Annulment in Paulding County

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

Paulding County, Ohio · Paulding

An annulment declares that a marriage was never validly formed, on the narrow statutory grounds in R.C. 3105.31 — such as bigamy, under-age marriage without consent, fraud, force, or incapacity. It is different from divorce, which ends a valid marriage. In Paulding County an annulment is filed in the Common Pleas General Division and follows the divorce process, including the affidavits the Clerk requires.

How do I file for annulment in Paulding County, Ohio?

File a Complaint for Annulment in the Common Pleas General Division stating which R.C. 3105.31 ground applies — bigamy, under-age marriage without consent, fraud, force, or incapacity — with Affidavit 1 and Affidavit 2 (and the Parenting Proceeding and Health Insurance affidavits with minor children) the Clerk requires under Local Rule 19.01. The deposit is $400. Annulment grounds are narrow and some have short time limits, so most marriages must be ended by divorce instead. Confirm current amounts and the preferred pleading format with the Clerk at (419) 399-8210.

Ohio Divorce by the Numbers

6 months Ohio residency required before you can file Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3105.03
90 days Residency in the county of filing (venue) Source: Ohio Civ. R. 3
30–90 days Typical time to finalize an uncontested dissolution Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3105.64
1 year Living separate and apart that qualifies as no-fault grounds Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3105.01

Compare Your Options for Ending a Marriage in Ohio

Path	Ends the marriage?	Agreement required?	Best when
Dissolution	Yes	Yes — on every term before filing	Both spouses agree on everything and want the fastest, lowest-cost path
Divorce (contested)	Yes	No	Spouses disagree on property, support, or parenting and need a judge to decide
Divorce (uncontested / default)	Yes	No	One spouse will not respond or cannot be located
Legal separation	No — you stay married	Optional	You need court orders but must stay married (religion, insurance, or benefits)
Annulment	Treated as never valid	No	The marriage was never legally valid (fraud, bigamy, underage, or incapacity)

Where to File: Paulding County Court of Common Pleas - General Division (Domestic Relations)

115 N. Williams Street, Suite 201, Paulding, OH 45879
Phone: (419) 399-8220
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–4:30 p.m.
Website: www.pauldingcommonpleas.com/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Paulding County Juvenile & Probate Court
115 N. Williams Street, Suite 202, Paulding, OH 45879
Phone: (419) 399-8255
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Annulment is the right path if…

Your marriage fits a specific R.C. 3105.31 ground (bigamy, under-age, fraud, force, or incapacity).
You are acting within any time limit for your ground.
You want the court to declare the marriage void or voidable rather than end a valid one.
You can complete the required affidavits and, with children, the A-OK parenting class.

If your situation doesn't fit a statutory ground, divorce or dissolution is the right path. Compare divorce.

Filing Fees

$400 deposit · +$50 personal service · narrow R.C. 3105.31 grounds with short time limits for some · confirm current amounts and the preferred pleading format with the Clerk at (419) 399-8210

Forms & Filing Packets

Annulment with no minor children — $400 deposit

File the Complaint for Annulment stating the R.C. 3105.31 ground with the Income & Expenses and Property & Debt affidavits (Local Rule 19.01).

Affidavit of Income & Expenses (Ohio SC Affidavit 1) — Income, expenses, and basic financial information. Each party files their own. Must be notarized.
Affidavit of Property (Ohio SC Affidavit 2) — Lists every asset and debt. Required at filing.
Paulding County Common Pleas Local Rules (eff. 4/1/2025) — The General Division's Local Rules — Domestic Relations procedure and required affidavits (Rule 19), security for costs / fee waiver (Rule 4), e-filing and fax filing (Rule 23), and civil protection orders (Rule 24).

Annulment with minor children — $400 deposit

Add the Parenting Proceeding and Health Insurance affidavits and a child-support worksheet; the court still addresses parentage, custody, and support.

Affidavit of Income & Expenses (Ohio SC Affidavit 1) — Income, expenses, and basic financial information. Each party files their own. Must be notarized.
Affidavit of Property (Ohio SC Affidavit 2) — Lists every asset and debt. Required at filing.
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.
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.
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.
Assisting Our Kids (A-OK) Parenting Program (Paulding County) — The required parenting class for parents of minor children, completed within 75 days of filing (Local Rule 19.08). Take it online at assistingourkids.com for $30; the certificate is good for three years and is delivered to the court or emailed to the Court Administrator at lvance@pauldingcounty-oh.com.

How to File Annulment in Paulding County

Confirm a statutory ground. Identify which R.C. 3105.31 ground applies and whether you are within any time limit; if none fits, divorce or dissolution is the right path.
Prepare the complaint and affidavits. Draft a Complaint for Annulment to the facts with Affidavit 1 and Affidavit 2 (plus the children's affidavits where applicable); confirm the preferred pleading format with the Clerk.
File with the $400 deposit. File at the Paulding County Clerk of Courts, Room 104; ask about a fee waiver if you can't afford the deposit.
Serve and attend the hearing. Serve your spouse and attend the hearing; the court decides whether the marriage is void or voidable and addresses any children's issues.

Paulding County Practice Notes

Grounds are narrow — and time-limited. Annulment is available only on the statutory grounds in R.C. 3105.31 (bigamy, under-age marriage without consent, fraud, force, mental incapacity, or non-consummation in some cases), and several grounds have short time limits or are lost once the spouses continue to live together after learning the facts. Most marriages must be ended by divorce, not annulment.
The Clerk rejects DR filings missing the required affidavits. Under Local Rule 19.01, the Clerk will refuse a complaint for divorce, legal separation, or annulment, or a petition for dissolution, that is not accompanied by Uniform DR Affidavit 1 (Income & Expenses) and Affidavit 2 (Property & Debt). In cases with minor children, the Parenting Proceeding (Affidavit 3) and Health Insurance (Affidavit 4) affidavits are also required; use only the last four digits of any SSN on filed documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is an annulment available instead of divorce in Paulding County?: An annulment declares a marriage void or voidable on the narrow statutory grounds in R.C. 3105.31 — such as bigamy, under-age marriage without consent, fraud, force, or incapacity. Most marriages must be ended by divorce, not annulment, and there are short time limits for some grounds. An annulment is filed in the General Division and follows the divorce process, including the mandatory Affidavit 1 and Affidavit 2 (and the Parenting Proceeding and Health Insurance affidavits with minor children) the Clerk requires under Local Rule 19.01.
How much does it cost to file a Domestic Relations case in Paulding County?: Under the General Division cost-deposit schedule (effective April 1, 2025): $400 to file a divorce or dissolution (with or without children), and the same $400 for a counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim; $300 for a post-judgment motion; $225 for a motion with a consent judgment entry; $50 for a Notice to Relocate or a foreign judgment; and $135 for a QDRO or DPRO. Add $50 if you request personal service. A DVCPO petition has no filing fee (R.C. 3113.31(K)). If you can't afford the deposit, file a motion to proceed without prepayment of costs with the required affidavit/attorney statement (Local Rule 4). Confirm current amounts with the Clerk at (419) 399-8210.
Do I have to live in Ohio to file for divorce in Paulding County?: Yes. To file for divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment, a party must have been an Ohio resident for at least six months before filing, and the case is filed in Paulding County by venue. For never-married parents filing custody in the Paulding County Juvenile Court, Ohio must be the children's home state under the UCCJEA (R.C. 3127) — generally, the children have lived in Ohio for the last six consecutive months.
What's the difference between legal separation and divorce in Paulding County?: A legal separation (R.C. 3105.17) resolves property, debt, support, custody, and parenting time but you remain legally married; a divorce ends the marriage. Both are filed in the General Division on the same Uniform DR forms, with the same mandatory Affidavit 1 and Affidavit 2 (plus the children's affidavits where applicable) and the same A-OK parenting requirement for parents of minor children. A legal separation can later be followed by a divorce or dissolution if you decide to end the marriage.

Free Local Resources in Paulding County

Paulding County Clerk of Courts. Clerk Sarah Jo Harpel files all divorce, dissolution, and Domestic Relations documents. 115 N. Williams St., Room 104, Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 399-8210 · fax (419) 399-8248 · clerk@pauldingcountyoh.com. E-filing is by email and currently available to attorneys only (Local Rule 23); an original complaint or initial pleading may not be filed by fax or email. Confirm current deposits and packet requirements before filing.
Paulding County Common Pleas Court - General Division. Domestic Relations cases are heard by Judge Tiffany R. Beckman; contact Court Administrator Lynn Vance at (419) 399-8220 or lvance@pauldingcounty-oh.com. Local forms and Local Rules: http://www.pauldingcommonpleas.com/local-rules.html · eServices records search: http://www.pauldingcommonpleas.com/eservices/
Assisting Our Kids ("A-OK") Parenting Program. Local Rule 19.08 requires all parties in a divorce/dissolution with minor children — and any case allocating parental rights — to complete the A-OK parenting class within 75 days of filing. Take it online at https://www.assistingourkids.com/ for $30.00; the certificate is valid for three years. Print and deliver the certificate to the court or email it to lvance@pauldingcounty-oh.com.
Paulding County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Paulding County's IV-D agency opens child-support cases, runs wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders; child-support orders are forwarded by the Clerk to the CSEA (Local Rules 19.02, 19.09). Confirm the current direct line with the county. File a IV-D Application when establishing or modifying support.
Paulding County Juvenile & Probate Court. Judge Harvey D. Hyman hears never-married custody, paternity, and juvenile matters (Juvenile (419) 399-8255; Probate/adoption (419) 399-8256). 115 N. Williams St., Suite 202, Paulding, OH 45879 · https://www.pauldingjuvenilecourt.com/

Related to your annulment case

Spousal Support — Pursue or respond to alimony requests during and after divorce.
Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.

Related guides

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

Divorce vs. Dissolution in Ohio: Which Path Is Right for You? — Divorce and dissolution both end an Ohio marriage, but they work very differently. Dissolution is a no-fault, agreed process; divorce is a lawsuit for couples who can't agree. Here's how to choose.
How to File for Divorce in Ohio: A Step-by-Step Guide — Filing for divorce in Ohio follows a defined path: confirm residency, choose your grounds, file the complaint, serve your spouse, and work toward temporary orders and a final decree. Here is how each step works.

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Ohio Annulment guide — Statewide overview of annulment in Ohio.
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