Establishing Paternity in Brown County

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

Brown County, Ohio · Georgetown

For parents who were never married, legal fatherhood (parentage) is established in Brown County through an Acknowledgment of Paternity, administratively through the Brown County CSEA, or by a parentage action in the Juvenile Division (R.C. 3111) at 510 E. State St., Georgetown. Establishing parentage opens the door to custody, parenting time, and child support — and Juvenile Local Rule 24 requires the administrative CSEA step before you file in court.

How do I establish paternity in Brown County, Ohio?

There are three paths. Parents can sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity (often at the hospital or through CSEA), which has the effect of a court order once final; the Brown County CSEA can establish parentage administratively and order genetic testing (free to the family); or you can file a Complaint for Parentage (UDRF 23 / UJF 2) in the Brown County Juvenile Court. Juvenile Local Rule 24 requires you to first request an administrative determination through CSEA and attach that request to your complaint. A new Juvenile case is $120. Once parentage is established, the court can allocate custody and parenting time and set support on the Ohio guidelines.

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: Brown County Court of Common Pleas — General & Domestic Relations Division

101 South Main Street, Georgetown, OH 45121, Georgetown, OH 45121
Phone: (937) 378-3233
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; Thursdays until 6:00 PM (closed legal holidays)
Website: browncountyohiocommonpleascourt.us/
e-Filing: https://www.clerkofcourtsbrowncountyohio.org/homeCP.php

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Brown County Probate & Juvenile Court (Juvenile Division)
510 East State Street, Georgetown, OH 45121, Georgetown, OH 45121
Phone: (937) 378-6726
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Paternity is the right path if…

You and the other parent were never married to each other.
You need legal fatherhood established before custody, parenting time, or support can be ordered.
You want genetic testing to confirm or rule out paternity.
You want to open a CSEA case so support can be collected and enforced.

Filing Fees

$120 Juvenile new complaint ($90 reactivation) · genetic testing as ordered (advance cost is the requesting party's, recoverable) · administrative CSEA step required first (Local Rule 24) — confirm with the Juvenile Court at (937) 378-6726

Forms & Filing Packets

Parentage action in the Brown County Juvenile Court — $120 Juvenile new complaint

File the Juvenile Filing Packet for Complaint (Complaint for Parentage, UDRF 23 / UJF 2) with the UCCJEA Parenting Proceeding Affidavit, attaching a copy of your CSEA administrative request (Local Rule 24). The court may order genetic testing and then allocate custody and set support.

Juvenile Filing Packet for Complaint (Brown County) — The Brown County Juvenile Division packet to open a parentage, custody, or non-parent custody case at 510 E. State St., Georgetown. Pair it with the Directions for All Filings.
Complaint for Allocation of Parental Rights & Responsibilities (Ohio SC Form 23) — Asks the Juvenile Branch to name a residential parent and legal custodian and set a parenting-time schedule when the parents were never married.
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.
Directions for All Filings (Brown County Juvenile Division) — The Brown County Juvenile Division's general filing instructions — what to attach, how to serve, and how to pay (cash, money order, or credit card with a 3% fee).

Administrative parentage through CSEA

Ask the Brown County CSEA to establish parentage and order genetic testing administratively (free to the family). This is the required first step before a judicial parentage filing (Local Rule 24).

Brown County CSEA — Administrative Application for Child Support Services — Open a IV-D case with the Brown County Child Support Enforcement Agency (Director Deborah Forsythe, 510 E. State St.; (937) 378-6414) so support can be established, collected, and enforced by wage withholding. Required administrative-first step for parentage (Local Rule 24).

Add custody and support once parentage is established

Run the Ohio child-support worksheet and file the Health Insurance Affidavit so the court can set support and medical coverage.

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.
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.

How to File Paternity in Brown County

Choose your route. Decide between signing an Acknowledgment of Paternity, asking the Brown County CSEA to establish parentage administratively, or filing a parentage action in the Juvenile Division.
Complete the CSEA step. Request an administrative determination through CSEA first (Local Rule 24) and keep a copy to attach to any court complaint.
File the parentage complaint. If filing in court, complete the Juvenile Filing Packet (Complaint for Parentage, UDRF 23 / UJF 2) with the UCCJEA affidavit and pay the $120 deposit.
Set custody, parenting time, and support. Once parentage is established, run the Ohio worksheet and file the Health Insurance Affidavit so the court can allocate custody and order support.

Brown County Practice Notes

Administrative-first parentage (Local Rule 24). Before filing a parentage or child-support action in Juvenile Court, you must first request an administrative determination through the Brown County CSEA (R.C. 3111, with the R.C. 3111.381 exception) and attach a copy of that request to your complaint or motion. The advance cost of genetic testing is the requesting party's, recoverable from the non-prevailing party.
No appointed counsel in paternity cases. Under Juvenile Local Rule 12, the Brown County Juvenile Court does not appoint counsel in paternity, custody, or visitation matters. The court may also order the 3-hour Early Evaluation Program (EEP) mediation in pro se cases (Local Rule 33).

Frequently Asked Questions

How is paternity established in Brown County?: Three ways: unmarried parents can sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity (often at the hospital or through CSEA), which has the effect of a court order once final; the Brown County CSEA can establish parentage administratively and order genetic testing (free to the family); or you can file a Complaint for Parentage (UDRF 23 / UJF 2) in the Juvenile Division, which can also allocate parental rights and parenting time. Juvenile Local Rule 24 requires the administrative CSEA step first.
Do I have to go through CSEA before filing a paternity or support case in Brown County?: For parentage, yes. Juvenile Local Rule 24 requires you to first request an administrative determination through the Brown County CSEA (R.C. 3111, with the R.C. 3111.381 exception) and attach a copy of that request to your complaint or motion. The advance cost of genetic testing is the requesting party's, recoverable from the non-prevailing party. CSEA is at 510 E. State St., Georgetown — (937) 378-6414.
Do I file in Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court in Brown County?: If you are or were married to the other parent, custody, parenting time, and support are decided in your divorce, dissolution, or legal separation in the General & Domestic Relations Division of the Court of Common Pleas, 101 S. Main St., Georgetown ((937) 378-3233). If you were never married, parentage, custody, parenting time, and support are handled in the combined Probate & Juvenile Court at 510 E. State St., Georgetown ((937) 378-6726). Non-parent (grandparent/relative) custody is always filed in the Juvenile Division.
What does it cost to file in the Brown County Juvenile Court?: A new Juvenile complaint is $120 and reactivating a previous case is $90. If the court appoints a Guardian ad Litem the initial deposit is $750, a home study is $150 in county / $200 out of county, and the Early Evaluation Program (mediation) is $300 (the fee schedule lists $400 for the same 3-hour service — confirm). Juvenile civil protection orders, the Grandparent Power of Attorney, and the Caretaker Authorization Affidavit are free. Pay by cash, money order, or credit card (3% fee); no personal checks. Confirm with the Juvenile Court at (937) 378-6726.

Free Local Resources in Brown County

Brown County Clerk of Courts (Common Pleas / Domestic Relations). Court House Square, 101 S. Main St., Georgetown — Civil and Domestic filings on the 1st floor. Main (937) 378-3100; verified record line (937) 378-4740; fax/electronic-transmission filing (937) 378-1753. Payment by cash, money order, personal check, or certified check — no credit cards.
Brown County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Director Deborah Forsythe. 510 E. State St., Georgetown, OH 45121. Phone (937) 378-6414; fax (937) 378-2552; hours Mon–Fri 7:30 AM–4:00 PM. Establishes, modifies, and enforces support and can establish paternity administratively (free genetic testing if ordered).
Helping Children Cope with Family Separation (parenting program). Mandatory $60 online (Zoom) class for any divorce, dissolution, or legal separation with minor children (Local Rule 31.5), run with Lifespan Solutions. Register and pay by card at 513-324-3999, or mail a $60 money order to Lifespan Solutions, 7672 Montgomery Road #153, Cincinnati, OH 45236 at least two weeks before the class.
Brown County Law Library / Georgetown Public Library. Public legal research at the Georgetown Public Library, 200 West Grant Ave., Georgetown (court staff cannot give legal advice). Ohio statewide child-abuse hotline (855) 642-4453 routes to the Brown County Public Children Services Agency.

Related to your paternity case

Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
Grandparents' Rights — Seek visitation or custody when it serves the child's best interest.
Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.

Related guides

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

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.
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.
Child Support Calculation in Ohio: How the Formula Works — Ohio calculates child support with the income shares model, combining both parents' incomes to set a shared obligation. Here's how the formula works and what changes the bottom line.

Keep exploring

Ohio Paternity guide — Statewide overview of paternity in Ohio.
Cincinnati family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Cincinnati metro.
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