Establishing Paternity in Morgan County

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

Morgan County, Ohio · McConnelsville

When parents were never married, establishing paternity (parentage) is the first step before a court can set custody, parenting time, or child support. In Morgan County, parentage cases are handled by the Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division (the Favreau Room, 2nd floor), at 19 East Main Street, McConnelsville, 740-962-2861. Until a court orders otherwise, an unmarried mother is the child's sole residential parent and legal custodian.

How do I establish paternity in Morgan County, Ohio?

Paternity can be established by a signed Acknowledgment of Paternity, a prior court judgment, or genetic testing. To get court orders, file a Complaint for Parentage, Allocation of Parental Rights & Parenting Time (Form 23/JF 2) in the Morgan County Juvenile Division, 19 East Main Street, McConnelsville, 740-962-2861, with the parenting proceeding affidavit and a child-support worksheet. The deposit is $150. Once parentage is established, the court can name a residential parent and legal custodian, set parenting time using the county's visitation guidelines, and order child support through the Morgan County CSEA.

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: Morgan County Court of Common Pleas — Domestic Relations Division

19 East Main Street, 2nd Floor, McConnelsville, OH 43756
Phone: (740) 962-3371
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (closed legal holidays)
Website: www.morgancocourtsoh.gov/Domestic-Relations/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Morgan County Court of Common Pleas — Juvenile Division
19 East Main Street, 2nd Floor (Favreau Room), McConnelsville, OH 43756
Phone: (740) 962-2861
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (closed legal holidays)

Paternity is the right path if…

You and the other parent were never married to each other.
You need a legal finding of the child's father before custody or support can be ordered.
You want a court-ordered parenting-time schedule and a custody designation.
You need a child-support order set and enforced through the Morgan County CSEA.

Filing Fees

$150 Juvenile deposit (parentage / custody complaint) · child-support set through the Morgan County CSEA (740-962-4616) · fee waiver available · confirm current amounts with the Juvenile Division at 740-962-2861

Forms & Filing Packets

Establish parentage and set custody and support — $150 Juvenile deposit

File the parentage/custody complaint (Form 23) in the Juvenile Division with the parenting proceeding affidavit, the child-support worksheet, and the Health Insurance Affidavit. Genetic testing may be ordered if paternity is disputed.

Complaint for Parentage, Allocation of Parental Rights & Parenting Time (Ohio SC Form 23 / JF 2) — Filed in the Juvenile Division to establish parentage and ask the court to name a residential parent and legal custodian and set parenting time when the parents were never married.
Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (UCCJEA · R.C. 3127.23) — Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years and with whom, confirming Ohio's jurisdiction over custody under the UCCJEA. Required in any case involving minor children.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you ask the court to set or change support.
Health Insurance Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 4) — Discloses whether health insurance is available for the children through either parent's employer, so the court can order medical support.

How to File Paternity in Morgan County

Confirm how paternity will be established. Paternity can be established by a signed Acknowledgment of Paternity, a prior judgment, or genetic testing; if it's disputed, the court can order genetic testing.
File the parentage complaint. File the Complaint for Parentage, Allocation of Parental Rights & Parenting Time (Form 23) in the Morgan County Juvenile Division with the parenting proceeding affidavit and a child-support worksheet; pay the $150 deposit or request a fee waiver.
Serve the other parent and attend the hearing. The other parent is served and the court holds a hearing; the judge applies the R.C. 3109.04(F) best-interest factors to allocate custody and set parenting time.
Set support through CSEA. File a IV-D application with the Morgan County CSEA (740-962-4616) so the child-support order can be collected by wage withholding and enforced.

Morgan County Practice Notes

Unmarried mother is sole custodian until the court acts. Under R.C. 2151.23, an unmarried mother is the child's sole residential parent and legal custodian until the Juvenile Division orders otherwise. A father has no enforceable custody or parenting-time rights until parentage is established and the court issues an allocation order, so filing the parentage complaint is the necessary first step.
Parenting time follows the county's guidelines. Once parentage and custody are decided, the Juvenile Division sets parenting time using the Morgan County Standard Local Visitation Guidelines (within 100 miles), the Long-Distance Guidelines (over 100 miles), or the Phase-In Parenting Schedule where a parent and child have no established relationship.
No e-filing — file in person or by mail. The court's online CourtView eServices portal is a public case-records search only; Morgan County does not offer electronic filing of new family-law cases. File in person or by mail with the Clerk at the courthouse. Confirm accepted payment methods with the Clerk before you go (the court's general filing line is 740-962-3371).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do unmarried parents establish custody and support in Morgan County?: An unmarried mother is the child's sole residential parent and legal custodian until a court orders otherwise. The father establishes rights by filing a Complaint for Parentage, Allocation of Parental Rights & Parenting Time (Form 23/JF 2) in the Juvenile Division; paternity must be established (by Acknowledgment of Paternity, a prior judgment, or genetic testing) before the court allocates custody or sets support. The Juvenile filing deposit is $150.
Do I file in Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court in Morgan County?: If you are married to (or were married to) the other parent, custody, parenting time, and child support are decided inside your divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment in the Domestic Relations Division (740-962-3371). If you were never married, paternity and custody are handled by the Juvenile Division (740-962-2861), held in the Favreau Room on the 2nd floor. Grandparent and other non-parent custody requests are always filed in the Juvenile Division.
How much does it cost to file a custody, parentage, or parenting-time case in Juvenile Court?: $150 as security for costs for a parentage, custody, or parenting-time complaint in the Morgan County Juvenile Division — and the same $150 to reopen or move to modify custody, support, or visitation, or for contempt. A fee waiver is available if you cannot afford it. Confirm current amounts with the Juvenile Division at 740-962-2861.
What is the Morgan County CSEA and a IV-D application?: The Morgan County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) is housed in the Morgan County Department of Job and Family Services (Director Heidi Burns, 155 E. Main St., Rm. 009, McConnelsville; 740-962-4616). A IV-D application opens a child-support case so CSEA can collect support through automatic wage withholding, distribute it, and enforce the order through license suspension, tax intercept, credit reporting, and contempt referrals.

Free Local Resources in Morgan County

Morgan County Clerk of Courts (Domestic Relations). Current filing fees, deposit amounts, and filing instructions for divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment. Call (740) 962-3371 or visit https://www.morgancocourtsoh.gov/Domestic-Relations/ before filing; the county uses the Ohio Supreme Court standardized forms.
Morgan County Juvenile Division. Handles never-married-parent custody, parentage, parenting time, and child support, plus non-parent custody. Filing line (740) 962-2861; proceedings are held in the Favreau Room, 2nd floor of the courthouse.
Morgan County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA / DJFS). Housed in the Morgan County Department of Job and Family Services (Director Heidi Burns), 155 E. Main St., Rm. 009, McConnelsville. Opens IV-D cases, runs wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders. Phone (740) 962-4616, fax (740) 962-5344.
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.

Related to your paternity case

Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
Grandparents' Rights — Seek visitation or custody when it serves the child's best interest.
Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.

Related guides

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

Fathers' Rights in Ohio: Custody, Paternity, and Parenting Time — Ohio law does not favor mothers over fathers — but unmarried fathers must establish paternity before they have any rights. Here's how fathers protect their relationship with their children.
Ohio Child Custody Laws: What Every Parent Should Know — Ohio custody law turns on one principle: the best interest of the child. This guide explains sole custody, shared parenting, the statutory factors, and how courts decide.
Child Support Calculation in Ohio: How the Formula Works — Ohio calculates child support with the income shares model, combining both parents' incomes to set a shared obligation. Here's how the formula works and what changes the bottom line.

Keep exploring

Ohio Paternity guide — Statewide overview of paternity in Ohio.
Columbus family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Columbus metro.
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