Shared Parenting in Morgan County

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

Morgan County, Ohio · McConnelsville

In Ohio, shared parenting means both parents are named residential parents and legal custodians and share decision-making under a court-approved Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20). It is about decision-making, not a guaranteed 50/50 time split. In Morgan County, shared parenting is decided inside a divorce or dissolution in the Domestic Relations Division, or in the Juvenile Division for never-married parents, before Judge John Wells in McConnelsville.

How do I ask for shared parenting in Morgan County, Ohio?

Submit a proposed Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) that addresses every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor — living arrangements, holiday and vacation schedule, child support, decision-making authority, transportation, school and health-care decisions, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. File it with your divorce or dissolution in the Domestic Relations Division, or with a parentage/custody complaint in the Juvenile Division if you were never married. Attach the parenting proceeding affidavit and a child-support worksheet. The court approves the plan only if it serves the children's best interest (R.C. 3109.04(F)); the county's Standard Local Visitation Guidelines fill in the parenting-time schedule.

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)

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

Both parents want to share decision-making for the children as residential parents and legal custodians.
You can put together a written plan covering schedule, decisions, support, and dispute resolution.
You and the other parent can cooperate enough to follow a shared plan.
You want the court to approve a plan rather than name one sole residential parent.

Filing Fees

Shared parenting inside a divorce/dissolution: part of the case deposit · Never-married shared parenting in Juvenile Court: $150 · parenting class ordered case-by-case (confirm with the court) · confirm current amounts with the Clerk (740-962-3371) or Juvenile Division (740-962-2861)

Forms & Filing Packets

Shared parenting inside a divorce or dissolution — Part of the divorce/dissolution deposit ($225 with children)

File the proposed Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) with your divorce or dissolution in the Domestic Relations Division, plus the parenting proceeding affidavit and a child-support worksheet. The county's parenting-time guidelines apply.

Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) — Required when both parents are asking to be designated residential parents under R.C. 3109.04(G). Must be notarized.
Parenting Proceeding / UCCJEA Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 3) — Required in any case with minor children. Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years, confirming Ohio's UCCJEA jurisdiction.
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.
Morgan County Standard Local Visitation Guidelines — The court's own parenting-time schedule for parents living within 100 miles of Morgan County — alternate weekends (Fri 6 p.m.–Sun 6 p.m.), twelve holidays split equally, and a two-week summer block for each parent. This becomes the order unless the parents agree otherwise in writing the judge approves.

Shared parenting for never-married parents — $150 Juvenile deposit

File the Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) with a parentage/custody complaint (Form 23) in the Juvenile Division, plus the parenting affidavit and worksheet. Paternity must be established first.

Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) — Required when both parents are asking to be designated residential parents under R.C. 3109.04(G). Must be notarized.
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.

How to File Shared Parenting in Morgan County

Draft the Shared Parenting Plan. Prepare a proposed Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) addressing every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor — schedule, decisions, support, transportation, and dispute resolution.
Pick the right division. File the plan with your divorce or dissolution in the Domestic Relations Division, or with a parentage/custody complaint in the Juvenile Division if you were never married.
File supporting forms. Add the parenting proceeding affidavit (UCCJEA) and a child-support worksheet; pay the applicable deposit or request a fee waiver.
Attend the hearing. The court reviews the plan against the children's best interest (R.C. 3109.04(F)) and either approves it or directs revisions before entering the order.

Morgan County Practice Notes

The plan must address every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor. A written Shared Parenting Plan must cover physical living arrangements, holiday and vacation schedule, child support, decision-making authority, transportation, school and health-care decisions, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. Plans that skip a factor are routinely sent back for revision. Even with shared parenting, Morgan County's Standard Local Visitation Guidelines typically fill in the day-to-day parenting-time schedule.
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.
Parent education is ordered case-by-case, not by a posted program. Unlike many Ohio counties, Morgan County does not publish a mandatory parenting-education program or provider. Ohio law (R.C. 3109.053) lets the judge order parent education in a particular case, so it may still be required. Confirm with the court whether parent education is ordered in your case and who provides it before you assume it is or isn't required.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between sole custody and shared parenting in Morgan County?: Ohio courts allocate parental rights either as sole custody (one parent is named residential parent and legal custodian and makes the major decisions) or shared parenting (both parents share decision-making under a court-approved Shared Parenting Plan, Form 20). Ohio does not use the phrases 'primary custody' or 'joint custody,' and shared parenting is about decision-making, not a guaranteed 50/50 time split. A proposed Shared Parenting Plan must address every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor.
What is the standard parenting-time schedule in Morgan County?: The court's Standard Local Visitation Guidelines apply when both parents live within 100 miles: alternate weekends Friday 6:00 p.m. to Sunday 6:00 p.m., an encouraged midweek visit, twelve holidays split equally (holidays outrank weekends), Mother's/Father's Day and birthdays with the respective parent, and a two-week uninterrupted summer block for each parent. The non-residential parent transports and pays — but if either parent moves more than 25 miles from the county, the parent who moved bears the transportation cost.
Is a parenting class required for family-law cases in Morgan County?: Morgan County does not publish a mandatory parenting-education program or provider. Ohio law (R.C. 3109.053) lets the judge order parent education case by case, so it may still be required in your case even though nothing is posted. Confirm with the court whether parent education is ordered and who provides it before you register for anything.
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.
What if the other parent lives far away, or the child barely knows a parent?: If a parent lives more than 100 miles from Morgan County, the Long-Distance Visitation Guidelines apply instead — no fixed weekend schedule, but a six-week uninterrupted summer block and an alternate Christmas. Where there is little or no established relationship, the court can order the Phase-In Parenting Schedule, which builds from supervised 3-hour visits up to alternating overnights.

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 shared parenting case

Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.

Related guides

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

Shared Parenting in Ohio: How Joint Custody Really Works — Shared parenting is Ohio's version of joint custody — both parents stay legal custodians and share major decisions. Here's what a plan must cover and how courts decide.
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.
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.

Keep exploring

Ohio Shared Parenting guide — Statewide overview of shared parenting in Ohio.
Columbus family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Columbus metro.
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