Post-Decree Contempt in Fairfield County

Fairfield County, Ohio · Lancaster

If the other party isn't following the Fairfield County DR Court's order — not paying support, not following the parenting schedule, not transferring property as ordered — you can file a Motion for Contempt at the Clerk on the 4th Floor of the Hall of Justice in Lancaster. Fairfield uses Ohio SC Form 24 (Motion for Contempt) together with Form 25 (Show Cause Order), typically paired with Fairfield's General Motion form as a cover.

How do I file a contempt motion in Fairfield County, Ohio?

File Ohio SC Form 24 (Motion for Contempt) together with Form 25 (Show Cause Order), paired with Fairfield's General Motion form as a cover, at the Clerk on the 4th Floor, Hall of Justice, 224 East Main Street, Lancaster. Attach a certified copy of the order being violated and a sworn affidavit of facts. Single-sided only. Filing fee set by the Clerk — call (740) 652-7440. Possible remedies include fines, jail (often suspended), purge conditions, attorney fees, and make-up parenting time. For never-married-parent cases, file in the Juvenile Court on the 3rd Floor.

Where to File: Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas — Domestic Relations Division

Hall of Justice, 224 East Main Street, 4th Floor, Lancaster, OH 43130, Lancaster, OH 43130
Phone: (740) 652-7440
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (closed midday)
Website: www.co.fairfield.oh.us/dr/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Fairfield County Juvenile and Probate Court
Hall of Justice, 224 East Main Street, 3rd Floor, Lancaster, OH 43130, Lancaster, OH 43130
Phone: (740) 652-7463
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Post-Decree Contempt is the right path if…

The other party isn't paying child support or spousal support as ordered.
The other party isn't following the parenting-time schedule in the decree.
The other party hasn't transferred property (house, vehicle, retirement, account) as ordered.
The other party let court-ordered health insurance lapse.
Any willful violation of any clear, specific provision in the court's order.

If circumstances have changed and you need a new order going forward, you may want a modification motion instead — or alongside. See post-decree modifications.

Filing Fees

Filing fee set by Clerk · Civil contempt purge conditions can include payment plans, make-up parenting time, or property transfer · Criminal contempt carries fines and possible jail · Single-sided only

Forms & Filing Packets

Core contempt packet — Contact Clerk for current amount

Required in every Fairfield County contempt filing.

General Motion (Fairfield local) — Fairfield's local cover-page general motion — typically paired with the relevant Ohio SC standardized motion form.
Motion for Contempt (Ohio SC Form 24) — Asks the court to enforce an existing order against a party who willfully violated it. Tip: Attach a certified copy of the order being violated and a sworn affidavit of facts. Pair with Fairfield's General Motion form as a cover.
Show Cause Order and Notice (Ohio SC Form 25) — Court order directing the alleged contemnor to appear and show why they should not be held in contempt. Filed with the Motion for Contempt.

Support enforcement add-on

Attach when the violation is unpaid child support or spousal support. Include payment history from CSEA's case management system (or your own records if private-pay).

Financial Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 1) — Income, expenses, and basic financial information. Each party files their own.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign.

Parenting-time enforcement add-on

Attach when the violation is parenting-time interference or custody-exchange refusal. A contemporaneous log of denied parenting time helps the court enter make-up time.

Parenting Proceeding Affidavit / UCCJEA (Ohio SC Affidavit 3) — Required in any DR case with minor children. Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years.

How to File Post-Decree Contempt in Fairfield County

Identify the specific order being violated. Quote the paragraph and page of the decree or post-decree order that the other party is not following. Vague allegations get dismissed.
Document the violations in writing. Keep a contemporaneous log: dates, missed payments, denied parenting time, missed exchanges. Save texts, emails, and CSEA payment histories.
Draft the forms. Fairfield General Motion (cover) + Form 24 (Motion for Contempt) + Form 25 (Show Cause Order). Attach a certified copy of the order being violated and a sworn affidavit of facts.
Print everything single-sided and file at the 4th Floor Clerk. Include the certified copy of the order being violated. Pay the cost deposit (or file an Affidavit of Indigency).
Attend the show-cause hearing. The other party will be served and ordered to appear. Bring your documentation. The court may find civil contempt, set purge conditions, impose fines or jail (often suspended), and order attorney fees.

Fairfield County Practice Notes

Form 24 + Form 25 together. Fairfield contempt filings need both the OSC Motion for Contempt (Form 24) and the Show Cause Order and Notice (Form 25). The Show Cause Order is what the court signs to direct the other party to appear.
Pair with Fairfield's General Motion cover. Fairfield's General Motion form serves as the local cover sheet for post-decree motions including contempt.
The order must be clear and specific. Fairfield will not hold a party in contempt for violating a vague or ambiguous order. If the decree language is fuzzy, you may need a modification motion to clarify it first.
Purge conditions are the heart of civil contempt. Civil contempt is coercive — the court usually finds the violator in contempt but stays the penalty if they comply with specific purge conditions (pay the arrears, restore missed parenting time, transfer the asset). Failure to purge triggers the suspended sentence.
Attorney fees are recoverable. Ohio law allows the prevailing party in a successful family-law contempt action to recover reasonable attorney fees. Keep contemporaneous billing records and a clear timeline of the violations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to file in Fairfield County?: Filing fees are approximately $300, though the exact amount may vary by case type (with or without children). Call the Clerk of Courts at (740) 652-7440 for the current fee. An Affidavit of Indigency is available to waive fees for qualifying low-income filers. Fax filings are accepted at (740) 652-7399.
Why won't the Clerk accept my paperwork?: Fairfield County Clerk will NOT accept forms printed on both sides of the paper. Every page must be single-sided. This is one of the most common reasons filings get rejected at the counter — reprint anything that's double-sided before you go in.
What are the DR Court hours in Fairfield County?: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. AND 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. — the Clerk closes for one hour in the middle of the day. Plan your visit for the morning (8:00–12:00) or afternoon (1:00–4:00) session.
When do I file in Fairfield Juvenile Court instead of DR?: If the parents were never married, custody, parenting time, child support, and paternity are filed in the Fairfield County Juvenile Court on the 3rd Floor of the same Hall of Justice in front of Hon. Terre L. Vandervoort. If you were married, those issues travel with the divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment in the DR Division on the 4th Floor (Hon. Laura B. Smith). Judge Vandervoort uniquely serves as both Judge and Clerk of the Juvenile/Probate Courts.

Free Local Resources in Fairfield County

Fairfield County DR Division. Hall of Justice, 224 East Main Street, 4th Floor, Lancaster, OH 43130. Phone (740) 652-7440 · Fax (740) 652-7399. Hon. Laura B. Smith presides.
Fairfield County DR Forms Hub (HTML + PDF). co.fairfield.oh.us/dr/DR-Court-Forms-FC.html — accessible HTML and printable PDF versions of every local DR form.
Fairfield County DR Local Rules. co.fairfield.oh.us/dr/FC-Local-Rules-of-Court-DR.html — including Local Rule 17 Standard Parenting Time Order.
Local Rule 17 — Standard Parenting Time Order (rev. 2023). co.fairfield.oh.us/dr/pdf/Local-Rule-17-rev-2023.03.01.pdf — current standard order.
Children In Between® (online, $25). divorce-education.com/OH/fairfield — required parent-education for parents with minor children. 24/7 online; 30-day account.
Dissolution & Divorce Document Checklist. co.fairfield.oh.us/dr/documents/Dissolution-and-Divorce-Document-Checklist.pdf — work through it before filing.
Standard Mutual Restraining Order (auto-effective on filing). co.fairfield.oh.us/dr/documents/restraining_order.pdf
Fairfield County Visitation Center. 407 East Main Street, Lancaster — supervised visitation and exchange services.
Fairfield County Juvenile & Probate Court. Hall of Justice, 224 East Main Street, 3rd Floor, Lancaster. Juvenile (740) 652-7463 · Probate (740) 652-7485. Hon. Terre L. Vandervoort (also serves as Clerk). Magistrates Michelle L. Edgar and Troy M. Sitzmann.
Juvenile Resource Center (Connexion West). 625 Garfield Avenue, Lancaster · (740) 652-7374 — diversion services, behavioral health, and youth programming.
The Lighthouse, Inc. (CPO advocacy). 136 West Main Street, 2nd Floor, Lancaster · (740) 687-6778 ext. 3027 — free CPO advocacy (not legal advice).
SEOLS Virtual Legal Clinics. 4th Tuesday of every month, 5:00–7:00 p.m. Call 844-302-1800 Mon–Fri to register.
Court Appointed Counsel Application (Ohio OPD). opd.ohio.gov/appointed-counsel/reimbursement/05-financial-disclosure-form-opd-206r
Ohio Supreme Court Standardized Forms. supremecourt.ohio.gov — Fairfield DR uses Ohio SC standardized forms alongside Fairfield 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 contempt case

Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.
Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
Spousal Support — Pursue or respond to alimony requests during and after divorce.

Keep exploring

Ohio Post-Decree Contempt guide — Statewide overview of post-decree contempt in Ohio.
Columbus family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Columbus metro.
Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Family Law Attorney at Gavvl Law.
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