Filing for Divorce with Children in Morrow County

Morrow County Court of Common Pleas

File Domestic Relations documents by e-Filing through the Clerk's CourtView eServices portal, or in person with the Morrow County Clerk of Courts, Legal Division, Room 6, 48 East High Street, Mount Gilead, (419) 947-2085. Pay the flat deposit ($400 divorce / $275 dissolution) as the Clerk directs; a Civil Fee Waiver Affidavit and Order can request a fee waiver if you cannot afford the deposit.

Filing Fees

$400 divorce, legal separation, or annulment; $275 dissolution (each with or without children)

Morrow County Procedure Quirks

• All four divisions (General, Domestic Relations, Juvenile, Probate) sit in the Morrow County Courthouse at 48 East High Street, Mount Gilead. The Clerk's Legal Division is on the 1st floor in Room 6; the Juvenile/Probate Clerk is on the 3rd floor.
• Domestic Relations and General civil filings can be e-Filed through the Clerk's CourtView eServices portal, or filed in person at the Clerk's Legal Division window in Room 6.
• The filing deposit is a flat $400 for a divorce, legal separation, or annulment and a flat $275 for a dissolution, whether or not there are children.
• An uncontested divorce, where the other spouse will not respond, proceeds by default after the defendant's 28-day answer period; a dissolution is heard 30–90 days after filing.
• Parents of minor children must complete the Seminar for Separating Parents (Local Rule 1) before the final hearing.

Parenting Class

Seminar for Separating Parents — Morrow County Court of Common Pleas / court-approved providers (https://morrowcountyohio.gov/government/county_elected_officials/common_pleas_court/court_rules.php)
Under R.C. 3109.053 and Morrow County Local Rule 1, parents of minor children in a divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment must complete the court-approved Seminar for Separating Parents and file the Certificate of Completion before the final hearing. Most parents complete an approved online class such as Children in Between; a parent can be denied parenting time until it is completed.

Judges

• Honorable Tom C. Elkin
• Honorable Robert C. Hickson, Jr.

Morrow County Court of Common Pleas — Juvenile Division

Same courthouse as the Domestic Relations side, on the 3rd floor with its own clerk. Handles paternity and custody for never-married parents, grandparent / non-parent custody, and child support, plus abuse, neglect, and dependency.

Domestic Relations vs. Juvenile

Morrow County runs its family cases through one Court of Common Pleas with separate divisions in the same courthouse at 48 East High Street, Mount Gilead. The General / Domestic Relations side handles divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, and the custody and support that travel with them for married parents. The Juvenile Division (3rd floor, (419) 947-5575) handles paternity and custody for never-married parents and grandparent / non-parent custody.

Free Local Resources in Morrow County

• Morrow County Mediation Department. The Court offers mediation with mediator Kathy Nicolosi at 80 North Walnut Street, Suite F, Mount Gilead, (419) 947-9535, to help parents resolve parenting and other disputes outside a contested hearing.
• Seminar for Separating Parents. Morrow County's court-approved parenting education program required under Local Rule 1 for parents of minor children. Most parents complete an approved online class such as Children in Between and file the Certificate of Completion before the final hearing.
• Common Pleas Court Forms page. Local checklists and links to the Ohio uniform DR forms at morrowcountyohio.gov (Common Pleas Court Forms page). Court staff cannot give legal advice or help complete the forms.

Related to your divorce

• 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.