Divorce Residency Essentials to Get Divorce in Ohio

Before you file for divorce without a lawyer in Ohio, at least one of the spouses needs to have been a resident of the state for six months or longer.

Reasons for Divorce in Ohio

The State of Ohio offers a divorce and a dissolution of marriage. In the dissolution of marriage, both parties agree to all aspects of the termination of marriage including property, debts, alimony, spousal support, child support, custody and parenting time. With the dissolution of marriage, there are no grounds that need to be proven or stated. With divorce, a civil lawsuit is filed to break the marriage contract. This occurs when the husband and wife cannot resolve the problems on their own and they ask the court to make the final decision. Basically, in the state of Ohio, a divorce occurs when there are issues to be contested, whereas a dissolution of marriage is the same as an uncontested divorce in other states.

Only a divorce requires grounds be proved. Some of the reasons why a couple may divorce include separation without cohabitation, incompatibility, a willful absence of one year or longer, extreme cruelty, adultery, misconduct, gross neglect of duty, drunkenness, and imprisonment.

Custody of the Children in Ohio

The State of Ohio doesn’t officially award custody. Instead, the state designates a residential and nonresidential parent. The idea is to keep both parents involved in the children’s lives. The Ohio court system feels that child requires a continuing relationship with both parents and giving custody of one parent versus the other will undermine that need.

The parties can submit a parenting plan to the court for approval. In many cases, the court will approve this plan as long as it keeps the best interest of the children in mind.

Ohio Child Support Guidelines

Standard state child support guidelines apply in nearly every case, barring extreme circumstances. Both parents’ gross income and child-related expenses are taken into consideration when the support is calculated. The obligation is usually collected through wage assignment and continues until a child’s 18th birthday. Under some circumstances, support may be extended beyond a child’s 18th birthday.

Venue

Divorce must be initiated in the county where the petitioning spouse has lived for at least 90 days before filing.

Divorce Mediation

On contested matters, the court may require parents to mediate differences regarding parental rights and responsibilities on care of children. In addition, the parties themselves may decide to submit any disputed matters for arbitration either before or after the divorce or dissolution is filed in the State of Ohio. Mediation may allow for an uncontested divorce and/or dissolution.

Filing fees

All court filing fees in the state of Ohio are in addition to the costs of using OnlineDivorceSolutions.com. Fees may vary from county to county. For more information about the filing fees, contact your local courthouse.