Ohio

Ohio Shared Parenting Plan template

Ohio's term of art is 'shared parenting' — a shared parenting plan must be filed and approved for parents to share rights and responsibilities. Local rules vary by county, so check the form for the county where the case is filed.

Build my Ohio plan — free

The words Ohio uses

Using the wrong vocabulary is the fastest way to look like you copied a form off the internet. In Ohio:

• The document is called a Shared Parenting Plan.
• Time with a child is parenting time.
• Decision-making authority is parental rights and responsibilities.
• Governing law: Ohio Rev. Code § 3109.04.

Ohio requires its own form

Ohio courts use Shared Parenting Plan (county-specific forms). We don't try to replace it — the court wants its own paperwork. Our draft is what you negotiate from, so that when you fill the official form in, you're transcribing decisions you've already made instead of arguing in a parking lot.

Official Ohio form →

What goes in a Ohio shared parenting plan

Decision-Making Authority

States which parent decides what, in the four areas courts ask about: education, non-emergency health care, religion, and extracurricular activities.

Parenting Schedule

The regular, repeating schedule — where the child sleeps each night. Courts want a schedule specific enough that a stranger could read it and know where the child is tonight.

Holidays and School Breaks

Holiday terms override the regular schedule. Alternating by odd and even years is the most common approach because it needs no negotiation each year.

Transportation and Exchanges

Where the handoff happens, who drives, and what happens when someone is late. Vague exchange terms are the single most common source of repeat conflict.

Communication

How the parents talk to each other, and how the child reaches the parent they're not with. Many states expect the plan to name the method and the response time.

Relocation

What happens if a parent wants to move. Most states impose their own notice requirements and distance thresholds on top of whatever the plan says.

Dispute Resolution

The step both parents take before going back to court. Several states require a plan to name one.

Children's Expenses

How costs beyond child support get split and reimbursed. Child support itself is set by your state's guidelines and is not part of this document.

Schedules that work in Ohio

Other states