Richland County Paternity Attorneys

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

Richland County, Ohio · Mansfield

Establishing legal fatherhood is the first step before custody, parenting time, or child support can be ordered for never-married parents. In Richland County, parentage runs through the Domestic Relations Court, whose own forms include a Complaint for Paternity and the local genetic-testing forms (12.00-14.00).

Hire Gavvl for your Richland County paternity case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Richland County local forms, the court strategy, and the hearings — and you know the price before we start.

Start with a $25 consultation and talk through your options with an Ohio family-law attorney before you commit to anything. Get started online or see payment plans & financing.

How do I establish paternity in Richland County, Ohio?

Parentage can be established by a signed Acknowledgment of Paternity, by an administrative order through the CSEA, or by a court action in the Richland County Domestic Relations Court. If genetic testing is needed, the court orders it using the Order for Paternity Testing (Form 12.00), with the Waiver (Form 13.00) and Paternity Testing Information (Form 14.00) forms. File the Complaint for Parentage/Allocation (SF 23/JF 2) with the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Form 06.00) and Personal Identifiers (Form 20.00); the deposit is $450. Once parentage is established, the court can allocate custody and set support.

Hire Gavvl Law to establish paternity in Richland County

Legal fatherhood has to be settled before a never-married parent can get custody, parenting time, or child support — and in Richland County that runs through the Domestic Relations Court, not a juvenile docket. Gavvl Law files the Complaint for Parentage/Allocation (SF 23/JF 2) with the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Form 06.00) and Personal Identifiers (Form 20.00), handles genetic testing if it is disputed, and resolves custody and support in the same $450 case.

One court for parentage, custody, and support. Because Richland keeps parentage and allocation together in the DR Court, unmarried parents use the same forms and $450 fee schedule as married spouses and can settle custody and support in a single action. We open the case so it does the whole job, not just name a father.
Genetic testing handled by the local forms. When parentage is contested the court orders DNA testing on the Order for Paternity Testing (Form 12.00), with the Waiver (Form 13.00) and Paternity Testing Information (Form 14.00). We prepare the testing forms so results come back cleanly and the case keeps moving.
Three routes to parentage, the right one chosen. Parentage can be set by a signed Acknowledgment of Paternity, an administrative CSEA order, or a court action. We match the route to your situation, then use the DR Court case when you also need enforceable custody and support orders, not just a legal father.

We use the Custody or Parenting Time checklist so the parentage packet is complete, and if the $450 deposit is out of reach we file the fee-waiver Application (Form 01.00). Everything is filed through the Richland County Clerk of Courts at (419) 774-3526 for the DR Court in Mansfield.

Flat-fee options

Flat-fee limited scope: we draft and file the parentage complaint to establish legal paternity — adding custody and parenting time if you need it. You appear at any hearings yourself.

Establish paternity (parentage complaint): $950
Paternity with custody & parenting time: $1,350

Prefer full representation? An Ohio attorney can carry the entire case on a $3,500 retainer.

Split any flat fee with Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan at 19% APR, $500 minimum — on a 60%-down schedule of 18 weekly, 8 bi-weekly, or 4 monthly payments, or full financing where work begins once 60% is paid. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay.

Start your paternity case or see payment plans & financing.

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: Richland County Domestic Relations Court

50 Park Ave. East, Third Floor, Mansfield, OH 44902-1861
Phone: (419) 774-5573
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Website: Court website

Paternity is the right path if…

The parents were never married and legal fatherhood isn't established yet.
You need parentage settled before custody, parenting time, or support can be ordered.
You may need genetic (DNA) testing to confirm parentage.
You want the same DR Court to also allocate custody and set support.

Filing Fees

$450 paternity (or allocation) deposit · fee waiver via Form 01.00 · confirm current amounts with the Clerk of Courts at (419) 774-3526

Forms & Filing Packets

Establish paternity through the court — $450 paternity deposit

File the Complaint for Parentage/Allocation with the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit and Personal Identifiers; the court can order genetic testing if needed.

Complaint for Parentage / Allocation of Parental Rights (Ohio SC Form 23 / JF 2) — Asks the Richland County Domestic Relations Court to establish parentage and/or name a residential parent and legal custodian and set a parenting-time schedule when the parents were never married.
Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Richland Form 06.00) — Required in any case with minor children — lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years to confirm Ohio's UCCJEA jurisdiction.
Personal Identifiers (Richland Form 20.00) — Confidential sheet listing SSNs and other identifiers, filed separately from the public record.
Order for Paternity Testing (Richland Form 12.00) — The court's order for genetic (DNA) testing to establish parentage. Waiver is Form 13.00; the information form is Form 14.00.
Paternity Testing Information Form (Richland Form 14.00) — Captures the information the testing lab needs to schedule and process genetic testing.
Custody or Parenting Time pleadings checklist — Confirms the complete custody / parenting-time filing packet.

How to File Paternity in Richland County

Pick the path. Decide whether to use an Acknowledgment of Paternity, an administrative CSEA order, or a court action in the DR Court.
File the complaint. File the Complaint for Parentage/Allocation (SF 23) with the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Form 06.00) and Personal Identifiers (Form 20.00); pay the $450 deposit or file Form 01.00.
Complete genetic testing if ordered. If parentage is disputed, the court can order genetic testing using Form 12.00 and the Paternity Testing Information Form (Form 14.00).
Resolve custody and support. Once parentage is established, the DR Court can allocate custody and parenting time and set child support in the same case.

Richland County Practice Notes

Three ways to establish parentage. Parentage can be established by a signed Acknowledgment of Paternity, by an administrative CSEA order, or by a judicial action in the DR Court. The court can order genetic testing via Form 12.00 (with Form 13.00 waiver and Form 14.00 information) when parentage is disputed.
Parentage and custody run in the same DR Court. Because Richland handles parentage and allocation of parental rights in the Domestic Relations Court — not a juvenile docket — unmarried parents use the same court, forms, and $450 fee schedule as married-spouse custody issues, and can resolve custody and support in the same case.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I establish paternity in Richland County?: Parentage can be established by a signed Acknowledgment of Paternity, by an administrative order through the CSEA, or by a court action in the Domestic Relations Court. If genetic testing is needed, the court can order it using the local Order for Paternity Testing (Form 12.00), with the Waiver (Form 13.00) and Paternity Testing Information (Form 14.00) forms. The deposit for a Complaint for Paternity is $450 (confirm with the Clerk).
We were never married — where do I file for custody in Richland County?: In the Richland County Domestic Relations Court. Richland handles parentage and allocation of parental rights in the DR Court rather than splitting them off to a juvenile docket, so unmarried parents use the same court, forms, and fee schedule as married-spouse custody issues. The deposit for a Complaint for Allocation of Parental Rights is $450 (confirm with the Clerk).
How much does it cost to file in the Richland County DR Court?: Published DR cash deposits include $450 for a divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, paternity, or allocation-of-parental-rights complaint; $200 for a counterclaim; $300 for a reallocation, parenting-time, contempt, or other post-decree motion; $250 each to register a foreign decree or support order; $125 for a motion to compel; $50 for a process server; and $20 for a Notice of Intent to Relocate. A DVCPO has no filing fee. These are deposits against costs, not the total cost of a case — confirm the current schedule with the Clerk. If you can't afford the deposit, file the fee-waiver Application (Form 01.00). Pay through the Clerk or PayGov, not a third-party app.
How do I open a child-support (IV-D) case in Richland County?: File the Title IV-D Application (JFS-07076) to open enforcement services through the Richland County CSEA (scheduling: Rhiannon Wright, 419-774-5692). Support is computed under R.C. Chapter 3119 using the Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet, with the local support-language forms (15.00 no-deviation / 16.00 deviation) and the Medical Child Support Order (Form 09.00).

Free Local Resources in Richland County

Richland County Clerk of Courts. Handles filing and e-filing for the Common Pleas Court, including Domestic Relations. Clerk Heidi Ewing · (419) 774-3526 · https://www.richlandcourtsoh.us/clerkHome.php. All civil case types e-file through the Clerk's CourtView eAccess portal (available since June 1, 2023); online payments run through PayGov on the Clerk's ePayments page. Confirm current deposits and packet requirements before filing.
Richland County DR Court Forms, Fees & Local Rules. Official Domestic Relations forms, fee schedule, pleadings checklists, and the 2026 Local Rules. Forms: https://www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/domesticrelations/domesticforms · Fees: https://www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/domesticrelations/courtfees · Pleadings checklists: https://www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/domesticrelations/procedureinformationlinks · Self-represented help: https://www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/domesticrelations/proceedingwithoutanattorney.
Richland County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Richland County's IV-D agency opens child-support cases, runs wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders. CSEA scheduling at the DR Court: Rhiannon Wright · (419) 774-5692. File a Title IV-D Application (JFS-07076) when establishing or modifying support.
Legal Aid & Ohio Legal Help. Free and low-cost legal information for Richland County residents who cannot afford an attorney. Legal Aid: https://www.richlandcourtsoh.us/legalAid.php · Ohio Legal Help: https://www.richlandcourtsoh.us/legalHelp.php. If you can't afford the filing deposit, ask the Clerk about an Affidavit of Indigency (fee waiver) under Ohio Civil Rule 3(E).

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.