Ohio Divorce Laws

The Ohio divorce laws are in general similar to the divorce laws of most other states in the fact that you can cite grounds for a fault as well as a no fault divorce in your petition.

However, when it comes to the residency laws under which you are entitled to file your divorce petition, the Ohio laws are slightly different. Most states allow you to file for divorce in either the state where you or your spouse are living. According to Ohio divorce laws though, the person who files for divorce must have been resident in Ohio for a period of time before filing the petition.

When it comes to children, it is the court who will decide which parent is given custody. However the court does take into consideration any wishes expressed by the children or parents in this matter, along with other factors to ensure that the best decision for the children is made.

If both parties are agreeable to the divorce, it may be possible for you to take advantage of the Simplified Divorce Procedures which are recognized by Ohio divorce laws. These procedures base the burden of working out the details of the divorce such as separation of property, parental plans for the children, visitation rights etc. on the two parties involved. If this can be done and you are eligible for the simplified divorce procedure, then it is likely that the divorce will run quickly and smoothly, with only approximately one or two court appearances being necessary.

If you decide to take advantage of the simplified divorce procedure, you need to be aware that there are strict timelines that apply for filing the related divorce documentation. If you don’t keep to these timelines then your petition for divorce following the simplified divorce procedures can be rejected.

Like other states, the Ohio divorce laws take into account both military as well as civilian divorce, with slightly different rules applicable for each of the types. This is mainly due to the fact that if one spouse is on active military service for a period of time, the special divorce rules applicable take this into account to ensure that they cannot be divorced without knowing about it.

If you want to find out more about the Ohio divorce laws, be it for military or civilian divorce, either contact a trained professional who is knowledgeable in this area, or consult the Ohio statutes.