Courts of Common Pleas handle felonies, divorces and dissolution, and civil cases. In Tuscarawas County, this is the courthouse with the large dome, on the same corner where Broadway and High intersect.
Probate court handles guardianships, estates, adoptions, and changes of name. Juvenile Court has jurisdiction over child support, juvenile criminal matters, matters relating to children not subject to divorce or dissolution orders, and cases of abuse, dependency, and neglect.
The Clerk of Courts office handles all filings for the general division of the Common Pleas Court. For Probate and Juvenile matters, consult the Probate and Juvenile Clerks. Their website maintains a list of filing fees, and they can assist you with researching filings
Tuscarawas County Southern Court is located in Uhrichsville, Ohio. They handle misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases for a variety of small municipalities within the county, as well as certain civil cases, such as landlord tenant, and small claims.
The New Philadelphia Municipal Court is located next to City Hall, the former fire department building, and the police department, and is across from the Emmanuel Lutheran Church, off of East High Avenue. Similar to southern court, they handle misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases for a variety of small municipalities within the county, as well as certain civil cases, such as landlord tenant, and small claims.
This is the large, imposing courthouse is located in the sprawling, central square of downtown Coshocton. It handles certain civil cases, felonies, divorces, and other matters.
The Clerk of Courts office serves the Coshocton Common Pleas Court. They accept filings for each case filed with the court, and accept and set filing fees. They can also locate and answer questions about what documents have been filed with the court.
Probate court deals with issues of inheritances, administering estates, appointing guardians, approving adoptions, and other related matters. Juvenile Court handles matters related to the custody of children whose parents were unmarried, issues of child abuse, neglect, and dependency, visitation, custody, paternity, and child support, as well as criminal cases involving juveniles, such as truancy or unruly children.
The Coshocton Municipal Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases for Coshocton County, and certain civil claims. Evictions, small claims, and traffic violations, and certain other civil claims are also handled here. The court is located on the lowest level of the Municipal building.
As a common pleas court, the Stark County Court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction over civil cases in excess of fifteen thousand dollars, at the time of this writing, and hears felony cases for Stark County.
Dealing primarily with estates, the probate court also has jurisdiction to change names, appoint guardians for the elderly or mentally infirm, and oversee adoptions.
The Canton Municipal Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases throughout the area, and those cases that involve amounts of money lower than the Common Pleas Court’s jurisdictional limit, and traffic cases. This commonly includes landlord tenant actions, OVIs and DUIs, domestic violence cases, petty thefts, disorderly conduct, traffic tickets, and other matters.
Sitting in Cadiz, the Common Pleas Court is located in the central courthouse, on the top floor of the courthouse. The court has heard many cases relating to oil and gas, as well as other civil matters, including domestic relations cases, and felony criminal cases.
The clerk handles all case filings for the Harrison Common Pleas Court, sets the filing fees for those cases, and maintains case records for the court.
This court oversees and keeps recording relating to wills, estates, and inheritances, and administers any litigation resulting from those matters. It also oversees and supervises trusts and estates, and other matters in which assets are held in trust.
The Municipal court is located in the annex above the sheriff’s office, attached to the courthouse. It is located on the top floor of the annex. The municipal court requests that all clients sign in upon arrival at the glass window.
The Holmes County Common pleas court is located on the third floor of the courthouse building, in downtown Millersburg, Ohio. It hears divorces, civil litigation, and serious criminal offenses.
The probate court deals primarily with guiding estates through the probate process, and insuring that heirs or beneficiaries of wills receive their inheritance, or that minors, elders, and the mentally incompetent are properly cared for.
The juvenile court shares jurisdiction with the Common Pleas court in certain matters relating to the care of minor children, and also juvenile delinquency, and allegations of mistreatment of children brought by Children’s Protective Services.
Located on the first floor of the courthouse, the municipal court adjudicates criminal misdemeanors, traffic tickets, OVIs and DUIs, and certain civil actions.
The Ohio Supreme Court’s website contains extensive information regarding attorneys and Judges, important pending cases, legal rules governing Ohio procedure, Ohio law, and many other useful resources. Oral arguments may also be viewed on video.
The Supreme Court of the United States website has extensive records relating to past and present cases and citations, provides the schedule for upcoming cases, and audio recordings of oral arguments.
The District Court for Northern Ohio is responsible for handling cases filed in Federal Court. This includes both civil and criminal cases, and the court has exclusive jurisdiction over bankruptcies. Federal Court is frequently used for cases involving interstate commerce and corporations, citizens of different states. federal crimes, and matters of federal law.
The 5th District Court of Appeals covers appeals from the following counties: Ashland, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Guernsey, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Perry, Richland, Stark and Tuscarawas.
The 7th District Court of Appeals hears appeals from cases in the following counties: Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Mahoning, Monroe and Noble.
Domestic Violence Resources
National Domestic Violence Hot Line (24-hour): 1-800-799-7233
The Ohio Victims of Crime Program is administered by the State of Ohio Attorney General’s Office. It is a program designed to compensate victims for damages caused by criminal activity. It also administers a program to assist victims of violence, stalking, and sexual crimes with obtaining protection orders.
Compass is a local agency that works to combat issues of sexual violence, stalking, and violence against women, men, and their families. They assist in obtaining protection orders and gaining access to other resources such as counselling and shelter care.
Harbor House is a shelter facility located in Tuscarawas County. It assists domestic violence victims, and other persons in need of temporary housing, provides victim advocates, and certain counselling services.
The Ohio Domestic Violence Network is an alliance of organizations providing information to victims and local agencies seeking to address violence against families.
The Ohio Attorney General’s office is responsible for handling legal matters for the State of Ohio. They administer a broad range of programs, including records requests, concealed carry, housing issues, background checks, protection orders, consumer protection issues, and many other state programs.
The Ohio Consumer protection bureau is responsible for preventing violations of state law by predatory businesses and individuals, and other unethical practices. They routinely accept and investigate complaints.
The Ohio Department of Corrections contains a search feature that allows you to search for criminal records that pertain to inmates who have been sent to state prisons. It also allows you to search for individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses.
The Ohio Secretary of State contains records relating to Ohio businesses, and foreign businesses seeking to operate in Ohio.
Regional Agencies
The following county agencies provide services to parents and families. Child Support Enforcement is responsible for administrative hearings setting child support, performing calculations on how much child support is owed, establishing paternity, and enforcing existing child support orders. Their administrative findings can be appealed to a Court. Job and Family Services investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect, and runs state programs providing assistance to families and children.
Southeast Ohio Legal Services – Southeast Ohio Legal Services can assist low-income individuals with legal matters, if they fall below the required threshold.
The Internal Revenue Service has a tax appeals process, to challenge if an individual claims dependents or other tax benefits that they should not be entitled to by law.
This website is administered by the three major credit reporting agencies: Transunion, Equifax, and Experion. It provides a free credit report, which can be used to identify debts that have been taken in your name, the holders of the debts, and the amounts due and payable.