What is shared parenting in Ashland County?

Shared parenting designates both parents as residential parents and legal custodians under R.C. 3109.04(G), governed by a written Shared Parenting Plan the court must find is in the children's best interest. It is different from sole custody (one residential parent) — Ohio has no "joint" or "primary" custody.

What has to be in an Ashland shared parenting plan?

On the Juvenile side, Juvenile LR 27(H) requires identification of the parents and children, fitness/best-interest statements, all required statutory provisions (living arrangements, support, health care, tax exemptions, school placement), designation of both parents as residential parents and legal custodians, and the pre-signature acknowledgment. In DR cases the Form 20.00 "Rule 20" parenting-time schedule supplies the default time-sharing terms.

Can I get temporary shared parenting in an Ashland divorce?

Only if a proposed Shared Parenting Plan is already on file — the court will not issue a temporary shared parenting order at the non-oral review without one (LR 20.02). File your proposed plan with your initial pleadings if you want shared parenting from the start.

Ashland County Shared Parenting Attorneys

Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated June 11, 2026

Ashland County, Ohio · Ashland

Shared parenting designates both parents as residential parents and legal custodians under R.C. 3109.04(G), governed by a written Shared Parenting Plan the court must find serves the children's best interest. Where you file depends on the parents' status — inside a divorce in the General and Domestic Relations Divisions, or in the Juvenile Division for never-married parents. Ashland's Domestic Relations side supplies a default "Rule 20" parenting-time schedule (Form 20.00); the Juvenile Division publishes its own separate schedule.

Hire Gavvl for your Ashland County shared parenting case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Ashland County local forms, the court strategy, and the hearings — and you know the price before we start (flat fees from $1,250).

Start with a $25 consultation and talk through your options with an Ohio family-law attorney before you commit to anything. Get started online or see payment plans & financing.

How do I get shared parenting in Ashland County, Ohio?

File a written Shared Parenting Plan designating both parents as residential parents and legal custodians under R.C. 3109.04(G). In a divorce, file it with your initial pleadings (the court won't issue a temporary shared parenting order at the non-oral review unless a proposed plan is on file). For never-married parents, file in the Juvenile Division, where the plan must meet Juvenile LR 27(H): identification of parents and children, fitness/best-interest statements, all required statutory provisions (living arrangements, support, health care, tax exemptions, school placement), and the pre-signature acknowledgment. The court attaches a parenting-time schedule — the DR side's Rule 20 (Form 20.00) order or the Juvenile Division's own schedule. The court must find the plan is in the children's best interest before approving it.

Hire Gavvl Law to build your Ashland County shared parenting plan

Shared parenting names both parents residential parent and legal custodian under R.C. 3109.04(G), and the court will only approve a written plan it finds serves the children's best interest. In Ashland the plan and the parenting-time schedule are two separate pieces — the Domestic Relations side supplies a default Rule 20 schedule (Form 20.00) while the Juvenile Division publishes its own — and a poorly drafted plan stalls the whole case. Gavvl Law drafts a plan the court will adopt and pairs it with the correct schedule, on a flat fee where the parents agree and full representation where they don't.

Plans that clear the Juvenile LR 27(H) checklist. A Juvenile shared parenting plan must identify the parents and children, include fitness and best-interest statements, cover every statutory provision — living arrangements, support, health care, tax exemptions, school placement — and carry the pre-signature acknowledgment. We draft to that checklist so the plan is approved, not returned.
Pairing the plan with the right schedule. The plan sets legal status; the parenting-time schedule sets the actual time-sharing. We attach Ashland's Rule 20 order (Form 20.00) in a Domestic Relations case or the Juvenile Division's own published schedule for never-married parents, so the final order is complete on both fronts.
Filing early to unlock temporary shared parenting. The court will not enter a temporary shared parenting order at the non-oral review unless a proposed plan is already on file. When shared parenting is your goal, we file the proposed plan with the initial pleadings so it can take effect from the start rather than months later.

Whether your case sits in the Domestic Relations Divisions or in front of the Juvenile Division, we know how Ashland handles Rule 20 schedules, LR 27(H) content rules, and the best-interest finding the court must make before it signs a shared parenting plan.

Flat-fee options

Flat-fee limited scope: we draft and file the complaint to establish custody and parenting time, or prepare your shared parenting plan for filing. You appear at any hearing.

Establish custody & parenting time: $1,250
Shared parenting plan (drafting): $1,650

Prefer full representation? An Ohio attorney can carry the entire case on a $3,500 retainer.

Split any flat fee with Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan at 19% APR, $500 minimum — on a 60%-down schedule of 18 weekly, 8 bi-weekly, or 4 monthly payments, or full financing where work begins once 60% is paid. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay.

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Ohio Custody by the Numbers

Best interest The single standard that governs every Ohio custody decision Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3109.04
No set age There is no age a child can choose a parent — the judge weighs a mature child's wishes Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3109.04(B)
Change in circumstances Required, plus a best-interest finding, before the residential parent can be changed Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3109.04(E)(1)
Shared parenting Either parent may ask the court for a joint parenting plan Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3109.04(G)

Compare Types of Custody in Ohio

Custody type	Who makes major decisions	Where the child lives	Best when
Shared parenting	Both parents jointly, under a written plan	Time is split per the plan (not always 50/50)	Parents can communicate and cooperate on decisions
Sole legal & residential	One parent	Primarily with that parent	One parent is unable or unwilling to co-parent
Split custody	Each parent for the child in their care	Siblings are divided between the two homes	Rare — only when it serves each child's best interest
Legal custody to a non-parent	The relative or caregiver granted custody	With the non-parent caregiver	Neither parent can safely care for the child

Where to File: Ashland County Common Pleas Court - Domestic Relations Division

142 W 2nd St, Ashland, OH 44805
Phone: (419) 282-4242
Hours: Monday–Friday (call the Clerk to confirm current hours)
Website: Court website

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

Both parents want to be designated residential parents and legal custodians, not one sole residential parent.
You can agree (or ask the court to order) a written plan covering living arrangements, support, health care, tax exemptions, and school placement.
You want a specific parenting-time schedule built on Ashland's Rule 20 (Form 20.00) order or the Juvenile Division schedule.
Your case is in the right forum — a divorce in Domestic Relations, or the Juvenile Division for never-married parents.

Filing Fees

No separate shared-parenting fee — folded into the divorce deposit ($425 with children) or the Juvenile two-party deposit ($175) · plan must meet R.C. 3109.04(G) and (in Juvenile cases) LR 27(H) · confirm at (419) 282-4242 or (419) 282-4205

Forms & Filing Packets

Shared parenting inside a divorce

File your proposed Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) with your initial pleadings so the court can consider temporary shared parenting; the Rule 20 (Form 20.00) schedule supplies default parenting time.

Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) — Required when both parents are asking to be designated residential parents under R.C. 3109.04(G). Must be notarized.
Rule 20 Standard Parenting Time Schedule (Local Form 20.00) — Ashland's default Domestic Relations parenting-time schedule — practitioners call it the "Rule 20" order. Every DR parenting order must contain a specific schedule or stated good cause.
Parenting Proceeding / UCCJEA Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 3) — Required in any case with minor children. Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years, confirming Ohio's UCCJEA jurisdiction.

Shared parenting for never-married parents

File the plan in the Juvenile Division meeting Juvenile LR 27(H), with the parenting affidavit, health-insurance affidavit, and worksheet. The Juvenile Division uses its own published parenting schedule.

Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) — Required when both parents are asking to be designated residential parents under R.C. 3109.04(G). Must be notarized.
Juvenile Division Parenting Time Order (standard schedule) — The Juvenile Division's own published parenting-time schedule, distinct from the DR side's Rule 20 (Form 20.00) order.
Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (UCCJEA · R.C. 3127.23) — Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years and with whom, confirming Ohio's jurisdiction over custody under the UCCJEA. Required in any case involving minor children.
Health Insurance Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 4) — Discloses whether health insurance is available for the children through either parent's employer, so the court can order medical support.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you ask the court to set or change support.

How to File Shared Parenting in Ashland County

Draft the Shared Parenting Plan. Use Ohio SC Form 20 and cover living arrangements, decision-making, support, health care, tax exemptions, and school placement, designating both parents as residential parents and legal custodians.
Pick the parenting-time schedule. Attach Ashland's Rule 20 (Form 20.00) order in a DR case, or the Juvenile Division's published schedule for never-married parents.
File in the right forum. File with the divorce in Domestic Relations (with your initial pleadings if you want temporary shared parenting), or in the Juvenile Division for never-married parents.
Show best interest. Be ready to demonstrate the plan serves the children's best interest under R.C. 3109.04 — the court must make that finding before approving shared parenting.

Ashland County Practice Notes

Shared parenting ≠ a parenting-time schedule. A Shared Parenting Plan allocates legal status (both parents as residential parents and legal custodians); the parenting-time schedule (Rule 20 / Form 20.00 on the DR side, or the Juvenile Division's own schedule) sets the actual time-sharing. A complete order needs both.
File the proposed plan early in a divorce. The court will not issue a temporary shared parenting order at the non-oral review unless a proposed Shared Parenting Plan is already on file. File yours with the initial pleadings if you want shared parenting from the start (LR 20.02).
Juvenile plans have strict content rules. Juvenile LR 27(H) requires identification of parents/children, fitness/best-interest statements, all required statutory provisions (living arrangements, support, health care, tax exemptions, school placement), designation of both parents as residential parents and legal custodians, and the pre-signature acknowledgment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is shared parenting in Ashland County?: Shared parenting designates both parents as residential parents and legal custodians under R.C. 3109.04(G), governed by a written Shared Parenting Plan the court must find is in the children's best interest. It is different from sole custody (one residential parent) — Ohio has no "joint" or "primary" custody.
What has to be in an Ashland shared parenting plan?: On the Juvenile side, Juvenile LR 27(H) requires identification of the parents and children, fitness/best-interest statements, all required statutory provisions (living arrangements, support, health care, tax exemptions, school placement), designation of both parents as residential parents and legal custodians, and the pre-signature acknowledgment. In DR cases the Form 20.00 "Rule 20" parenting-time schedule supplies the default time-sharing terms.
Can I get temporary shared parenting in an Ashland divorce?: Only if a proposed Shared Parenting Plan is already on file — the court will not issue a temporary shared parenting order at the non-oral review without one (LR 20.02). File your proposed plan with your initial pleadings if you want shared parenting from the start.

Free Local Resources in Ashland County

Ashland County Clerk of Courts. Provides current filing fees, local forms, and filing instructions for custody, divorce, and dissolution cases. Call (419) 282-4242 or visit https://ashlandcommonpleas.com before filing to confirm deposits and packet requirements.
Ashland County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Ashland County's IV-D agency opens child-support cases, runs wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders. File a IV-D Application when establishing or modifying support.

Related to your shared parenting case

Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.

Related guides

In-depth, attorney-written guides on shared parenting and related Ohio family law topics.

Shared Parenting in Ohio: How Joint Custody Really Works — Shared parenting is Ohio's version of joint custody — both parents stay legal custodians and share major decisions. Here's what a plan must cover and how courts decide.
Ohio Child Custody Laws: What Every Parent Should Know — Ohio custody law turns on one principle: the best interest of the child. This guide explains sole custody, shared parenting, the statutory factors, and how courts decide.
Fathers' Rights in Ohio: Custody, Paternity, and Parenting Time — Ohio law does not favor mothers over fathers — but unmarried fathers must establish paternity before they have any rights. Here's how fathers protect their relationship with their children.

Continue your Ashland County research

Ohio Shared Parenting guide — Statewide overview of shared parenting in Ohio.
Medina family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Medina metro.
Ashland County family law guide — Court info, local filing notes, FAQs, and the downloadable Ashland County guide.
Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Gavvl Law.
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