Warren County Shared Parenting Attorneys

Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated June 4, 2026

Warren County, Ohio · Lebanon

Shared parenting makes both parents residential parents and legal custodians under a written plan that meets the R.C. 3109.04(G) factors. In Warren County, married parents file the Shared Parenting Plan (DR Form 20) with their divorce or dissolution, and never-married parents file a Complaint/Motion for Shared Parenting at the Juvenile Court. The Juvenile schedule even offers Model III week-on/week-off equal-time options.

Hire Gavvl for your Warren County shared parenting case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Warren 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 file a shared parenting plan in Warren County, Ohio?

Married parents file the Shared Parenting Plan (UDRF Form 20) and the proposed Decree of Shared Parenting with their divorce or dissolution at the Warren County DR Court, 500 Justice Drive. Never-married parents file a Complaint/Motion for Shared Parenting at the Warren County Juvenile Court, 900 Memorial Drive ($160 plus $50 per additional child). The plan must address living arrangements, holidays, decision-making, transportation, school and health care, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution.

Hire Gavvl Law to build your Warren County shared parenting plan

Shared parenting makes both parents residential parents and legal custodians under a written plan that has to satisfy the R.C. 3109.04(G) factors — and Warren County routinely sends back plans that skip one. Married parents file the Shared Parenting Plan (UDRF Form 20) with their divorce or dissolution at the DR Court, while never-married parents file a Complaint/Motion for Shared Parenting at the Juvenile Court. Gavvl Law drafts a plan that clears review the first time, and offers a flat fee for agreed plans or full representation when the other parent resists.

Every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor covered. Plans that omit a factor come back for revision. We address physical living arrangements, holiday and vacation schedules, child support, decision-making authority, transportation, school and health-care decisions, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution so the plan is approved rather than returned.
Juvenile Model III equal-time options, used where they fit. Warren's Juvenile Model Parenting Schedule offers Model III equal-time arrangements — week-on/week-off (III(a)) and a 2-2-3 rotation (III(b)) — plus a phase-in schedule. The DR Basic Schedule doesn't include those, so we choose the schedule and court that match your goal.
The proposed decree filed with the plan. In DR cases Warren requires the Decree of Shared Parenting drafted and filed with the plan, alongside the child-support worksheet. We prepare the decree and worksheet together so the court can approve the entire shared-parenting order in one pass.

For never-married parents the Juvenile deposit is $160 plus $50 per additional child; for married parents shared parenting rides inside the divorce or dissolution deposit. We pick the right court and schedule for your family, and offer payment plans so building a durable, court-ready shared parenting plan stays affordable.

Flat-fee options

Flat-fee limited scope: we draft and file the complaint to establish custody and parenting time, or prepare your shared parenting plan for filing. You appear at any hearing.

Establish custody & parenting time: $1,250
Shared parenting plan (drafting): $1,650

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 shared parenting 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: Warren County Domestic Relations Court

500 Justice Drive, Lebanon, OH 45036
Phone: (513) 695-1344
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:30–1:00 p.m.)
Website: Court website
e-Filing: Online e-filing portal

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

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

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

Both parents want to be named residential parent and legal custodian.
You can cooperate enough to follow a detailed written plan.
Your plan addresses every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor the court requires.
A shared schedule (including possible equal-time models) fits the children's needs.

Filing Fees

Married: included in the divorce/dissolution deposit · Never-married: $160 Juvenile complaint + $50 per additional child

Forms & Filing Packets

Shared parenting plan (married parents, DR Court)

Filed with a divorce or dissolution at the DR Court, 500 Justice Drive.

Shared Parenting Plan (UDRF Form 20) — Written plan meeting R.C. 3109.04(G): living arrangements, holidays, decision-making, transportation, school/health care, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution.
Decree of Shared Parenting — The proposed final shared-parenting order Warren requires filed with the case.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet — Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you're asking the court to set support.

Shared parenting (never-married parents, Juvenile Court) — $160 deposit (plus $50 per additional child)

Filed at the Warren County Juvenile Court, 900 Memorial Drive ($160 plus $50 per additional child).

Complaint/Motion for Shared Parenting (Juvenile pro se) — Asks the Juvenile Court to approve a shared-parenting arrangement for never-married parents.
Parenting Proceeding Affidavit (UCCJEA · R.C. 3127.23) — Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years and with whom. Confirms Ohio's jurisdiction over custody.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet — Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you're asking the court to set support.

How to File Shared Parenting in Warren County

Draft a plan that hits every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor. Cover living arrangements, holidays/vacation, decision-making, transportation, school and health care, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution.
Pick the right court and form. Married → DR Form 20 with your divorce/dissolution. Never-married → Complaint/Motion for Shared Parenting at the Juvenile Court.
File the plan and proposed decree. Include the Decree of Shared Parenting (DR) and the child-support worksheet so the court can approve the full order.

Warren County Practice Notes

Shared parenting plan must address every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor. A written Shared Parenting Plan must address physical living arrangements, holiday and vacation schedule, child support, decision-making authority, transportation, school and health-care decisions, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. Plans that skip a factor are routinely sent back for revision.
Equal-time options in Juvenile cases. Warren's Juvenile Model Parenting Schedule (eff. 1/1/2026) includes Model III equal-time arrangements — week-on/week-off (III(a)) and a 2-2-3 rotation (III(b)) — as well as a phase-in schedule for reestablishing a parent-child relationship. The DR Basic Schedule does not include those equal-time models.
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.
What are the residency requirements to file in Warren County?: For divorce, legal separation, or annulment, you or your spouse must have lived in Ohio for at least 6 months immediately before filing and in Warren County for at least 90 days. For dissolution, only the 6-month Ohio residency applies. For Juvenile Court cases (never-married custody, paternity, child support), Ohio must be the children's 'home state' under the UCCJEA — generally, they've lived in Ohio for the last 6 months.
What does it mean for Ohio to be my child's 'home state' under the UCCJEA?: Under the UCCJEA (R.C. 3127), Ohio is the children's home state when they have lived in Ohio with a parent for at least 6 consecutive months immediately before the filing. If the children recently moved, the prior state may still have jurisdiction. Ohio courts can also decline jurisdiction as an inconvenient forum under R.C. 3127.21 even when home-state requirements are met.

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.

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.