Shared Parenting in Butler County

Butler County, Ohio · Hamilton

Shared parenting makes both parents residential parents and legal custodians under a written plan. In Butler County, the plan is filed at the Domestic Relations Court for married/divorcing parents (315 High Street) or at the Juvenile Justice Center for never-married parents (280 N. Fair Ave.). The plan must meet every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor and serve the children's best interest.

How do I file a shared parenting plan in Butler County, Ohio?

Draft a written Shared Parenting Plan and file it with your custody or divorce case at the Butler County Domestic Relations Court, 315 High Street, Hamilton (married parents) or the Juvenile Justice Center, 280 N. Fair Ave. (never-married parents). The plan must address living arrangements, the holiday and vacation schedule, decision-making, transportation, school and health-care, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. Butler County's DR610.1 standard parenting-time schedule can be attached. The court approves the plan only if it serves the children's best interest.

Where to File: Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division

Gov't Services Center, 315 High Street, 2nd Floor, Hamilton, OH 45011, Hamilton, OH 45011
Phone: (513) 887-3100
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.)
Website: drcourt.bcohio.gov/
e-Filing: https://drcsubmit.bcohio.gov/ESubmit/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Butler County Juvenile Justice Center
280 N. Fair Ave., Hamilton, OH 45011, Hamilton, OH 45011
Phone: (513) 887-3317
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Clerk 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

  • Both parents want to be residential parents and legal custodians.
  • You can cooperate on schooling, health care, and major decisions.
  • You can put a detailed plan in writing covering every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor.
  • Ohio is the children's home state under the UCCJEA.

Filing Fees

Filed with the divorce/custody deposit at DR · Juvenile custody complaint: $165 + $50 service · Standard parenting time guideline: DR610.1

Forms & Filing Packets

Shared parenting plan (married/divorcing parents) — Filed with the divorce/custody deposit set by the Clerk

Filed with the divorce or custody case at the Domestic Relations Court.

  • Shared Parenting Plan — Butler County's shared parenting plan template covering living arrangements, holidays, decision-making, transportation, school/health-care, and dispute resolution.
  • DR610.1 Standard Parenting Time Schedule — Butler County's standard parenting time guidelines, available in English, Spanish, and Arabic, often attached to the plan.
  • DR616 Parenting Affidavit — Confirms where the children have lived and that Ohio has jurisdiction over custody.
  • Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet — Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you're asking the court to set support.

Shared parenting at the Juvenile Justice Center (never-married parents)

Filed at 280 N. Fair Ave. with a juvenile custody complaint when parents were never married.

How to File Shared Parenting in Butler County

  1. Confirm shared parenting fits. Both parents must be willing to be residential parents/legal custodians and cooperate on major decisions.
  2. Draft a complete plan. Address every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor — living arrangements, holidays, decision-making, transportation, school/health-care, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. Plans that skip a factor are sent back.
  3. File with the right court. Married parents file the plan with the divorce/custody case at DR; never-married parents file at the Juvenile Justice Center.
  4. Get court approval. The court approves the plan only if it serves the children's best interest, and incorporates it into the decree or custody order.

Butler County Practice Notes

  • Shared parenting plan must address every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor. A written Shared Parenting Plan must address physical living arrangements, holiday and vacation schedule, child support, decision-making authority, transportation, school and health-care decisions, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. Plans that skip a factor are routinely sent back for revision.
  • Standard parenting time by age. Butler County's Juvenile standard parenting-time schedule (Appendix F) scales overnights by age — for example about 63–64 overnights/year for ages 3 months to 1 year and roughly 140–141 for ages 3 to 15 — a useful baseline when drafting a plan.
  • Best-interest standard governs. R.C. 3109.04(F)(1) lists 10+ factors: each parent's wishes, the child's wishes (when of sufficient age), the child's interaction with parents/siblings, adjustment to home/school/community, mental and physical health of all involved, the parent more likely to facilitate court-approved parenting time, child support compliance, criminal history, residence outside Ohio, and any history of abuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I file in Domestic Relations or the Juvenile Justice Center?
If you are married to the other parent (or were married when the children were born), custody, parenting time, and child support travel with your divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment at the Domestic Relations Court, 315 High Street, Hamilton. If you were never married, paternity and custody go to the Butler County Juvenile Justice Center at 280 N. Fair Ave., a separate building. Grandparent and non-parent custody is always Juvenile.
When does Butler County appoint a Guardian ad Litem?
In contested custody cases the court can appoint a Guardian ad Litem under DR Local Rule 43 to investigate and report on the children's best interest. Butler County GALs are paid $125 per hour with a $1,200 deposit at DR (up to $1,250 per party at the Juvenile Justice Center). The GAL's written report is due at least 7 days before trial.
What does it mean for Ohio to be my child's 'home state' under the UCCJEA?
Under the UCCJEA (R.C. 3127), Ohio is the children's home state when they have lived in Ohio with a parent for at least 6 consecutive months immediately before the filing. If the children recently moved, the prior state may still have jurisdiction. Ohio courts can also decline jurisdiction as an inconvenient forum under R.C. 3127.21 even when home-state requirements are met.
How much does it cost to file in Butler County?
Domestic Relations filing deposits are set by the Butler County Clerk of Courts and posted at clerkofcourts.bcohio.gov; you pay them after the Case Management Office approves your packet. Juvenile Justice Center filings are $165 plus $50 clerk service for a custody, support, allocation, or visitation complaint ($165 plus service for paternity; $45 for a relocation notice). If you cannot pay, file Form DR824 to proceed in forma pauperis at DR, or an indigency affidavit at Juvenile.

Free Local Resources in Butler County

  • Butler County DR Court Forms & E-Submission. All Domestic Relations forms, instructions, and completed packets are posted at drcourt.bcohio.gov/forms. Non-DV documents are submitted through the E-Submission portal at drcsubmit.bcohio.gov; DV/CPO documents use the Document Submission portal.
  • Butler County Juvenile Justice Center Forms. Custody, visitation, support, contempt, and emergency-custody complaints and motions (PDF and DOC) are at juvenilejusticecenter.bcohio.gov/forms___downloads. CSEA e-filing is at bcjjcefile.bcohio.gov/EFile.
  • Butler County Bar Association. Attorney referral and general legal information at (513) 896-6671 / butlercountybar.org. Court staff cannot give legal advice.
  • Women Helping Women (24-hour DV hotline). Confidential domestic-violence support and victim advocacy at (513) 381-5610. The Butler County Sheriff's Victim Assistance Program is at (513) 887-3430.

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