Shared Parenting in Fairfield County

Reviewed by Stephanie Green, Esq. · Managing Partner, Gavvl Law · Last updated June 9, 2026

Fairfield County, Ohio · Lancaster

Ohio uses shared parenting — not "joint custody." Under an approved Shared Parenting Plan (R.C. 3109.04(G)), both parents are named residential parent and legal custodian. Fairfield's DR Division and Juvenile Court both approve plans, but the plan has to meet the statute, not just say "shared parenting." Local Rule 17 sets the default parenting-time schedule.

How do I get shared parenting in Fairfield County, Ohio?

File a written Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) under R.C. 3109.04(G) that names both parents as residential parent and legal custodian and covers living arrangements, the holiday and vacation schedule, child support, decision-making, school and health care, and dispute resolution. Married or divorcing parents file the plan with the divorce, dissolution, or legal separation in the DR Division (4th Floor). Never-married parents file it with a parentage/custody complaint in the DR Division or the Juvenile Court (3rd Floor). Fairfield's Local Rule 17 Standard Parenting Time Order sets the default schedule, and the Children In Between® class ($25) is required when children are involved. Print single-sided.

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: 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/
e-Filing: https://eservices.fairfieldcountycpcourt.org/

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

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

You and the other parent communicate well enough to share major decisions.
You can put a real, workable schedule in writing — holidays, vacations, school transitions, transportation, decision-making.
Both households can meet the child's day-to-day needs.
There is no domestic violence or other safety concern that makes joint decision-making unsafe.

Filing Fees

Filing fee tracks the underlying case (divorce $400 with children · custody/parentage complaint $300) · Children In Between® class $25 · single-sided only

Forms & Filing Packets

Shared parenting packet — Domestic Relations

Filed inside your divorce, dissolution, or legal separation in the DR Division (4th Floor).

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.
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.
Health Insurance Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 4) — Discloses whether health insurance is available for the children through either parent's employer.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign.
Standard Parenting Time Order (Local Rule 17, rev. March 1, 2023) — Fairfield's Standard Parenting Time Order — applies unless the parties agree to a different schedule.

Shared parenting packet — never-married parents

Filed with a parentage/custody complaint in the DR Division or the Juvenile Court (3rd Floor).

Complaint for Parentage, Allocation of Parental Rights and Responsibilities, and Parenting Time (Ohio SC Form 23 / JF 2) — The core pleading for unmarried parents. The Fairfield Clerk's schedule lists it as the "Complaint for Parentage, Custody, Parenting Time, and/or Support" ($300). Establishes the father legally and lets the court allocate custody, parenting time, and support in the same case.
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.
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.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign.
Request for Service (Ohio SC Form 31 / JF 10) — Tells the Clerk how to serve the other parent (certified mail, sheriff, or process server). Required to open a parentage or custody case.

How to File Shared Parenting in Fairfield County

Draft a plan that hits every statutory factor. A bare "week-on / week-off" is not enough. Cover holidays, vacations, school placement, medical decisions, transportation, and a dispute-resolution mechanism in writing.
Decide DR vs Juvenile based on marital history. Married or divorcing parents file in the DR Division (4th Floor). Never-married parents file with a parentage/custody complaint in the DR Division or Juvenile Court (3rd Floor).
Run the Ohio Child Support Worksheet. Even with equal time, run the worksheet at ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov. The court can deviate based on the shared schedule, but needs the number first.
File the plan with the parenting and support paperwork. Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) + Parenting Proceeding Affidavit + Health Insurance Affidavit + Child Support Worksheet. Print single-sided.
Complete Children In Between® and attend the hearing. Finish the required parenting class ($25). The court reviews the plan against the R.C. 3109.04(F) best-interest factors before approving it and incorporating it into the order.

Fairfield County Practice Notes

Plan must cover the statutory factors. An R.C. 3109.04(G) plan should address physical living arrangements, child support, the holiday and vacation schedule, school placement and decisions, medical and dental decisions, tax-exemption allocation, transportation, communication between households, and a dispute-resolution mechanism.
Use Ohio's terms. Fairfield filings use "shared parenting" and "parenting time" — not "joint custody" or "visitation." Local Rule 17's Standard Parenting Time Order is the default if the parties do not agree to a different schedule.
Child support still applies. Shared parenting does not eliminate child support. Run the Ohio Child Support Worksheet the same way; the court can deviate based on the shared schedule, but it needs the worksheet number first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is "joint custody" available in Fairfield County?: Ohio uses shared parenting, not "joint custody." Under an approved Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) per R.C. 3109.04(G), both parents are designated legal custodian and residential parent. Use the terms "shared parenting" and "parenting time" (not "visitation") in Fairfield filings. The plan is filed with the divorce or dissolution in the DR Division for married parents, or with a parentage/custody complaint in the DR Division or Juvenile Court for never-married parents. Fairfield's Local Rule 17 Standard Parenting Time Order sets the default schedule unless the parties agree otherwise.
What parenting-time schedule applies in Fairfield County?: Fairfield's Local Rule 17 Standard Parenting Time Order — most recently revised March 1, 2023 — applies unless the parties agree to something different in writing. The current version covers cases decided on or after March 1, 2023. A previous version covers cases decided between March 1, 2007 and February 28, 2023.
Where do I file for custody in Fairfield County?: If you and the other parent were married, custody and parenting time travel with your divorce, dissolution, or legal separation in the DR Division on the 4th Floor of the Hall of Justice, 224 East Main Street, Lancaster (Hon. Laura B. Smith). If you were never married, file a Complaint for Allocation of Parental Rights & Responsibilities in the Fairfield County Juvenile Court on the 3rd Floor of the same building (Hon. Terre L. Vandervoort), (740) 652-7463. Both courts decide custody under the R.C. 3109.04(F) best-interest factors, and Fairfield's Local Rule 17 Standard Parenting Time Order sets the default schedule.
What parent education does Fairfield County require?: Parents with minor children in divorce, legal separation, or dissolution cases must complete the Children In Between® program. It's available online for $25 at divorce-education.com/OH/fairfield. Accounts are valid for 30 days and the program is 24/7. File the certificate of completion with the Clerk in person or by fax to (740) 652-7399 — required before the final hearing.
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. DR Division (740) 652-7440 · Clerk filing line (740) 652-7357 · Fax (740) 652-7399. Hon. Laura B. Smith presides; Magistrates Lora H. Cleary and Sandra S. Miller. Clerk of Courts: Branden C. Meyer.
Fairfield County e-Filing Portal. eservices.fairfieldcountycpcourt.org — the Common Pleas e-filing system for Domestic Relations cases.
Fairfield County Clerk Fee Schedule. fairfieldcountyclerk.com/filing-fees-costs.html — the official, current Clerk of Courts filing-fee schedule by case type.
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 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.

Keep exploring

Ohio Shared Parenting guide — Statewide overview of shared parenting 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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