Ohio Divorce Laws and Information
The following information is a resource on divorce law in the State of Ohio. You can also find divorce professionals, forms, support, and state laws. In addition to the resources listed below, you can find more help and information in our divorce article section.
ProfessionalsDivorce LawyersDivorce & Parenting Services Private Investigators Background Checks Divorce SupportSupport GroupsDomestic ViolenceShelters and Hotlines |
Divorce PapersOnline DivorceDivorce and Separation Forms Divorce Form Preparation QDRO Preparation Family Law ResourcesDivorce LawsChild Support Guidelines Child Support Schedule Ohio Child Support Calculator Support Worksheet Standard Custody Support Worksheet Split Custody Child Support Enforcement |
* This site receives compensation from affiliate links and third party advertising. Listings in the Resource and Professional Directory does not imply an endorsement by this website. WomansDivorce.com makes no warranty and assumes no legal liability for any service or provider listed below. If you provide a divorce related service and are interested in being listed in this directory, click here.
DIVORCE LAWYERS AND FIRMS
Need
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thoroughly review the experience, availability and price of
pre-screened attorneys before deciding whom to contact.
DIVORCE FORM PREPARATION
Have All of Your Documents Completed For You! This easy to use, accurate, and up-to-date on-line divorce service is a perfect "do it yourself (without a lawyer)" solution for any uncontested divorce (with or without children) that will be filed in the state of Ohio. You can get "Real Person" customer support by phone & e-mail, plus access to 40 downloadable books (valued at over $750). Start your Ohio divorce today.
QDRO PREPARATION
QdroDesk - is an industry proven online service providing divorcing spouses with an instant, easy, accurate, and affordable method for obtaining Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs), the appropriate settlement agreement language, and processing instructions to divide a retirement account upon divorce. The service is a result that only 45 years of combined QDRO experience can provide. When combining this expertise with a smart question and answer technology, QdroDesk has easily become the ideal solution for QDRO preparation.
DIVORCE AND PARENTING SERVICES
Center for Divorce Education
1005 East State Street, Suite G
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740-594-2526
Email:
Online parenting education to keep children out of the middle of divorce.
Christian Divorce Services
1217 Hilltop Ave
Fayetteville, NC 28305
Phone: 614-774-3766
Email:
We have locations in every state. When reconciliation has failed, we provide Christian legal alternatives consistent with 1Cor 6: 1-8. Please Contact Michael Wayland at our central office for a referral to a local office.
PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS
There are currently no private investigators for this state
BACKGROUND CHECKS
Instant Background Report - Find out date of birth and marital status, address history and aliases, criminal and court records, sex offender searches, property records, general public records, business registration and property resources. Find out the truth about anyone!
DIVORCE SUPPORT GROUPS
Divorce Care can help you locate a divorce support group in your area. There are thousands of DivorceCare support groups throughout the USA and Canada, and many groups meeting internationally as well.
Partners in Prevention provides consulting and psychological services to
domestic abuse survivors before, during and post divorce. Additionally, we serve
as consulting experts in both civil and criminal domestic violence cases. We
also offer continuing medical and nursing education in domestic abuse assessment
and clinical management to healthcare professionals. You can contact us at:
13918 E. Mississippi Ave
Aurora, CO 80012
Phone: 720-222-1058
Economic Empowerment For Women - BreakFreee.org is a non-profit organization offering free, unbiased, access to financial information and education to low to middle income women. Key features of the website include: Financial issues for divorcees, financial calculators, and a database of Frequently Asked Questions where you can submit questions and receive unbiased answers from financial planners.
60 West Olsen Road #3500
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Phone: 888-372-4155
Email:
OHIO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES
Domestic Violence Crisis Centers and AssistanceShelters and Hotlines
Domestic Violence Network
OHIO DIVORCE LAWS
General Divorce Information from the Ohio BarOhio Family Law and Divorce Statutes
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS AND WHERE TO FILE: To file for a divorce or annulment, the plaintiff must be a resident for at least six months prior to filing. The court of common pleas has jurisdiction of all domestic relations matters, and all actions for divorce and annulment shall be brought in the proper county. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3105.011 and 3105.03]
LEGAL GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE: A divorce may be granted for the following causes: [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3105.01]
- Incompatibility, unless denied by either party;
- Living separate and apart for one year;
- Desertion for one year;
- Either party had a husband or wife living at the time of the marriage from which the divorce is sought;
- Adultery;
- Extreme cruelty;
- Fraudulent contract;
- Any gross neglect of duty;
- Habitual drunkenness;
- Imprisonment in a state or federal correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint; and
- Procurement of a divorce outside this state, by a husband or wife, by virtue of which the party who procured it is released from the obligations of the marriage, while those obligations remain binding upon the other party.
LEGAL SEPARATION: The court of common pleas may grant legal separation on the same grounds as for divorce. A husband and wife cannot, by any contract with each other, alter their legal relations, except that they may agree to an immediate separation and make provisions for the support of either of them and their children during the separation. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3103.06 and 3105.17]
SPECIAL DIVORCE PROCEDURES: At any time after thirty days from the service of summons or first publication of notice in an action for divorce, annulment, or legal separation, or at any time after the filing of a petition for dissolution of marriage, the court of common pleas, upon its own motion or the motion of one of the parties, may order the parties to undergo conciliation for the period of time not exceeding ninety days as the court specifies, and, if children are involved in the proceeding, the court may order the parties to take part in family counseling during the course of the proceeding or for any reasonable period of time as directed by the court. No action for divorce, annulment, or legal separation, in which conciliation or family counseling has been ordered, shall be heard or decided until the conciliation or family counseling has concluded and been reported to the court. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3105.091]
MEDIATION OR COUNSELING REQUIREMENTS: [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3105.091]
PROPERTY DISTRIBUTION: Ohio is an equitable distribution state, meaning that the marital estate shall be divided equitably. In making a division of marital property, the court shall consider all of the following factors:
- The duration of the marriage;
- The assets and liabilities of the spouses;
- The desirability of awarding the family home, or the right to reside in the family home for reasonable periods of time, to the spouse with custody of the children of the marriage;
- The liquidity of the property to be distributed;
- The economic desirability of retaining intact an asset or an interest in an asset;
- The tax consequences of the property division upon the respective awards to be made to each spouse;
- The costs of sale, if it is necessary that an asset be sold to effectuate an equitable distribution of property;
- Any division or disbursement of property made in a separation agreement that was voluntarily entered into by the spouses;
- Any other factor that the court expressly finds to be relevant and equitable.
Separate property not subject to property division includes inheritances, property owned before the marriage, passive income or appreciation acquired from separate property during the marriage, property acquired after a legal separation, property excluded by an antenuptial agreement, personal injury awards, and gifts given to only one spouse. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3105.171]
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ALIMONY/MAINTENANCE/SPOUSAL SUPPORT: The court of common pleas may
award reasonable spousal support to either party. In determining
whether spousal support is appropriate and reasonable, and in
determining the nature, amount, and terms of payment, and duration
of spousal support, which is payable either in gross or in
installments, the court shall consider all of the following
factors: (a) The income of the parties, from all
sources; (b) The relative earning abilities of the parties;
(c) The ages and the physical, mental, and emotional conditions of
the parties; (d) The retirement benefits of the parties; (e) The
duration of the marriage; (f) How appropriate it would be for the
custodial parent of a minor child of the marriage to seek
employment outside the home; (g) The standard of living
established during the marriage; (h) The relative extent of
education of the parties; (i) The relative assets and liabilities
of the parties; (j) The contribution of each party to the
education, training, or earning ability of the other party; (k)
The time and expense necessary for the spouse who is seeking
spousal support to acquire education, training, or job experience
so that the spouse will be qualified to obtain appropriate
employment; (l) The tax consequences, for each party, of an award
of spousal support; (m) The lost income production capacity of
either party that resulted from that party's marital
responsibilities; (n) Any other factor that the court expressly
finds to be relevant and equitable. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section
3105.18]
SPOUSE'S NAME: When a divorce is granted the court of common pleas shall, if the person so desires, restore any name that the person had before the marriage. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3105.16]
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CHILD CUSTODY: Either parent may be awarded custody, and the court
shall not give preference to a parent because of that parent's
financial status or condition. The court
may allocate the parental rights and responsibilities for the care
of the children primarily to one of the parents, designate that
parent as the residential parent and the legal custodian of the
child, and divide between the parents the other rights and
responsibilities for the care of the children, including, but not
limited to, the responsibility to provide support for the children
and the right of the parent who is not the residential parent to
have continuing contact with the children. If one parent
files a pleading and submits a shared parenting plan, and if a
plan for shared parenting is in the best interest of the children,
the court may allocate the parental rights and responsibilities
for the care of the children to both parents and issue a shared
parenting order requiring the parents to share all or some of the
aspects of the physical and legal care of the children in
accordance with the approved plan for shared parenting. When
allocating parental rights and responsibilities, the court shall
take into consideration the following factors:
- The wishes of the child;
- The wishes of the child's parents regarding the child's care;
- The child's interaction and interrelationship with the child's parents, siblings, and any other person who may significantly affect the child's best interest;
- The child's adjustment to the child's home, school, and community;
- The mental and physical health of all persons involved in the situation;
- The parent more likely to facilitate court-approved parenting time rights or visitation and companionship rights;
- Whether either parent previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any criminal offense involving any act that resulted in a child being an abused child or a neglected child;
- Whether either parent has established a residence, or is planning to establish a residence, outside this state.
When determining whether a shared parenting arrangement would be in the best interests of the child, the court shall consider the following factors: (a) The ability of the parents to cooperate and make decisions jointly, with respect to the children; (b) The ability of each parent to encourage the sharing of love, affection, and contact between the child and the other parent; (c) Any history of, or potential for, child abuse, spouse abuse, other domestic violence, or parental kidnapping by either parent; (d) The geographic proximity of the parents to each other, as the proximity relates to the practical considerations of shared parenting; (e) The recommendation of the guardian ad litem of the child, if the child has a guardian ad litem. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3109.04]
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CHILD SUPPORT: The court may order either or both parents to support
or help support their children, without regard to marital misconduct. The court
shall include in each support order the requirement that one or both of the
parents provide for the health care needs of the child to the satisfaction of
the court, and all support payments shall be made through the office of child
support in the department of job and family services. The court or agency
shall calculate the amount of the obligor's child support obligation in
accordance with the basic child support schedule, the applicable worksheet, and
the other provisions of sections
3119.02 to 3119.24
of the Revised Code. [Based on Ohio Revised Code Section 3109.05 and 31119.02]
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