Annulment in Hardin County

Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated June 11, 2026

Hardin County, Ohio · Kenton

An annulment is a court declaration that a marriage was never legally valid — different from a divorce, which ends a valid marriage. In Hardin County, an annulment is filed in the Domestic Relations Division and requires one of the specific grounds Ohio law allows, with strict time limits.

How do I get an annulment in Hardin County, Ohio?

File a Complaint for Annulment (R.C. 3105.31) with the Hardin County Clerk of Courts for the Domestic Relations Division. You must prove a specific statutory ground — a spouse under the age of consent, bigamy, mental incompetence, consent obtained by fraud or force, or a marriage never consummated — and strict time limits apply. An annulment declares the marriage void or voidable; it is not granted simply because the marriage was short. Confirm the current deposit with the Clerk at (419) 674-2278.

Ohio Divorce by the Numbers

6 months Ohio residency required before you can file Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3105.03
90 days Residency in the county of filing (venue) Source: Ohio Civ. R. 3
30–90 days Typical time to finalize an uncontested dissolution Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3105.64
1 year Living separate and apart that qualifies as no-fault grounds Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3105.01

Compare Your Options for Ending a Marriage in Ohio

Path	Ends the marriage?	Agreement required?	Best when
Dissolution	Yes	Yes — on every term before filing	Both spouses agree on everything and want the fastest, lowest-cost path
Divorce (contested)	Yes	No	Spouses disagree on property, support, or parenting and need a judge to decide
Divorce (uncontested / default)	Yes	No	One spouse will not respond or cannot be located
Legal separation	No — you stay married	Optional	You need court orders but must stay married (religion, insurance, or benefits)
Annulment	Treated as never valid	No	The marriage was never legally valid (fraud, bigamy, underage, or incapacity)

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

One Courthouse Square, Suite 210, Kenton, OH 43326
Phone: (419) 674-2233
Hours: Monday–Friday (confirm current hours with the Clerk)
Website: hardincountyjuvenilecourt.com/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Hardin County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division (juvenile, parentage & never-married matters)
One Courthouse Square, Suite 210, Kenton, OH 43326
Phone: (419) 674-2233
Hours: Monday–Friday (confirm current hours with the Clerk)

Annulment is the right path if…

Your marriage involved fraud, bigamy, underage marriage, incapacity, or was never consummated.
You can meet the strict statutory grounds and time limits (R.C. 3105.31).
You want a declaration that the marriage was never valid, not a divorce.
You're prepared to prove the ground with evidence at a hearing.

Filing Fees

Annulment is filed in the Domestic Relations Division through the Clerk · Affidavit of Indigency waiver available · confirm the current deposit with the Clerk at (419) 674-2278

Forms & Filing Packets

Annulment complaint

File the Complaint for Annulment with the county Affidavit of Income & Expenses, the Affidavit of Property, and a Case Designation Sheet, stating the statutory ground (R.C. 3105.31).

Ohio Uniform Domestic Relations / Juvenile Forms (Ohio Supreme Court) — GD Rule 35 directs Hardin County filers to the Ohio Supreme Court Uniform standardized forms for the complaint/petition, separation agreement, parenting plan, decree, and child-support worksheet. Download the statewide forms here.
Affidavit of Income & Expenses (Hardin County) — Each party's sworn income, expenses, and basic financial information. Required at filing in a divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment, and before any temporary-orders hearing. Must be notarized.
Affidavit of Property (Hardin County) — Lists every asset and debt so the court can divide marital property. Required at filing and must be notarized.
Case Designation Sheet (Hardin County Clerk of Courts) — The cover sheet the Clerk uses to open and classify your case. File it with your complaint or petition at the Clerk of Courts, Suite 310.

Annulment with minor children

If there are children, add the Parenting Proceeding (UCCJEA) and Health Insurance affidavits, the IV-D Application, and the Ohio child-support worksheet so the court can address custody and support.

Parenting Proceeding / UCCJEA Affidavit (Hardin County) — Required in any case involving minor children. Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years and with whom, confirming Ohio's UCCJEA jurisdiction over custody (R.C. 3127.23).
Health Insurance Affidavit (Hardin County) — Discloses whether health insurance is available for the children through either parent's employer, so the court can order medical support. Required in cases with children.
IV-D Child Support Application (Hardin County) — Opens a child-support case with the Hardin County CSEA so support is collected by automatic wage withholding and enforced. Required whenever a child-support order is set in a case with children.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign. Required any time the court sets or changes support.

How to File Annulment in Hardin County

Confirm a valid ground. Annulment requires a specific ground — underage, bigamy, incapacity, fraud or force, or non-consummation (R.C. 3105.31) — within strict time limits.
Prepare the complaint. File the Complaint for Annulment with the county Affidavit of Income & Expenses, Affidavit of Property, and a Case Designation Sheet; add the children's affidavits and worksheet if you have children.
File and serve. File through the Clerk of Courts, One Courthouse Square, Suite 310, Kenton, and serve the other party.
Prove the ground at the hearing. Present evidence of the statutory ground; if granted, the court declares the marriage void or voidable and addresses children and property as needed.

Hardin County Practice Notes

One Domestic Relations Division hears it all. Hardin County has a single Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division (Judge Maria Santo; division created 1/1/2023 under R.C. 2301.03(FF)(1)) at One Courthouse Square, Suite 210, Kenton, (419) 674-2233. The same division hears divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment AND parentage, never-married custody, and civil protection orders — there is no separate juvenile court. Only adoptions and guardianships go to the separate Probate Court (Judge Steve Christopher).
File through the Clerk of Courts (Suite 310). Petitions and motions are filed through the Hardin County Clerk of Courts, One Courthouse Square, Suite 310, Kenton, (419) 674-2278, https://www.hardincourts.com/CLSite/ (local forms under /CLSite/pdf/). Hardin accepts e-filing through the Henschen portal (efile.henschen.com) and fax filing at (419) 674-2273 for documents of 10 pages or fewer.
Fee waiver if you can't afford the deposit. File an Affidavit of Indigency (poverty affidavit) under Ohio Civil Rule 3(E) asking the court to waive prepayment of the cost deposit. Legal Aid of Western Ohio, (888) 534-1432, can help income-eligible filers. Confirm the current indigency form with the Clerk of Courts at (419) 674-2278.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get an annulment in Hardin County because the marriage was short?: No. An annulment (R.C. 3105.31) requires a specific statutory ground — a spouse under the age of consent, bigamy, mental incompetence, consent obtained by fraud or force, or a marriage never consummated — and strict time limits apply. It is a court declaration that the marriage was void or voidable, not a divorce. An annulment is filed in the Domestic Relations Division through the Clerk; confirm the current deposit at (419) 674-2278.
Which court handles divorce, custody, and support in Hardin County?: One court hears all of it: the Court of Common Pleas, Hardin County, Domestic Relations Division, One Courthouse Square, Suite 210, Kenton, (419) 674-2233 (Judge Maria Santo). The same Domestic Relations Division hears divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment for married spouses AND parentage, never-married custody, and civil protection orders — there is no separate juvenile court in Hardin County. Only adoptions and guardianships go to the separate Probate Court (Judge Steve Christopher). Petitions are filed through the Clerk of Courts, Suite 310, (419) 674-2278.
What if I cannot afford the filing deposit in Hardin County?: File an Affidavit of Indigency (poverty affidavit) under Ohio Civil Rule 3(E) asking the court to waive prepayment of the cost deposit. Legal Aid of Western Ohio, (888) 534-1432, can help income-eligible filers, and the Clerk of Courts, (419) 674-2278, can point you to the current indigency form. Confirm requirements with the Clerk before filing.
What is the residency requirement to file for divorce in Hardin County?: You or your spouse must have lived in Ohio for at least 6 months before filing for divorce (R.C. 3105.03). For a dissolution that involves minor children, Hardin County's GD Rule 16 adds a 90-day Hardin County residency requirement. A divorce without children has no separate county-duration rule beyond the statewide six-month Ohio requirement.

Free Local Resources in Hardin County

Hardin County Clerk of Courts (record custodian). One Courthouse Square, Suite 310 (3rd floor), Kenton, OH 43326; (419) 674-2278 (fax (419) 674-2273). The Clerk is the record custodian for Common Pleas filings, posts local forms at https://www.hardincourts.com/CLSite/forms.php, and confirms current deposits and copy counts. E-filing is available through https://efile.henschen.com/; fax filings to (419) 674-2273 must be 10 pages or fewer with a compliant cover page. Court costs can be paid online at https://www.hardincourts.com/CLSite/payment.php.
Hardin County Court of Common Pleas — Domestic Relations Division. One Courthouse Square, Suite 210 (2nd floor), Kenton, OH 43326; (419) 674-2233 (https://hardincountyjuvenilecourt.com/). Created January 1, 2023 (R.C. 2301.03(FF)(1)) and led by Judge Maria Santo, this single Domestic Relations Division hears divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment AND juvenile, parentage, never-married custody, and civil protection-order cases — there is no separate Juvenile Court in Hardin County.
Hardin County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). 175 W. Franklin St., Suite 200, Kenton, OH 43326; (419) 674-2269. The county IV-D agency establishes, modifies, collects, and enforces child support. Open a IV-D case to set up automatic wage withholding and enforcement.
Hardin County Job & Family Services — Children Services Agency. (419) 675-1130 (after hours (419) 673-1268; or (800) 442-7346). The county children-services agency investigates child abuse, neglect, and dependency. For an emergency call 911; the statewide child-abuse hotline is 855-642-4453 (855-OH-CHILD).
Successful Co-Parenting (parenting-education class). Hardin County's required parenting/co-parenting education is provided through OSU Extension's "Successful Co-Parenting" program — $30 per participant, offered in person and/or online. Registration is required; call (419) 674-2297 for current Hardin County dates before relying on it for a specific case.
Hardin County Probate Court (adoption & guardianship). One Courthouse Square, Suite 200, Kenton, OH 43326; (419) 674-2230. The separate Probate Court — not the Domestic Relations Division — handles stepparent and kinship adoptions ($200, plus $100 for publication if required) and guardianships; the Probate Court requires that you have an attorney for an adoption. It does not handle divorce or custody.
Legal Aid of Western Ohio. (888) 534-1432. Free civil legal help for income-eligible Hardin County residents, including some family-law matters. The Ohio Supreme Court also posts statewide self-help forms for self-represented litigants.

Related to your annulment case

Spousal Support — Pursue or respond to alimony requests during and after divorce.
Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.

Related guides

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

Divorce vs. Dissolution in Ohio: Which Path Is Right for You? — Divorce and dissolution both end an Ohio marriage, but they work very differently. Dissolution is a no-fault, agreed process; divorce is a lawsuit for couples who can't agree. Here's how to choose.
How to File for Divorce in Ohio: A Step-by-Step Guide — Filing for divorce in Ohio follows a defined path: confirm residency, choose your grounds, file the complaint, serve your spouse, and work toward temporary orders and a final decree. Here is how each step works.

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Ohio Annulment guide — Statewide overview of annulment in Ohio.
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