Enforcing Orders in Morgan County

Where to File: Morgan County Court of Common Pleas — Domestic Relations Division

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)

Post-Decree Contempt is the right path if…

• The other party is violating a custody, parenting-time, support, or property order.
• You have a final order in place and need the court to enforce it.
• You want the violator ordered to comply, pay fees, or face penalties.
• You need help with child-support enforcement through the Morgan County CSEA.

Filing Fees

$120 Domestic Relations post-decree motion deposit · Juvenile contempt $150 · CSEA child-support enforcement (740-962-4616) · the court may order the violator to pay your attorney fees · confirm current amounts with the Clerk at 740-962-3371

Forms & Filing Packets

How to File Post-Decree Contempt in Morgan County

1. Document the violation. Gather proof of what the order requires and how it was violated — payment records, a parenting-time log, or correspondence.
2. File the contempt motion. File the Motion for Contempt with affidavit (Form 24/JF 3) and the Show Cause Order (Form 25/JF 4) in the division that issued the order, with the $120 deposit.
3. Serve and attend the hearing. The other party is served with the show-cause order and notice; at the hearing the court can order them to comply, pay your fees, or face penalties.
4. Use CSEA for support arrears. For unpaid child support, also work with the Morgan County CSEA (740-962-4616), which can enforce through wage withholding, license suspension, tax intercept, and credit reporting.

Morgan County Practice Notes

• DR contempt vs. Juvenile contempt. Use contempt in the Domestic Relations case to enforce divorce/dissolution decree obligations between former spouses — spousal support, property division, and the child support and parenting time set in that case. Keep this distinct from Juvenile contempt, which enforces orders entered in a Juvenile case between unmarried parents or non-parent custodians. File in the division that issued the order you're enforcing.
• Purge conditions and penalties. A person found in contempt is usually given a chance to 'purge' the contempt by complying — paying the arrears or restoring the missed parenting time. The court can also order the violator to pay your attorney fees and impose fines or jail under R.C. 2705.02 and 2705.031. For child support, CSEA enforcement (wage withholding, license suspension, tax intercept, credit reporting) often runs alongside a contempt motion.
• 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

The other parent isn't following our order — what can I do in Morgan County?

File a Motion for Contempt with affidavit (Form 24/JF 3) and a Show Cause Order (Form 25/JF 4) in the division that issued the order; the court sets a hearing and can order the violator to comply (purge), pay fees, or face penalties (R.C. 2705.02, 2705.031). The DR post-decree motion deposit is $120. Child-support enforcement also runs through the Morgan County CSEA at 740-962-4616.

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.

How do I change a custody, support, or parenting-time order in Morgan County?

File a post-decree motion in the same division that issued the order — Domestic Relations (740-962-3371) for divorce/dissolution cases, Juvenile (740-962-2861) for unmarried-parent cases. Use Form 27/JF 6 to change custody (which requires a change in circumstances plus a best-interest finding under R.C. 3109.04(E)), Form 26/JF 5 to change parenting time, or Form 28/JF 7 to change support. A DR post-decree motion deposit is $120; a Juvenile modification is $150.

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.

Other Family-Law Topics in Morgan County

• Statewide Custody Overview — How Ohio custody and parenting time work at a high level.
• Talk to a Family Law Attorney — Connect with a Morgan 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.

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• Ohio Post-Decree Contempt guide — Statewide overview of post-decree contempt in Ohio.
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