Shared Parenting in Richland County

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

Richland County, Ohio · Mansfield

In shared parenting, both parents are named residential parent and legal custodian under an approved plan (R.C. 3109.04). Richland County handles shared parenting in the Domestic Relations Court and publishes a dedicated Agreed Motion for Shared Parenting checklist; absent agreement, parenting time defaults to Local Rule 24.

How do I get a shared parenting plan in Richland County, Ohio?

Propose a Shared Parenting Plan (SF 20) that makes both parents residential parent and legal custodian, and file it in the Richland County Domestic Relations Court with the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Form 06.00) and a child-support worksheet. If both parents agree, use the court's Agreed Motion for Shared Parenting pleadings checklist. The court must find the plan is in the children's best interest (R.C. 3109.04(F)). When parents don't set their own schedule, the court applies its Local Rule 24 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: 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: www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/domesticrelations

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

Both parents want to be named residential parent and legal custodian.
You can cooperate on a written plan covering schedule, decisions, and exchanges.
The plan serves the children's best interest under R.C. 3109.04.
You're filing in a divorce, dissolution, or parentage case, or modifying an existing order.

Filing Fees

Allocation deposit $450 (new case) · reallocation motion $300 · parenting-time motion $300 · fee waiver via Form 01.00 · confirm amounts with the Clerk of Courts at (419) 774-3526

Forms & Filing Packets

Agreed shared parenting plan — Confirm the deposit with the Clerk (rides with the underlying case)

File the SF 20 shared parenting plan with the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit and the child-support worksheet, using the Agreed Motion for Shared Parenting checklist.

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 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.
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.
Agreed Motion for Shared Parenting pleadings checklist — Confirms the packet for an agreed shared-parenting motion.
Local Rule 24 — Parenting Time (adopted 1-1-2026) — Richland County's standard parenting-time schedule, holiday rotation, and long-distance provisions, applied when parents don't agree on their own plan.

Contested shared-parenting request — Confirm the deposit with the Clerk

File the proposed plan with the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit and the support worksheet; the court decides best interest and applies Local Rule 24 where the parents don't agree on a schedule.

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 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.
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.
Custody or Parenting Time pleadings checklist — Confirms the complete custody / parenting-time filing packet.
Local Rule 24 — Parenting Time (adopted 1-1-2026) — Richland County's standard parenting-time schedule, holiday rotation, and long-distance provisions, applied when parents don't agree on their own plan.

How to File Shared Parenting in Richland County

Draft the plan. Prepare a Shared Parenting Plan (SF 20) covering the residential schedule, decision-making, and exchanges, with both parents named residential parent and legal custodian.
Add the supporting forms. Include the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Form 06.00) and the Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet.
Use the right checklist. File using the Agreed Motion for Shared Parenting checklist when both parents agree, or the Custody or Parenting Time checklist when contested.
Let the court review best interest. The court approves the plan if it serves the children's best interest (R.C. 3109.04), applying Local Rule 24 where the parents don't set their own schedule.

Richland County Practice Notes

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.
Local Rule 24 sets the default schedule. Richland adopted a new Local Rule 24 — Parenting Time effective 1-1-2026. It governs the default parenting-time allocation, holiday rotation, and long-distance provisions when parents don't agree on their own schedule. Always use the current version.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Richland County's standard parenting-time schedule?: It is set by Local Rule 24 — Parenting Time (adopted 1-1-2026). The court applies that default schedule, holiday rotation, and long-distance provisions when parents don't agree on their own plan. Always use the current version linked from the DR Court's site.
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).
Will a Guardian ad Litem be appointed in my Richland County custody case?: The DR Court can appoint a Guardian ad Litem to represent the child's best interest in a contested custody or parenting matter, consistent with Ohio Sup.R. 48. The court also has local tools that often accompany contested custody work — Request for Home Investigation (Form 08.00), Order for Custody Evaluation (Form 22.00), Order for Psychological Evaluation (Form 23.00), and Order for Drug Testing (Form 25.00). Confirm the current GAL deposit and appointment process with the DR Court (419-774-5573).
Which court hears family-law cases in Richland County, Ohio?: Almost all of them go to the Richland County Domestic Relations Court (Judge Beth Owens; Chief Magistrate Brian Kellogg) at 50 Park Ave. East, Third Floor, Mansfield, (419) 774-5573. The DR Court hears divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, civil domestic-violence (DVCPO), parentage/paternity, allocation of parental rights (custody), parenting time, non-parent custody, and all post-decree matters — even for never-married parents. The separate Juvenile Court handles only abuse/neglect/dependency (CPS), delinquency, unruly, and truancy. A Civil Stalking Protection Order (non-household) is filed in the General Division, not the DR Court.

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 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.
Medina family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Medina metro.
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