Shared Parenting in Columbiana County

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

Columbiana County, Ohio · Lisbon

Shared parenting in Ohio designates both parents as residential parents and legal custodians under a written plan that meets the R.C. 3109.04 factors. Columbiana County uses the Ohio Supreme Court standardized Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) — there is no special local plan form — together with the county's Uniform Local Companionship Plan (Local Rule 9.4) for the parenting-time schedule. Married parents file inside their divorce, dissolution, or legal separation; never-married parents file in the Juvenile Court as part of the parentage/custody case (where Juvenile Rule 7(C) requires the plan to reference, and not modify, any prior support or paternity order).

How does shared parenting work in Columbiana County, Ohio?

Both parents submit a written shared-parenting plan addressing the R.C. 3109.04 factors — living arrangements, decision-making, holidays and vacations, transportation, school and health care, support, and dispute resolution. Columbiana County uses the Ohio SC Form 20 plan (no local plan form) and the county's Uniform Local Companionship Plan (Local Rule 9.4) for the schedule; a Long Distance schedule (9.41) applies if the parents live far apart. Married or divorcing parents file the plan inside the Domestic Relations case with a signed Ohio child-support worksheet; never-married parents file it in the Juvenile Court with the parentage/custody complaint. The court approves the plan only if it serves the children's best interest.

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: Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas (Domestic Relations)

105 South Market Street, Lisbon, OH 44432, Lisbon, OH 44432
Phone: (330) 424-7777
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Website: ccclerk.org/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Columbiana County Juvenile Court (Charles A. Pike Juvenile Center)
260 West Lincoln Way, Lisbon, OH 44432, Lisbon, OH 44432
Phone: (330) 424-4071
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (filings before 3:30 PM)

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

Both parents want to be designated residential parents and legal custodians.
You can cooperate enough to follow a detailed written plan covering decisions, schedules, and transportation.
You can complete a signed Ohio child-support worksheet.
You understand the plan must serve the children's best interest under R.C. 3109.04.

Filing Fees

Shared parenting inside a divorce/dissolution: part of the $300 DR deposit · never-married Juvenile filing: $120 first child + $75 each additional child · the plan uses the Ohio SC Form 20 and the county's Local Rule 9.4 / 9.41 schedules — confirm current amounts with the Clerk.

Forms & Filing Packets

Shared parenting inside a divorce or dissolution (married parents) — Part of the $300 divorce/dissolution deposit

File the Ohio SC Form 20 plan with your Domestic Relations case, attaching the county's companionship schedule and a signed support worksheet.

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.
Uniform Local Companionship Plan (Local Rule 9.4 — Appendix K-1) — Columbiana County's standard, age-graduated parenting-time schedule with a detailed holiday rotation. Attached to the order unless the court approves a different plan.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign. Required any time the court sets or changes support.
Columbiana County Financial Affidavit (local — replaces OSC Affidavit 1) — Columbiana County uses its own local Financial Affidavit in place of the Ohio Supreme Court Affidavit 1. Required (typed) wherever support is at issue.
Columbiana County Custody Affidavit (UCCJEA — local) — Local UCCJEA / parenting-proceeding affidavit required in any case with minor children. Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years.

Shared parenting for never-married parents (Juvenile Court) — $120 first child + $75 each additional child (Juvenile)

File the plan with the Juvenile parentage/custody complaint. Under Juvenile Rule 7(C) the plan must reference any prior support or paternity order and may not modify it.

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.
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.
Uniform Local Companionship Plan (Local Rule 9.4 — Appendix K-1) — Columbiana County's standard, age-graduated parenting-time schedule with a detailed holiday rotation. Attached to the order unless the court approves a different plan.
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.

Long-distance parenting-time add-on

When the parents live far apart, the county's Long Distance Companionship Schedule (Local Rule 9.41) replaces the standard plan.

Uniform Long Distance Companionship Schedule (Local Rule 9.41 — Appendix K-2) — The parenting-time schedule used when the parents live far apart.

How to File Shared Parenting in Columbiana County

Confirm shared parenting fits. Shared parenting works when both parents can cooperate on decisions and schedules. The court approves it only on the child's best interest (R.C. 3109.04).
Draft the Form 20 plan. Complete the Ohio SC Form 20 Shared Parenting Plan addressing each R.C. 3109.04 factor, and choose the county's Local Rule 9.4 (or 9.41) companionship schedule.
Pick the right court. Married/divorcing parents file inside the Domestic Relations case; never-married parents file with the Juvenile parentage/custody complaint.
Add the support worksheet. Include a signed Ohio child-support worksheet and the local Financial Affidavit — support is part of the plan even when shared.
File and seek approval. File the plan with the Clerk; the court reviews it and journalizes the order if it serves the children's best interest.

Columbiana County Practice Notes

Ohio uses 'shared parenting,' not 'joint custody'. Under an approved shared-parenting plan, both parents are legal custodian and residential parent. Ohio uses 'parenting time' (never 'visitation'). Columbiana County accepts the Ohio Supreme Court Form 20 plan — there is no separate local plan form.
County companionship schedules apply. Columbiana County's Uniform Local Companionship Plan (Local Rule 9.4) is the default parenting-time schedule, with a Long Distance schedule (9.41) and a Transitional schedule (9.42) for special situations. Pick the schedule that matches your facts or attach a custom plan.
Juvenile plans can't override prior orders. For never-married parents, Juvenile Rule 7(C) requires a shared-parenting plan to reference any prior court order that set support or paternity and may not modify those prior orders.

Frequently Asked Questions

What shared-parenting plan does Columbiana County use?: Columbiana County uses the Ohio Supreme Court standardized Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) — there is no separate local plan form. Under an approved plan both parents are residential parent and legal custodian. The county's Uniform Local Companionship Plan (Local Rule 9.4) sets the parenting-time schedule, with a Long Distance schedule (9.41) when the parents live far apart.
Does Columbiana County have its own parenting-time schedules?: Yes. Local Rule 9.4 establishes the Uniform Companionship Plan, Local Rule 9.41 is the Long Distance Companionship Schedule, and Local Rule 9.42 is the Transitional Schedule. Pick the schedule that matches your situation (or attach a custom plan); the local rules govern unless the court orders otherwise.
Do I have to take a parenting class for a Columbiana County custody or divorce case?: Not automatically. The Clerk of Courts confirmed (June 2026) Columbiana County has no across-the-board parenting-class requirement — a judge or magistrate may order one on a case-by-case basis (DR Local Rule 9.9(C); Juvenile Rule 9.2). If ordered, you arrange and pay for the seminar yourself, complete it, and file the attendance certificate.
We were never married — where do I file for custody or support in Columbiana County?: In the Columbiana County Juvenile Court at the Charles A. Pike Juvenile Center, 260 West Lincoln Way, Lisbon — (330) 424-4071, Judge Thomas M. Baronzzi (R.C. 2151.23). If you were married, custody and support travel with the divorce, dissolution, or legal separation in the Domestic Relations Division instead.

Free Local Resources in Columbiana County

Columbiana County Clerk of Courts (Anthony J. Dattilio). 105 South Market Street, Lisbon, OH 44432. Phone (330) 424-7777.
Columbiana County Local Rules. ccclerk.org/common-pleas-court-rules — Local Rules 9.4, 9.41, 9.42 and DR procedure.
Ohio Supreme Court Standardized Forms. supremecourt.ohio.gov — used for the complaint, decree, parenting plans, and post-decree motions.
Columbiana County Local Forms (ccclerk.org). Case Designation Sheet, Personal Information Form, Financial Affidavit, UCCJEA, IV-D Application.
Local Companionship Schedules. Rule 9.4 (Uniform), Rule 9.41 (Long Distance), Rule 9.42 (Transitional) — linked from ccclerk.org.
Charles A. Pike Juvenile Center. 260 West Lincoln Way, Lisbon — (330) 424-4071. Judge Thomas M. Baronzzi. Filings before 3:30 p.m.
Columbiana County Law Library. columbianacountylawlibrary.org — research and self-help resources.
Ohio Child Support Calculator. ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov — run the worksheet and print it for filing.
Ohio Legal Help. ohiolegalhelp.org — plain-language guides and form walkthroughs.

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.

Keep exploring

Ohio Shared Parenting guide — Statewide overview of shared parenting in Ohio.
Akron family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Akron metro.
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