Modifying Orders in Medina County
Reviewed by Stephanie Green, Esq. · Managing Partner, Gavvl Law · Last updated June 8, 2026
Medina County, Ohio · Medina
Life changes — incomes shift, parents relocate, schedules stop working. Medina County lets you modify custody, parenting time, or child support by motion filed in the original Domestic Relations case, on a showing of changed circumstances and the children's best interest under R.C. 3109.04(E).
How do I modify a custody or support order in Medina County, Ohio?
Under Civ.R. 75(J), the court's continuing jurisdiction is invoked by a motion filed in the original action at the Medina County Domestic Relations Court, 225 East Washington Street, Medina — file the General Motion form plus Instructions for Service from medinadr.org/forms.html, and the motion must be set for hearing. For support, file the Ohio uniform Motion for Change of Child Support (Form 28) or ask CSEA for a review. The post-decree filing fee is $200 (child support or parenting time only, multi-branch, or show cause). You must show a substantial change of circumstances — for support, generally a 10%+ change — and that the change serves the children's best interest (R.C. 3109.04(E)).
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: Medina County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division
225 East Washington Street, Medina, OH 44256, Medina, OH 44256Phone: (330) 725-9740
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Website: medinadr.org/
Post-Decree Modifications is the right path if…
- There's a real change of circumstances since the last order (move, job change, schedule, child's needs).
- The existing parenting time or support no longer works.
- You can show the modification is in the children's best interest.
- You already have a final order to modify.
Filing Fees
$200 post-decree filing (support/parenting/show cause) · Foreign Order Registration $200 · Motion to Transfer Jurisdiction $100 · Procedural motions with a proposed order: no charge
Forms & Filing Packets
Modify custody or parenting time — $200 post-decree filing
- General Motion + Instructions for Service (Medina DR) — The court's General Motion form invokes continuing jurisdiction under Civ.R. 75(J) to modify custody or parenting time. File it with Instructions for Service; the motion must be set for hearing.
- Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (UCCJEA · R.C. 3127.23) — Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years and with whom. Confirms Ohio's jurisdiction over custody.
Modify child support — $200 post-decree filing
- Motion for Change of Child Support (Ohio uniform Form 28) — Asks the Medina County Domestic Relations Court to recalculate support after a change of circumstances. You can also request a CSEA administrative review.
- Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet — Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you're asking the court to set support.
How to File Post-Decree Modifications in Medina County
- Confirm a real change of circumstances. Identify the move, income change, schedule conflict, or child's-needs change that happened since the last order.
- File the General Motion in the original case. Use the court's General Motion form plus Instructions for Service (for support, Form 28 or a CSEA review) in the Domestic Relations case that issued your order.
- Pay the post-decree deposit. Post-decree motions for support, parenting time, or show cause are $200; procedural motions with a proposed order have no charge.
- Attend the hearing. The motion must be set for hearing; bring evidence of the changed circumstances and the children's best interest.
Medina County Practice Notes
- Continuing jurisdiction under Civ.R. 75(J). After a decree, the court's continuing jurisdiction is invoked only by a motion filed in the original action, with notice served and the motion set for hearing. File the General Motion form plus Instructions for Service from medinadr.org/forms.html.
- Change of circumstances is the gate. For a custody change, you must show a change of circumstances since the last order plus that modification serves the children's best interest under R.C. 3109.04(E). Support modifications generally require a 10%+ change in the calculated amount or a substantial change of circumstances under R.C. 3119.79.
- Best-interest standard governs. R.C. 3109.04(F)(1) lists 10+ factors: each parent's wishes, the child's wishes (when of sufficient age), the child's interaction with parents/siblings, adjustment to home/school/community, mental and physical health of all involved, the parent more likely to facilitate court-approved parenting time, child support compliance, criminal history, residence outside Ohio, and any history of abuse.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does it cost to file in Medina County?
- Filing deposits at the Medina County Domestic Relations Court (effective 1/1/2024) are $400 for a divorce with minor children and $350 without; $350 for a dissolution with children and $325 without; and $200 for a parentage or post-decree filing. The deposit for cases with children covers the court's FOCUS parenting program. Clerk questions go to (330) 725-9722. If you cannot afford the deposit, ask about a payment plan when you file or submit a Poverty Affidavit asking the court to waive it.
- How long does a Medina County case usually take?
- A dissolution is heard 30–90 days after filing. An uncontested (default) divorce, where the other spouse won't respond, typically finishes in a few months. A contested divorce usually runs 8–18 months depending on temporary-orders activity, discovery, and the magistrate's calendar. The defendant has 28 days to file an Answer after being served. Docket questions go to (330) 764-8298.
- Do custody and paternity cases go to Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court in Medina County?
- Medina County is unusual. Under R.C. 2301.03(U), all child-custody and parentage cases are filed in the Medina County Domestic Relations Court at 225 East Washington Street, Medina — even for never-married parents. Many Ohio counties send never-married custody and paternity to Juvenile Court, but Medina keeps them in Domestic Relations. The court decides custody under the R.C. 3109.04(F) best-interest factors.
- What does Medina County CSEA do?
- The Medina County Child Support Enforcement Agency (330-722-9398, mcjfs.us/child-support) opens IV-D cases, runs the Ohio Income Shares calculation, collects support by wage withholding, distributes it to the receiving parent, and enforces orders through license suspension, tax intercept, and contempt referrals. Payment questions go to Ohio Child Support Payments at 1-800-860-2555.
Free Local Resources in Medina County
- Medina County Domestic Relations Court. Local forms, local rules, email-filing instructions, and case information for divorce, dissolution, custody, support, and protection orders at medinadr.org. The Forms page is medinadr.org/forms.html. Court staff cannot give legal advice or help complete forms.
- Ohio Child Support Calculator. The state's official 2024 Income Shares worksheet at ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov. Run it, print, and sign it before any hearing that sets or changes support.
- FOCUS — Family Court Resources parenting program. The court-provided parenting class for parents of minor children, prepaid through the filing deposit and coordinated by Family Court Resources (234-802-0944). Approved online alternatives are Children in Between and Two Families Now.
- Community Legal Aid Services. Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Medina County and northeast Ohio. Intake line 1-800-998-9454.
Other Family-Law Topics in Medina County
- Medina County Divorce — Full filing guide for contested divorce in the Medina County DR Court.
- Medina County Custody — All custody, married or never-married, is decided in the Medina County Domestic Relations Court.
- Medina County Child Support — Ohio Income Shares worksheet, CSEA enforcement, and how to modify an order.
Related to your modifications case
- Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
- Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
- Spousal Support — Pursue or respond to alimony requests during and after divorce.
Keep exploring
- Ohio Post-Decree Modifications guide — Statewide overview of post-decree modifications in Ohio.
- Cleveland family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Cleveland metro.
- Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Family Law Attorney at Gavvl Law.
- Payment plans & financing — Flat fees with Gavvl Direct, Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later.
Call (216) 868-8005 or email support@gavvl.com.
