Fayette County Contempt & Enforcement Attorneys

Hire Gavvl for your Fayette County contempt case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Fayette County local forms, the court strategy, and the hearings — and you know the price before we start.

Start with a $25 consultation and talk through your options with an Ohio family-law attorney before you commit to anything. Get started online or see payment plans & financing.

Enforcing a Fayette County order? Hire Gavvl Law

When the other parent stops paying support or blocks court-ordered parenting time, contempt is how you get a Fayette County order enforced. You file in the court that issued it — a $200 post-decree motion for contempt in the General & Domestic Relations Division, or a $100 juvenile contempt motion (Ohio Supreme Court Form 24) in the Probate-Juvenile Court — with a show-cause request that makes the other side appear and explain. Gavvl Law documents the violations, files the show-cause motion, and works on a flat fee approved up front.

• A show-cause motion the court will set for hearing. Domestic Relations contempt follows the Post Decree Motion Check List, while a juvenile matter uses the standardized Ohio Supreme Court Form 24. We attach the affidavit and dates that support the motion so the court issues the show-cause order and puts the other party on the calendar to answer.
• Remedies from make-up time to jail. On a proven contempt, the Fayette court can order make-up parenting time, payment of arrears, your attorney fees, and, for willful violations, jail. We build the record — payment history, denied exchanges, specific dates — so the judge has what it needs to impose real consequences.
• Flat fee up front, fees possibly shifted. You approve one flat fee before we start, with payment plans available and full representation if the other side lawyers up. Because the court can order the violating party to pay your attorney fees in a contempt finding, pursuing enforcement doesn't have to mean absorbing the whole cost yourself.

Enforcement has to be filed in the same Fayette court that issued the order, so we confirm at the outset whether that was the Domestic Relations Division or the Probate-Juvenile Court and file the matching contempt motion and deposit. Knowing both counters — and that Form 24 is the juvenile-side standard — keeps an enforcement case from stalling on the wrong paperwork.

Flat-fee options

Flat-fee limited scope: we draft and file the motion for contempt / show cause to enforce an order the other party is violating. You appear at any hearing.

• Contempt (single issue): $950
• Contempt (multiple issues): $1,450

Prefer full representation? An Ohio attorney can carry the entire case on a $3,500 retainer.

Split any flat fee with Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan at 19% APR, $500 minimum — on a 60%-down schedule of 18 weekly, 8 bi-weekly, or 4 monthly payments, or full financing where work begins once 60% is paid. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay.

Start your contempt case or see payment plans & financing.

Where to File: Fayette County Court of Common Pleas — General & Domestic Relations Division

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Fayette County Probate-Juvenile Court
110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, Washington Court House, OH 43160
Phone: (740) 335-0640
Hours: Monday–Friday

Post-Decree Contempt is the right path if…

• The other parent is behind on child support.
• You're being denied court-ordered parenting time.
• The other parent ignores specific terms of the decree or order.
• You've documented the violations with dates and details.

Filing Fees

Domestic Relations: post-decree motion for contempt $200 deposit. Probate-Juvenile Court: $100 deposit · the court can order arrears, make-up parenting time, attorney fees, and jail for willful violations · confirm current amounts with the court

Forms & Filing Packets

How to File Post-Decree Contempt in Fayette County

1. Document the violations. Gather dates, amounts, and details showing how the other party violated the support or parenting-time order.
2. Prepare the motion. Use a Domestic Relations post-decree motion for contempt following the Post Decree Motion Check List, or the juvenile contempt motion (Form 24) in the Probate-Juvenile Court.
3. File and serve. File in the court that issued the order, pay the deposit, and have the show-cause notice served so the other party must appear.
4. Attend the hearing. At the hearing the court can order make-up parenting time, payment of arrears, attorney fees, and, for willful violations, jail.

Fayette County Practice Notes

• Never-married parents file in the Probate-Juvenile Court. If the parents were never married, custody, parenting time, support, and parentage are decided by the separate combined Probate-Juvenile Court under Judge Mary E. King, 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640 — not the Domestic Relations Division. The Juvenile deposit for a new custody, support, visitation, or paternity matter is $100, not the Domestic Relations fee schedule.
• Divorce is heard by the General & Domestic Relations Division. Divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment are heard by the General & Domestic Relations Division of the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas under Judge David B. Bender, 110 East Court Street, 3rd Floor, Washington Court House. The Division shares the General Division's judge, clerk, local rules, and fee schedule. File through the Clerk of Courts, (740) 335-6371; the Division can be reached at (740) 335-4750, option #6.
• Guardian ad Litem cost. In Domestic Relations cases, a GAL is $100/hour up to $1,500 per case unless the court approves more (Local Rule 11.13). In Juvenile private cases, the requesting party pays, with a $500 county cap before extraordinary fees require a motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which court handles family-law cases in Fayette County?

Divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment are heard by the General & Domestic Relations Division of the Court of Common Pleas under Judge David B. Bender (110 East Court Street, 3rd Floor, Washington Court House). If the parents were never married, custody, support, visitation, and parentage are decided by the separate combined Probate-Juvenile Court under Judge Mary E. King (2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640). Domestic Relations cases are filed through the Clerk of Courts, (740) 335-6371.

How much does it cost to start a custody or paternity case in Fayette County?

In the Probate-Juvenile Court, all new custody, child-support, visitation, and paternity matters are a $100 deposit. A fee waiver is available with an Affidavit of Poverty. Confirm current amounts with the Probate-Juvenile Court at (740) 335-0640.

Can I change child support or custody soon after my decree in Fayette County?

The Domestic Relations court disfavors modification motions filed within two years of the decree unless a substantial, unforeseen change has occurred (Local Rule 11.12B), and frivolous motions can be taxed with the other side's attorney fees. The post-decree motion deposit is $200.

Who hears custody if the parents were never married in Fayette County?

The Juvenile Division of the Fayette County Probate-Juvenile Court (Judge Mary E. King), at 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640 — not the Domestic Relations Division. The Juvenile Division handles unmarried-parent custody, support, visitation, parentage, and non-parent custody. New juvenile family matters are a $100 deposit.

Free Local Resources in Fayette County

• Fayette County Clerk of Courts (Domestic Relations). Current filing fees, deposit amounts, and case filing for divorce ($400), dissolution ($350), legal separation, annulment, and post-decree motions ($200). Clerk of Courts, 3rd Floor, 110 East Court Street, Washington Court House; (740) 335-6371; https://courts.fayette-co-oh.com/. Attorneys must e-file via Henschen (https://www.fayette-co-oh.com/341/eFiling-Henschen); pro se filers are exempt.
• Fayette County Probate-Juvenile Court. Judge Mary E. King, 2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640. Handles never-married-parent custody, parenting time, support, and parentage, plus non-parent custody, and runs a mediation program (Local Rule 18). All new juvenile family matters are a $100 deposit. There is no e-filing. Self-help: https://www.fayette-co-oh.com/269/Juvenile-Court.
• Fayette County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Arranges genetic testing, opens IV-D cases, sets support under Ohio's guidelines, collects by income withholding, and reviews existing orders. Contact (740) 335-0745.
• Prosecutor's Victim Witness Division. Fayette County directs people seeking a civil protection order to the Prosecutor's Victim Witness Division for help determining eligibility and preparing the petition. There is no filing fee for the person seeking protection.
• Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) Online. Fayette County promotes Triple P Online as a free parent/caregiver resource: https://octf.ohio.gov/what-we-do/statewide-initiatives/triple-p-online. A parenting class is not a standard DR requirement, but the court may order one case by case.
• Ohio Child Support Calculator. Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares child-support worksheet at https://ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov/ before any case that sets or changes support.

Other Family-Law Topics in Fayette County

• Statewide Custody Overview — How Ohio custody and parenting time work at a high level.
• Talk to a Family Law Attorney — Connect with a Fayette County family-law attorney for help with your case.

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.

Related guides

In-depth, attorney-written guides on contempt and related Ohio family law topics.

• Contempt Motions in Ohio Family Court: Enforcing Your Order — When the other parent ignores a court order — withholding the children or refusing to pay support — a contempt motion is how Ohio courts enforce it. Here's how the process works.
• Post-Decree Modifications in Ohio: Changing Your Order After Divorce — Your divorce decree isn't carved in stone. When life changes, Ohio lets you modify custody, parenting time, and support — but each requires meeting a specific legal standard. Here's how.

Keep exploring Fayette County family law

• Ohio Post-Decree Contempt guide — Statewide overview of post-decree contempt in Ohio.
• Columbus family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Columbus metro.
• Fayette County family law guide — Court info, local filing notes, FAQs, and the downloadable Fayette County guide.
• Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Gavvl Law.
• Payment plans & financing — Flat fees with Gavvl Direct, Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later.