Post-Decree Contempt in Franklin County

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

Franklin County, Ohio · Columbus

When the other party stops following a Franklin County order — not paying support, ignoring the parenting schedule, or refusing to transfer property the decree awarded you — you don't have to live with it. You file a Motion to Show Cause (Contempt) and ask the court to enforce its own order. Contempt can be civil (designed to force compliance through purge conditions) or criminal (designed to punish). The court can order fines, attorney fees, make-up parenting time, purge conditions, and — for willful violations — jail.

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

File the Motion to Show Cause / Contempt in the same court that issued the order — Franklin County Domestic Relations at 373 South High Street, 4th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 for divorce/dissolution/legal-separation orders, or the Juvenile Branch at 399 South Front Street for never-married custody and support orders. Franklin DR has no fill-in contempt form: draft the motion under Local Rule 11 (caption it "MOTION OF [Plaintiff/Defendant] [Name] for Contempt"), name the exact order provision being violated, attach a sworn affidavit of the facts, and request a show-cause hearing. Under Local Rule 2 the enforcement deposit is $175 (no deposit to enforce a suspended jail sentence). A Magistrate hears the motion; either party has 14 days to object to the Magistrate's decision.

Where to File: Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations

373 South High Street, 4th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 525-3922
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Website: drj.fccourts.org
e-Filing: https://efiling.franklincountyohio.gov/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas — Juvenile Branch
399 South Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215, Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 525-3902
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Post-Decree Contempt is the right path if…

  • The other party isn't paying child support or spousal support as the order requires.
  • The other party isn't following the parenting-time schedule in the decree or order.
  • The other party hasn't transferred property (house, vehicle, retirement, account) the decree awarded you.
  • The other party let court-ordered health insurance for the children lapse.
  • The other party is violating a Civil Protection Order issued by the Franklin DR Court.

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

Filing Fees

$175 enforcement deposit (Local Rule 2) · no deposit to enforce a suspended jail sentence · CSEA administrative enforcement (wage withholding, license suspension, tax intercept) is free · poverty affidavit available if you can't afford the deposit

Forms & Filing Packets

Enforcing a Domestic Relations decree or order — $175 enforcement deposit (Local Rule 2) · no deposit to enforce a suspended jail sentence

Use when the order you're enforcing came out of a divorce, dissolution, or legal separation. Franklin DR has no fill-in contempt form — draft it under Local Rule 11 with a sworn affidavit of the facts.

  • Motion to Show Cause / Motion for Contempt (DR) — Franklin DR does not publish a fill-in contempt form. Draft the motion under Local Rule 11 — caption it "MOTION OF [Plaintiff/Defendant] [Name] for Contempt" — identify the exact decree or order provision being violated, attach a sworn affidavit of the facts, and request a show-cause hearing. The $175 enforcement deposit applies (Local Rule 2).
  • Affidavit of Income and Expenses — Snapshot of gross income, take-home pay, and monthly household expenses. Required at filing.

Enforcing a Juvenile Branch order (never-married parents)

Use when the parenting or support order came from the Juvenile Branch because the parents were never married. File the Motion to Show Cause / Contempt at 399 South Front Street.

  • Motion to Show Cause / Contempt — Asks the court to enforce an existing parenting or support order against a party who is in violation. Possible penalties include fines, attorney fees, makeup parenting time, and jail.
  • Affidavit of Income and Expenses — Snapshot of gross income, take-home pay, and monthly household expenses. Required at filing.

Support-violation add-on

When the violation is unpaid support, attach the CSEA payment history (or your own ledger if private-pay) and a current Affidavit of Income and Expenses. Franklin County CSEA at (614) 525-3275 can also enforce administratively through wage withholding, license suspension, and tax intercept.

If the violator already failed to purge

When a party was previously found in contempt and the court suspended a jail sentence on purge conditions they didn't meet, file the Motion to Enforce Suspended Jail Sentence. Local Rule 2 charges no deposit for this motion.

  • Motion to Enforce Suspended Jail Sentence — Filed when a party who was previously found in contempt fails to meet the purge conditions and the court suspended a jail sentence on those conditions. Under Local Rule 2, no deposit is required for this motion.

Violation of a Civil Protection Order

When the respondent violates a Franklin DR Civil Protection Order, file the Motion for Contempt of a Protection Order. A CPO violation is also a separate criminal offense you can report to law enforcement.

  • Motion for Contempt of a Protection Order — Asks the court to hold the respondent in contempt for violating the terms of a Civil Protection Order. A CPO violation is also a separate criminal offense reportable to law enforcement.

How to File Post-Decree Contempt in Franklin County

  1. Pull the exact order language being violated. Find the specific paragraph in the decree or post-decree entry the other party is violating. Vague or ambiguous orders rarely support contempt — if the language is fuzzy, you may need a modification to clarify it first.
  2. Document the violations. For support, attach the CSEA payment history or your own ledger. For parenting time, keep a contemporaneous log (date, time, what was denied). For property, attach proof the transfer never happened. Save texts, emails, and witness statements.
  3. Draft the Motion to Show Cause / Contempt. Caption it under Local Rule 11 ("MOTION OF [Plaintiff/Defendant] [Name] for Contempt"), identify the specific violation, attach a sworn affidavit of the facts, and request a show-cause hearing.
  4. File in the issuing court and pay the deposit. DR enforcement goes to 373 South High Street, 4th Floor (Local Rule 2 deposit: $175). Juvenile Branch enforcement goes to 399 South Front Street. Ask the Clerk about a poverty affidavit if you can't afford the deposit. The other party must be served.
  5. Attend the show-cause hearing before the Magistrate. Bring marked exhibits (payment history, parenting log, transfer documents) and any witnesses. If the court finds contempt, expect purge conditions, fines, an attorney-fee award, or a suspended jail sentence. Either party has 14 days to object to the Magistrate's decision.

Franklin County Practice Notes

  • Magistrates hear contempt motions. Under Franklin DR Local Rule 8, Magistrates hear contempt and discovery motions. The Magistrate issues a Magistrate's Decision; under Local Rule 9 and Civ.R. 53, either party then has 14 days to file Objections, which the assigned Judge decides.
  • Purge conditions are the heart of civil contempt. Civil contempt is coercive — the court usually finds the violator in contempt but suspends the penalty (including jail) on specific purge conditions: pay the arrears, restore missed parenting time, or transfer the asset. Failure to purge lets you file a Motion to Enforce the Suspended Jail Sentence (no deposit under Local Rule 2).
  • Caption the motion under Local Rule 11. Franklin DR requires pleadings to be titled in the form "MOTION OF [Plaintiff/Defendant] [Name] for Contempt." Identify the exact order provision being violated, attach a sworn affidavit of the facts, and request a show-cause hearing.
  • 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, dated timeline of every violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can the court do if it finds the other party in contempt?
A successful contempt motion can result in fines, an order to pay your reasonable attorney fees, make-up parenting time, and — for willful violations — a jail sentence. Most civil contempt is coercive: the court usually finds the violator in contempt but suspends the penalty (including jail) on 'purge' conditions, such as paying the arrears, restoring missed parenting time, or transferring an asset. If the violator later fails to purge, you file a Motion to Enforce Suspended Jail Sentence, which carries no filing deposit under Franklin DR Local Rule 2.
How much does it cost to file a contempt motion in Franklin County?
Under Franklin DR Local Rule 2, a motion to enforce an existing decree, judgment, or order carries a $175 deposit. A Motion to Enforce a Suspended Jail Sentence requires no deposit. If you cannot afford the deposit, ask the Clerk at 373 South High Street about filing an affidavit of indigency (poverty affidavit). Juvenile Branch enforcement filings at 399 South Front Street are typically $100-$150.
Will my case be heard by a Judge or a Magistrate?
Most pretrial conferences, temporary-orders motions, and even contested final hearings in Franklin DR are heard by a Magistrate. The Magistrate issues a Magistrate's Decision; either party then has 14 days to file Objections, which are decided by the assigned Judge. Civil Protection Order full hearings are heard directly by the assigned Judge.
What does Franklin County CSEA do?
The Franklin County Child Support Enforcement Agency at (614) 525-3275 opens IV-D cases, runs the Ohio Income Shares calculation, collects support by wage withholding, distributes it to the receiving parent, and enforces orders (license suspension, contempt referrals, federal tax intercept). Filing an IV-D Application is standard whenever a child-support order is issued.
How do I know whether to file in DR or the Juvenile Branch?
If you are married to the other parent (or the parties were married when the children were born), custody, parenting time, and child support travel with the divorce / dissolution / legal separation / annulment in DR at 373 South High Street. If you were never married, paternity and custody go to the Juvenile Branch at 399 South Front Street. Grandparent / non-parent custody is always Juvenile. Civil Protection Orders against a current/former intimate partner or family member go to DR.
How long does the case usually take?
Dissolution: 30-90 days from filing to the final hearing. Uncontested divorce or legal separation: 4-6 months. Contested divorce: 6-18 months depending on temporary-orders activity and the Magistrate's calendar. Paternity: 60-120 days if uncontested, longer if genetic testing or contested allocation is involved. Civil Protection Orders: ex parte order the same day; full hearing within 7-10 days; final order can last up to 5 years.

Free Local Resources in Franklin County

  • Franklin County DR Self-Help Resource Center. 373 South High Street. Forms, computer terminals, limited procedural help. Cannot give legal advice. Mon–Fri during court hours.
  • Legal Aid Society of Columbus. (614) 241-2001. Income-qualified family law representation and advice clinics across central Ohio.
  • Columbus Bar Lawyer Referral Service. (614) 221-0754. Paid 30-minute consultation referrals to vetted Franklin County family-law attorneys.
  • Franklin County CSEA (Child Support Enforcement Agency). (614) 525-3275. Opens IV-D cases and collects/distributes child support through wage withholding.
  • Franklin County Juvenile Branch Help Center. 399 South Front Street. Procedural help for self-represented filers on never-married custody, paternity, and support cases.

Other Family-Law Topics in Franklin County

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

Call (380) 205-3899 or email support@gavvl.com.