Shared Parenting in Ross County

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

Ross County, Ohio · Chillicothe

Ohio uses shared parenting — not "joint custody" — when both parents are designated residential parents under a court-approved plan. In Ross County a shared-parenting plan is filed in the General Division (married parents) or the Juvenile Division (never-married parents), and the court must find it in the child's best interest.

How do I get shared parenting in Ross County, Ohio?

File a Shared Parenting Plan with your custody case — Ohio SC Form 20 in a General Division divorce/dissolution, or the Juvenile Division's local Form 20 for never-married parents. The plan must address residential schedule, decision-making, child support, health insurance, holidays, and transportation, and the court must find it in the child's best interest under R.C. 3109.04. Parents with minor children complete the Families in Transition class within 60 days. The court applies its standard Companionship Schedule (Local Rule 20.10 / Juvenile Amended Rule 21) where the plan is silent, with a Long-Distance schedule for travel over 150 miles one-way.

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: Ross County Court of Common Pleas, General Division

2 N. Paint Street, Chillicothe, OH 45601
Phone: (740) 702-3032
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (closed legal holidays)
Website: www.rosscountycommonpleas.org/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Ross County Court of Common Pleas, Probate/Juvenile Division
2 N. Paint Street, Suite A, Chillicothe, OH 45601
Phone: (740) 774-1177
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 remain residential parents and share major decisions.
The parents can communicate and cooperate about the children.
You can propose a workable residential schedule and decision-making plan.
Shared parenting is realistically in the child's best interest.

If the parents can't cooperate, the court may instead name one sole residential parent and legal custodian. Compare custody.

Filing Fees

Plan filed within the underlying case · General Division divorce $400 / Juvenile complaint $115 · GAL $400 per party in contested cases · confirm current amounts with the Clerk (740) 702-3010 or Juvenile Court (740) 774-1177

Forms & Filing Packets

Shared parenting in a divorce/dissolution (General Division)

File the Ohio SC Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) with your divorce or dissolution, plus the parenting and health-insurance affidavits and the support worksheet.

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.
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.

Shared parenting for never-married parents (Juvenile Division) — $115 Paternity/Custody/Visitation Complaint (eff. 12/13/2023)

File the Juvenile local Shared Parenting Plan (Form 20) with the Complaint for Parentage, the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit, and the support worksheet; the case ends with a Parenting Judgment Entry (Form 22).

Shared Parenting Plan (Local Form 20) — Filed when both parents will be designated residential parents under R.C. 3109.04(G). The Juvenile Division's local shared-parenting plan.
Complaint for Parentage, Allocation of Parental Rights & Responsibilities & Parenting Time (Local Form 23) — The Juvenile Division complaint that establishes parentage and asks the court to allocate parental rights and set parenting time when the parents were never married.
Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Local Affidavit 3) — Required in any Juvenile case involving children. Lists where each child has lived and confirms the court's jurisdiction under the UCCJEA.
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.
Parenting Judgment Entry (Local Form 22) — The proposed final order in a Juvenile parentage/custody case, setting the residential parent, parenting time, and support.

How to File Shared Parenting in Ross County

Draft a complete shared-parenting plan. Address the residential schedule, decision-making, child support, health insurance, holidays, and transportation (Form 20).
File it in the right court. File with a divorce/dissolution in the General Division, or with a parentage/custody case in the Juvenile Division for never-married parents.
Add the supporting affidavits. Include the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (Affidavit 3), the Health Insurance Affidavit (Affidavit 4), and the child-support worksheet.
Complete Families in Transition. Both parents complete the FiT class within 60 days where minor children are involved.
Get the court's best-interest finding. The court reviews the plan under R.C. 3109.04 and, if it is in the child's best interest, approves it in the decree or Parenting Judgment Entry.

Ross 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.
Standard companionship schedule. The General Division's standard Companionship Schedule (Local Rule 20.10) and the Juvenile Division's Amended Rule 21 schedule apply when parents do not agree otherwise, with a separate Long-Distance schedule for travel over 150 miles one-way. Specific terms in a journal entry take precedence over the standard schedule.
Families in Transition (FiT) class required with minor children. In any divorce, dissolution, change-of-custody, or companionship-modification case with minor children, both parents complete the Families in Transition (FiT) class within 60 days of filing (General Division Local Rule 20.12; Juvenile County Rule 13). It is held at The Child Protection Center, 138 Marietta Road, Suite E, Chillicothe, (740) 779-7431; the fee is $25 (exact cash or PayPal) and the certificate is valid for one year. Confirm current class dates when registering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Married vs. never-married parents — which court decides custody in Ross County?: If you are or were married, custody and parenting time are decided as part of the divorce, dissolution, or legal separation in the General Division. If the parents were never married, parentage, custody, support, and parenting time are decided in the Juvenile Division (R.C. 2151.23) using the court's local forms (Forms 11, 20–31; Affidavits 1, 3, 4).
Do I have to take a parenting class in Ross County?: Yes, in any divorce or dissolution involving minor children, and in any change-of-custody or companionship-modification motion — both parents must complete the class within 60 days of filing (General Division Local Rule 20.12; Juvenile County Rule 13). The court-ordered class is Families in Transition (FiT) at The Child Protection Center, 138 Marietta Road, Suite E, Chillicothe ((740) 779-7431). The fee is $25, paid by exact cash at the CPC office or by PayPal. The certificate is valid for one year.
When does Ross County appoint a Guardian ad Litem?: Under General Division Local Rule 20.13, the court may (and where a statute requires, must) appoint a Guardian ad Litem to represent a child's best interest in a divorce, allocation of parental rights, or companionship case. The GAL must be certified under the Ohio Rules of Superintendence. The Clerk's schedule sets the GAL deposit at $400 per party; approved fees are paid before the final hearing.
Which court handles family-law cases in Ross County?: The General Division of the Ross County Court of Common Pleas (2 N. Paint St., Chillicothe) hears all divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment cases — there is no separate Domestic Relations court. The combined Probate/Juvenile Court (2 N. Paint St., Suite A) handles unmarried-parent parentage, custody, support, and parenting time (Juvenile, under R.C. 2151.23) and adoptions (Probate). Cases are filed through the Clerk of Courts at (740) 702-3010.

Free Local Resources in Ross County

Ross County Clerk of Courts (General Division / Domestic Relations). 2 N. Paint St., Suite B, Chillicothe, OH 45601; (740) 702-3010. Files all divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment cases, posts the legal forms and the Divorce/Dissolution checklist, and confirms current deposits. Online payment via nCourt; records via eAccess. The General Division hears all DR matters — there is no separate Domestic Relations court.
LegalAtoms — free guided divorce & dissolution prep. https://legalatoms.com/ross/ — the Clerk's free, guided tool (English and Spanish) that prepares Ross County divorce and dissolution paperwork to print and file. It does not give legal advice.
Families in Transition (FiT) parenting class. The Child Protection Center, 138 Marietta Road, Suite E, Chillicothe; (740) 779-7431. Required within 60 days in any divorce/dissolution or custody/companionship-modification with minor children (Local Rule 20.12; Juvenile County Rule 13). Fee $25 (exact cash or PayPal); certificate valid one year. Confirm current class dates when registering.
Ross County Probate/Juvenile Court. 2 N. Paint St., Suite A, Chillicothe; (740) 774-1177 or (740) 774-1179 (https://www.rossprobatejuvenile.com/). Judge J. Jeffrey Benson. Hears unmarried-parent parentage, custody, support, and parenting time (Juvenile) and adoptions (Probate), using local Forms 11 and 20–31.
Ross County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). 475 Western Ave, Ste. B, Chillicothe, OH 45601; (740) 773-2651 (https://jfs.ohio.gov/about/local-agencies-directory/csea-ross). Administrator Rick Reynolds. Establishes, calculates, collects, and enforces support; payments are routed through South Central Ohio Job & Family Services (SCOJFS).

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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