to 200% of the federal poverty level, or that the applicant is receiving qualifying public benefits — commonly Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or public housing assistance.
• The specific income thresholds and qualifying programs are defined in CPLR § 1101 and may have been updated by recent legislation.
• Ask the Monroe County Surrogate's Court clerk in Rochester for the current income guidelines before completing your declaration.

• A granted fee waiver covers filing fees charged by the Monroe County Surrogate's Court — including initial filing fees and subsequent filings in the same case — but does not cover costs owed to third parties.
• In Monroe County probate proceedings, a fee waiver does not eliminate the cost of publishing a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation (a statutory requirement in most states), service of process fees paid to process servers or the sheriff's office, or costs for court-ordered appraisals.
• Budget for these additional costs separately even when a fee waiver is in effect.