What is the cost of bringing a third-party contact application compared to a parenting time motion between parents?

Court filing fees for these two kinds of steps aren't necessarily different simply because one involves a non-parent - both a new contact application and a motion to change between parents generally involve the Superior Court of Justice's standard family court filing fees, such as the fee to file an originating application, rather than a separately priced fee category just for third-party applications. What tends to make a third-party contact case more expensive in practice isn't the court's own fees, but the added legal complexity: establishing standing as a non-parent is an extra step that a motion between existing parents doesn't require, which can mean more legal work and, if contested, a more involved hearing.

Because court fees are adjusted periodically and can vary by the specific step being filed, don't rely on a fixed dollar figure without confirming the current fee for your specific filing. The bigger cost driver in most of these cases is legal fees tied to how contested the matter is, not the court's own filing fees, which are the same regardless of who wears which legal hat - parent, grandparent, or other relative. A family lawyer can give you a realistic estimate based on how contested your specific situation looks.