Child Support in Erie County

Reviewed by Stephanie Green, Esq. · Managing Partner, Gavvl Law · Last updated May 27, 2026

Erie County, Ohio · Sandusky

Ohio sets child support with the 2024 Income Shares model — you run the official Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet, and the court reviews it. In Erie County, where you file depends on whether the parents were married. For married or divorcing parents, support is decided inside the divorce or dissolution at the Court of Common Pleas General Division. For never-married parents, support is established and enforced through the Erie County Juvenile Court on the 4th Floor of 323 Columbus Avenue in Sandusky (Hon. Robert C. DeLamatre — (419) 627-7782). Parentage must be established before the court can order support for never-married parents.

How do I get or change a child support order in Erie County, Ohio?

Run the official Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares), print it, and sign it. If you and the other parent were married, support is decided inside the divorce or dissolution at the Erie County Court of Common Pleas General Division. If you were never married, file in the Erie County Juvenile Court (4th Floor, 323 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky): establish parentage first with Erie's local Complaint for Parentage ($50 filing fee) if it hasn't been established, then the support complaint fee is $35. To change an existing order, file Erie's local Motion for Change of Child Support with an Affidavit of Income and Expenses ($35). Confirm fees with the Juvenile Court at (419) 627-7782. Court costs can be paid online through PayGov.

Ohio Child Support by the Numbers

2024 Year Ohio's updated Income Shares support schedule took effect Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.021
10% Change in the calculated amount that justifies a modification Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.79
3 years How often either parent can request an administrative review Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.60
Age 18 When support normally ends — or high-school graduation, whichever is later Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.86

What Counts in an Ohio Child Support Calculation

What the worksheet counts	Counts toward support?	Notes
Both parents' gross income	Yes	Wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, and self-employment earnings
Health insurance for the children	Yes	Credited to the parent who pays the premium
Work-related childcare	Yes	Daycare and after-school costs are added in
Parenting time	Yes	Adjustments apply for substantial or equal parenting time
Imputed income	Sometimes	Added when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed
A new spouse's income	No	Only the two parents' incomes are counted

Where to File: Erie County Court of Common Pleas — General Division (Domestic Relations)

323 Columbus Avenue, 2nd Floor, Sandusky, OH 44870, Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: (419) 627-7732
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Website: www.eriecounty.oh.gov/DomesticRelations.aspx

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Erie County Juvenile Court
323 Columbus Avenue, 4th Floor, Sandusky, OH 44870, Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: (419) 627-7782
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Child Support is the right path if…

You need the court to set a child support amount for the first time.
Your income or the other parent's income has changed enough to justify recalculating support.
The parents were never married, so support is handled in the Erie County Juvenile Court.
You want the support figure run through Ohio's official 2024 Income Shares worksheet.

Filing Fees

Erie County Juvenile Court (never-married parents): parentage complaint $50 · support complaint $35 · change of child support $35 · contempt $20. Child support inside a divorce or dissolution is part of the General Division case deposit set by the Clerk's Schedule of Costs. Confirm current amounts with the Juvenile Court at (419) 627-7782 or the Clerk at (419) 627-7732. Court costs can be paid online through PayGov.

Forms & Filing Packets

Child support inside an Erie County divorce or dissolution (married parents) — Part of the divorce/dissolution deposit set by the Clerk's Schedule of Costs

Filed at the Erie County Court of Common Pleas General Division. When parents are married, child support is set inside the divorce or dissolution using the Ohio worksheet and the financial affidavits — there is no separate support case.

Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign.
Financial Affidavit / Basic Information, Income & Expenses (Ohio SC Affidavit 1) — Income, expenses, and basic financial information. Each party files their own.
Health Insurance Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 4) — Discloses whether health insurance is available for the children through either parent's employer.

Establishing support for never-married parents (Juvenile Court) — $50 parentage complaint / $35 support complaint

Filed at the Erie County Juvenile Court, 4th Floor, 323 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky. Parentage is established first with Erie's local Complaint for Parentage; the same case sets child support.

Complaint for Parentage (Erie Juvenile local) — Erie Juvenile Court's local complaint that establishes parentage and opens a custody, parenting-time, and child-support case for never-married parents.
Affidavit of Income and Expenses (Erie Juvenile local) — Erie Juvenile Court's local financial affidavit — required whenever the court is asked to set or change child support.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign.

Modifying an existing support order — $35 change of child support

Filed with Erie's local Motion for Change of Child Support and a current Affidavit of Income and Expenses. The court re-runs the Ohio worksheet against current income.

Motion for Change of Child Support and Memorandum in Support (Erie Juvenile local) — Erie Juvenile Court's local motion to modify an existing child-support order. Filing fee $35.
Affidavit of Income and Expenses (Erie Juvenile local) — Erie Juvenile Court's local financial affidavit — required whenever the court is asked to set or change child support.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign.

How to File Child Support in Erie County

Run the Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet. Use the official calculator at ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov (2024 Income Shares), print the result, and sign it. You will file it with your case.
Pick the right court — General Division or Juvenile. Married or divorcing parents resolve support inside the divorce or dissolution at the Erie County Court of Common Pleas General Division. Never-married parents file in the Erie County Juvenile Court, 4th Floor of 323 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky.
Establish parentage first (never-married parents). If parentage has not been established, file Erie's local Complaint for Parentage ($50). Once parentage is established, the support complaint fee is $35.
File the right form and pay the fee. To set support, file the Complaint for Parentage or support complaint with the Affidavit of Income and Expenses and the worksheet. To change an existing order, file the Motion for Change of Child Support ($35) with a current Affidavit of Income and Expenses. Court costs can be paid online through PayGov.
Attend the hearing. The court reviews the worksheet and the financial affidavits and issues a support order. Cell phones are not permitted inside the Courthouse, so print everything in advance.

Erie County Practice Notes

Ohio uses the 2024 Income Shares model. Ohio calculates support based on the combined income of both parents and the number of children, using the official Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet. Run it at ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov, print it, and sign it — the court will not set support without a completed worksheet.
Parentage comes first for never-married parents. The Erie County Juvenile Court cannot order a never-married father to pay support until parentage is legally established. Erie's local Complaint for Parentage opens that case; once parentage is established, the same proceeding sets support and parenting time.
Modifications require a current financial affidavit. To change an existing order, file Erie's local Motion for Change of Child Support with a fresh Affidavit of Income and Expenses. The court re-runs the worksheet against current income, so accurate, up-to-date figures matter.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I file in Erie County Juvenile Court instead of General Division?: If the parents were never married, custody, parenting time, child support, and paternity are filed in Erie County Juvenile Court (4th Floor of the same Courthouse) in front of Hon. Robert C. DeLamatre. If you were married, those issues travel with the divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment in the General Division (2nd Floor).
What are the Erie County Juvenile Court filing fees?: Erie's juvenile filing fees are among the lowest in Ohio: Paternity Complaint $50, Custody/Visitation Complaint $65, Support Complaint $35, Change of Custody $65, Modify Visitation/Support $35, Contempt $20, Miscellaneous Motions $20, Subpoena (per person) $25, Recording Fee $5, Publication Fee $200, Copies $0.10/page, Certified Copies $1.00 each, CD Hearing Audio $3.00. CPO petitions have no filing fee.
Does Erie Juvenile Court have its own local forms?: Yes, and they are unusually complete. Erie publishes its own Complaint for Parentage, Motion for Change of Custody (with memorandum in support), Motion for Change of Parenting Time, Motion for Change of Child Support, Motion for Contempt and Affidavit, Show Cause Order, Parenting Proceeding Affidavit, Affidavit of Income and Expenses, Request for Service, Affidavit of Indigency, Waiver of Counsel, Caregiver Form, and both Standard Order of Visitation and Standard Long-Distance Visitation Schedule. Use these Erie locals — not the Ohio SC versions — when filing in juvenile court.
Where does the Erie County Juvenile Court operate?: Three separate locations: (1) the Courthouse at 323 Columbus Avenue, 4th Floor, Sandusky — for hearings and filings; (2) the Juvenile Justice Center at 1338 Tiffin Avenue, Sandusky — a 24-hour facility combining Juvenile Detention and the Northern Ohio Juvenile Community Corrections Facility; and (3) the Probation/Mediation/Diversion Offices at 221 West Parish Street, Sandusky. Hon. Robert C. DeLamatre presides. Main line (419) 627-7782.
What are the residency requirements to file in Erie County?: For divorce, legal separation, or annulment, you or your spouse must have lived in Ohio for at least 6 months and in Erie County for at least 90 days before filing. Dissolution only requires the 6-month Ohio residency.
Can I pay court costs online?: Yes — Erie County uses PayGov for online court-cost payments. Civil, criminal, and domestic cases can all be paid through pay.paygov.us. You will need your case number to look up the balance.
Can I bring my cell phone to the Erie County Courthouse?: No. Cell phones are NOT permitted inside the Erie County Courthouse, and everyone entering the building is screened by the Sheriff's Department. Plan to leave your phone in your car. Print every document you need in advance — you will not be able to pull anything up on your phone in the courtroom.

Free Local Resources in Erie County

Erie County DR Division. 323 Columbus Avenue, 2nd Floor, Sandusky, OH 44870. Phone (419) 627-7732. Toll-free 1 (888) 399-6065. Hon. Judge Binette presides (General Division).
DR Assignment Commissioner — Amanda Tubbs. Direct line (419) 627-7777. Handles all DR scheduling and coordination.
Erie County Clerk of Courts. 323 Columbus Avenue, 1st Floor, Sandusky, OH 44870. Phone (419) 627-7732.
Erie County DR Forms Hub. eriecounty.oh.gov/FormsforDomesticRelations.aspx — local Application/Instructions packet, Affidavit of Indigency, DR Injunctions JE, Voluntary Dismissal, and more.
Erie County DR Local Rules (PDF, 2025). eriecounty.oh.gov/Downloads/DR_RULES20253.pdf — current as of 2025.
PayGov — Pay Court Costs Online. pay.paygov.us — civil, criminal, and domestic case court costs.
Public Case Search. clerkofcourts.eriecounty.oh.gov/eservices/home.page.2 — public docket search.
Erie County Juvenile Court. 323 Columbus Avenue, 4th Floor, Sandusky. Phone (419) 627-7782. Hon. Robert C. DeLamatre.
Erie County Juvenile Justice Center. 1338 Tiffin Avenue, Sandusky — 24-hour Juvenile Detention + Northern Ohio Juvenile Community Corrections.
Juvenile Probation / Mediation / Diversion. 221 West Parish Street, Sandusky. Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Legal Aid Line of Western Ohio. 1-888-534-1432 · legalaidline.org — free civil legal help.
Erie County Bar Association. Phone (419) 627-2009 — lawyer referral.
Erie County Public Defender. Phone (419) 627-6620.
Safe Harbour. Domestic violence assistance — contact Erie County Prosecutor's Office for connection.
Ohio Supreme Court Standardized Forms. supremecourt.ohio.gov — Erie DR uses Ohio SC standardized forms alongside Erie locals.
Ohio Child Support Calculator. ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov — run the worksheet and print it for filing.
Ohio Legal Help. ohiolegalhelp.org — plain-language guides and interactive court forms.

Related to your child support case

Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.
Spousal Support — Pursue or respond to alimony requests during and after divorce.

Keep exploring

Ohio Child Support guide — Statewide overview of child support in Ohio.
Medina family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Medina metro.
Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Family Law Attorney at Gavvl Law.
Payment plans & financing — Flat fees with Gavvl Direct, Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later.

Call (844) 694-2885 or email support@gavvl.com.