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Ohio Divorce Laws, Child Support, and Attorneys

Ohio Divorce Residency Requirements

To file for an Ohio divorce, the spouse filing for divorce must have been a State resident for at least six months and a resident of the county for at least ninety days immediately prior to filing.

Ohio Divorce Grounds

The grounds for an Ohio divorce are:

• incompatibility, unless denied by the other spouse;

• living separate and apart without cohabitation and without interruption for 1 year;

• adultery;

• imprisonment;

• willful desertion for 1 year;

• cruel and inhuman treatment;

• bigamy;

• habitual intemperance (drunkenness);

• when a final divorce decree has been obtained outside of the state of Ohio that does not release the other spouse from the obligations of the marriage inside the state of Ohio;

• fraud; and

• neglect.

Joint Ohio Divorce Procedure

Both spouses may file a joint petition for an Ohio divorce. The petition must be signed by both parties and have attached to it a separation agreement which provides for the division of all property, spousal support, child support, custody and visitation. Within 30 to 90 days after filing the Petition, the parties must appear in Court. They will each be required to state under oath that they voluntarily signed the agreement, are satisfied with the agreement; and are seeking a dissolution of the marriage.

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