Emergency Custody in Warren County

How do I get emergency custody in Warren County, Ohio?

File an Ex-Parte Motion for Custody with a notarized Temporary Custody Affidavit, a Request for Confidential Information, and a Contact Information sheet at the Warren County Juvenile Court, 900 Memorial Drive, Lebanon, by the 3:00 p.m. deadline (Local Rule 5.5 / 18(E)). You must show imminent or immediate risk of injury or harm to the child (R.C. 2151.33/3127.18). If granted, a hearing is typically held the next business day, and you must notify the current custodian unless contact would put the child at risk.

Where to File: Warren County Domestic Relations Court

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Warren County Juvenile Court (Probate/Juvenile Division)
900 Memorial Drive, Lebanon, OH 45036, Lebanon, OH 45036
Phone: (513) 695-1160
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Emergency Custody is the right path if…

• A child is in imminent or immediate danger to health, safety, or welfare.
• Waiting for a normal hearing would risk serious harm to the child.
• You can provide a sworn, fact-specific affidavit describing the danger.
• Ohio has jurisdiction over the child.

Filing Fees

Juvenile emergency motion: $75 · No fee for the safety affidavits · Hearing typically next business day

Forms & Filing Packets

How to File Emergency Custody in Warren County

1. Confirm the emergency meets the standard. There must be imminent or immediate risk of injury or harm to the child's health, safety, or welfare.
2. Assemble the ex parte packet. Ex-Parte Motion for Custody, a notarized Temporary Custody Affidavit, a Request for Confidential Information, and a Contact Information sheet.
3. File by the 3:00 p.m. deadline. File at the Warren County Juvenile Court, 900 Memorial Drive. Same-day requests must be in by 3:00 p.m.
4. Attend the prompt hearing. If an ex parte order issues, a hearing is typically held the next business day; notify the current custodian unless contact would endanger the child.

Warren County Practice Notes

• The imminent-harm bar is high. Warren grants ex parte custody only for imminent or immediate risk of injury or harm (Local Rule 18(E)). Vague worry isn't enough — the notarized Temporary Custody Affidavit must lay out specific, recent facts. File only at the beginning of a case and meet the 3:00 p.m. deadline.
• 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.
• A protection order may be the faster safety tool. If the danger comes from a current or former partner or family member, a Civil Protection Order (no filing fee, ex parte the same day) can include temporary custody and stay-away terms alongside or instead of an emergency-custody motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will Warren County grant emergency (ex parte) custody?

The Juvenile Court grants ex parte emergency custody only when a child faces imminent or immediate risk of injury or harm to health, safety, or welfare (Local Rule 18(E); R.C. 2151.33/3127.18). File the Ex-Parte Motion for Custody with a notarized Temporary Custody Affidavit, a Request for Confidential Information, and a Contact Information sheet by the 3:00 p.m. deadline. A hearing is typically held the next business day, and you must notify the current custodian unless contact would put the child at risk.

Do I file in Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court in Warren County?

Warren County splits the two courts onto different campuses. The Domestic Relations Court at 500 Justice Drive hears married-parent matters — divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, and the custody/support that travels with them. The Juvenile Court at 900 Memorial Drive hears never-married-parent matters — paternity, custody, parenting time, child support, and grandparent/non-parent custody. Under Rees v. Rees (2026-Ohio-1235, 12th Dist.), grandparent and relative visitation goes to DR when the parents are or ever were married or a parent is deceased.

How much does it cost to file in Warren County?

Domestic Relations deposits (Clerk Breighton Smith, eff. 7/1/2025): a divorce or dissolution case is $400 with children and $300 without children; a case served by publication is $500; a married-living-apart custody/support complaint is $350; a post-decree motion is $75; and personal service by the Sheriff is $50 per party. An Affidavit of Indigency reduces the deposit to $15. Juvenile Court complaints (custody, parentage, support, visitation, shared parenting) are $160 plus $50 per additional child, and Juvenile motions are $75. Civil Protection Orders have no filing fee.

How does a Civil Protection Order work in Warren County, and is it the same as criminal charges?

No — a Civil Protection Order is civil, not criminal, though violating one is a separate crime. There is no filing fee. Bring a photo ID to the Domestic Relations Court at 500 Justice Drive; the process can take up to 3 hours and CPO cases are heard until 3:00 p.m. daily. You fill out the petition and testify before a Magistrate the same day, and the court can grant an ex parte order immediately. A CPO protects against a family or household member, a current/former spouse, someone you lived with in a romantic relationship within 5 years, or someone you dated within the last 12 months.

Free Local Resources in Warren County

• Warren County DR Help Center & Document Center. The DR Help Center at 500 Justice Drive helps self-represented parties fill out printed Document Center forms on Tuesdays 1–3 p.m. and Thursdays 9–11 a.m. All Domestic Relations forms and case-type filing packets are posted at warrencountyohio.gov/Domestic_Relations_Court/Forms.
• Warren County Probate/Juvenile Legal Help Center. Walk-in help at 900 Memorial Drive on Thursdays 8 a.m.–noon, where an attorney answers legal questions and provides filing packets regardless of financial situation (no attorney-client relationship is formed).
• Warren County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Warren County's IV-D agency at (513) 695-1580, csea.warrencountyohio.gov, opens and enforces support cases, runs the Ohio Income Shares calculation, and processes payments through OCSPC.
• Warren County CASA Program. More than 50 trained CASA volunteers, directed by Melissa Perduk, advocate for abused and neglected children in the child-welfare system. Details at warrencountyohio.gov/Probate_Juvenile/CASA/CASA/Index.

Other Family-Law Topics in Warren County

• Warren County Divorce — Contested divorce filing guide for the DR Court at 500 Justice Drive.
• Warren County Dissolution — The agreed, both-spouses-sign track with a hearing 31–90 days after filing.
• Warren County Custody — Married parents file in DR; never-married parents file at the Juvenile Court.

Related to your emergency custody case

• Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
• 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.

Keep exploring

• Ohio Emergency Custody guide — Statewide overview of emergency custody in Ohio.
• Cincinnati family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Cincinnati metro.
• Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Family Law Attorney at Gavvl Law.
• Payment plans & financing — Flat fees with Gavvl Direct, Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later.