PLEASE TAKE NOTE:   Counties change their local visitation schedules.  The county you live in may have changed their rule(s) yesterday.  The county you live in may have different visitation schedules for Juvenile Court and Domestic Court. The rule may have been changed or updated since the last time this web page was updated.  In addition, if you already have a visitation schedule pursuant to local rule, and that schedule was attached to your parenting time orders, it is POSSIBLE that the court did not mean for YOUR visitation schedule to change if the local visitation schedule in your county changes. The local visitation schedules are put on this website as a courtesy and are updated as often as possible.  They are NOT legal advice and they are NOT meant to help you figure out if a decision you are about to make would be a violation of an existing court order.  If you want to make sure that you have the most current version of the local rule in your county, you can either look on your county Clerk of Court’s website, go to your local Clerk of Court’s office, or call your local Clerk of Court.

Click here to get a list of phone numbers for the Clerk of Court in your county.

If you know that the court in this county has implemented a new rule, PLEASE tell us by e-mailing us at info@cornwell-law.com and we will update our website.

The office of the Clerk of Court cannot give you legal advice.  This website, although prepared in part by attorneys, cannot and does not give you legal advice.  You can only get legal advice by talking to an attorney of your choice about the facts of your case, and the law as it applies to the facts of your case.

If you understand the information you have just read and would like to see the most recent local rule visitation schedule we have on our website, see the information below:

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Jefferson County Parenting Time Guidelines

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1.         Parenting time is a time for children to do things with the parent with whom they do not live.  Activities you can do with them or skills you can teach them help the time be rewarding.  Helping the children find friends in your neighborhood also helps make it like home for them.

Liberal parenting time arrangements are encouraged, as contact with both parents is important to the children.  Specific items in each case’s Order take precedence over this schedule. Changes or modifications can be made by the court if need for such is shown.  This schedule does not affect support payments.

Please be advised that this schedule represents the minimum requirements for parenting time. It is each party’s responsibility to tailor this schedule as necessary to meet the best interest of their child(ren).  Absent such agreement these requirements shall be followed by each party.

NO PARENT IS PERMITTED TO MAKE PARENTING TIME ARRANGEMENTS OR MODIFY ORDERED PARENTING TIME ARRANGEMENTS DIRECTLY WITH THE CHILD(REN).  THE PARENTS MUST PERSONALLY DISCUSS ANY ISSUES OR CONFLICTS INVOLVING PARENTING TIME WITHOUT USING THE CHILD(REN) AS INTERMEDIARY/INTERMEDIARIES.

A.        PARENTING TIME BETWEEN THE CHILD(REN) AND NON-RESIDENTIAL PARENT SHALL TAKE PLACE AT SUCH TIMES AND PLACES AS THE PARTIES MAY AGREE, BUT WILL NOT BE LESS THAN:

1.         WEEKENDS:  Alternate weekends from Friday  at 6:00 p.m. until Sunday at

6:00 p.m.

2.         WEEKDAYS:  One weekday evening per week from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

3.         EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:  Regardless of where the children are living, their participation in existing and renewed extracurricular activities, school related or otherwise, shall continue uninterrupted. The parent with whom they are residing at the time of the activity shall provide the physical and economic cost of transportation of these activities.  The residential parent shall provide the non-residential parent with notice of all extracurricular activities, school related, or otherwise in which the children participate, schedules of all extracurricular activities (handwritten by the residential parent if no formal schedule is provided by the activity) and the name of the activity leader (including address and telephone number if reasonably available to the residential parent.

4.         PRE-SCHOOL AGERS:  Pre-school age children follow the same schedule of school age children in the school district where they live.

5.         HOLIDAYS (INCLUDING BIRTHDAYS):  In odd-numbered years, mother has Easter break, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the first half of Christmas break (first half ends at 2:00 p.m. Christmas Day).  In odd-numbered years, father has Martin Luther King’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and the second half of Christmas break (second half commences at 2:00 p.m. Christmas Day).  In the even-numbered years the schedules are reversed.

a.         In the event of a conflict between the regular weekend parenting time schedule and holiday parenting time, the holiday parenting time schedule shall prevail.  The parent who did not have the child for the holiday shall have the child the following weekend for parenting time and a new parenting time rotation shall begin from that point.

For any holiday falling on a Monday or Friday, if the weekend immediately preceding or following the holiday parenting time is spent with the same parent, there is no need for that parent to return the child(ren) that evening and then pick up the child(ren) the next morning.  For a holiday falling on a Friday, parenting time commences Friday evening and continues to Monday evening.

b.         Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the parent’s birthdays are to be spent with the appropriate parent.  The times are to be agreed upon between the parties or if no agreement, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. if a weekend, otherwise, if a school day, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the day of the birthday.  These do not have to be made up.

c.         Hours for parents who cannot agrees are as follows:  Martin Luther King Day (9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.); Easter Break (6:00 p.m. ON THE DAY school is out to 7:00 p.m. the day before school commences, to be coincidental with the days of school vacation and not to interfere with school); Memorial Day and Labor Day (6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 p.m. Monday); July 4^th (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. the next day); Thanksgiving (6:00 p.m. Wednesday to 6:00 p.m. Sunday); Christmas Break (first half commences at 6:00 p.m. the last day of school before Christmas Break begins until December 25^th at 2:00 p.m.); second half commences at 2:00 p.m. December 25^th until 6:00p.m. the day before school recommences).

d.         48-hour notice should be given by the parent with whom the holiday is being spent for any arrangements for out of town travel on the holidays or of a change in pick-up/return times.

e.         The children’s birthdays should be alternated per child between the parents on an annual basis (father in even number years).  Hours for parents who cannot agree are 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Brothers and sisters are to be permitted to attend the birthday event.  These do not have to be made up.

6.         TRANSPORTATION:  The parties shall divide the transportation equally.  The parent who is receiving the children shall pick up the children unless otherwise agreed to by the parties.

7.         WAITING:  Neither parent shall be more than 30 minutes late picking up the child(ren).  If the non-residential parent has not arrived to pick up the child(ren) within the 30-minute period, parenting time is forfeited and shall not be made up.

8.         CANCELLATION:  The non-residential parent shall give 24 hour notice to cancel.  The time canceled by the non-residential parent is forfeited.

9.         ILLNESS:  If a child is ill, the residential parent should give 24-hour notice, if possible, so appropriate plans can be made.  However, if more than one day of any parenting time, weekend, holiday/birthday, or vacation is missed due to non-emergency and/or non-critical illness, then any missed parenting time shall be made up during the following week.  Illness does not mean a situation where the child(ren) has/have a cold or other minor ailment that is not of an incapacitating nature.

10.       SUMMER:  The non-residential parent shall have parenting time with the children for the last half of the summer each year.  The summer school vacation commences the day after the children are out of school and continues until seven (7) days before school begins. The number of intervening weeks (full and/or partial) shall be divided in half in order to determine parenting time weeks.

In those situations where the non-residential parent has parenting time with the child(ren) during the last half of the summer, the termination of the parenting time with said parent is seven (7) days before the start of school in the school district in which the minor child(ren) reside(s) unless otherwise agreed by the parents.

In those situations where minor child(ren) is/are actively involved in school extra-curricular activities including but not limited to athletics, band, etc., and where the non-residential parent lives at such a distance from the child(ren) that summer parenting time would preclude the participation by the child(ren) in such activities, then the non-residential parent shall have parenting time for the first half of the summer year.

In all other situations where a conflict arises other than as set forth herein, the parties shall file, in lieu of a Motion, stipulations of the conflict with the Court requesting the Court to resolve the conflict without hearing.  Should the facts be such that either party believes that a hearing is necessary, then a Motion with respect to the parenting issues shall be filed with the Court for consideration.

During the summer period for parenting time, the residential parent receives weekday and alternating weekend parenting time as afforded the non-residential parent the rest of the year if practicable.

11.       VACATIONS:  Each parent may arrange an uninterrupted vacation of not more than two weeks with the child(ren).  Each parent shall schedule this vacation during his/her half of the summer.  A general itinerary of the vacation shall be provided the other parent including dates, locations, addresses, and telephone numbers.  Holiday and birthday celebrations with either parent shall NOT be missed, requiring scheduling of the vacation around these events or that the missed occasion be made up.  The parties may agree to do otherwise with respect to missed holiday and birthday celebrations, but such agreement must be in writing and signed by both parties.

12.       Parenting time does not include picking up and leaving the child(ren) with a non-family  member while the non-residential parent pursues his or her own pleasures or activities, nor does it include taking the child(ren) to a bar for entertainment purposes.

13.       MOVING:  Upon either parent learning that he/she will be moving, he/she shall notify the other parent and the Court, 30 days prior to  moving, except in those circumstances wherein notice is not required by R.C. 3109.051(G), and provide the other parent with the moving date, new residence address and telephone number, and such other pertinent information necessary to effectuate a smooth move for the children. The parents shall attempt, in good faith, to renegotiate an appropriate and beneficial new visitation schedule.

14.       TELEPHONE ACCESS:

a.         The non-residential parent may call the child(ren) not more than three (3) times per week and speak with said child(ren) for not less than 15 minutes on each call.

The child(ren) is/are permitted to call the non-residential parent at least once per day at reasonable times, and if the call is long distance, shall call collect.

The residential parent shall not interfere with or prevent telephone communication between the non-residential parent and the child(ren).

b.         At school, day-care facilities, extracurricular activities, or all other public locations:  Provision 14A, above, shall not in any way contravene the statutory directives granting equal access by both parents to their children a any and all times while the children are at school, at a day-care facility, babysitter, attending extracurricular activities, etc.

15.       Make-up Parenting Time:  Any make-up parenting time required by this schedule shall occur the first weekend immediately following the missed parenting time and shall continue during the other parent’s  weekends until made up in full, including partial weekends.

16.       Current Address and Telephone Number:  Except as provided in the court order, each parent shall keep the other informed of his/her current address and telephone number at all times.

a.         Emergency Contact:  Both parents shall at all times, regardless of whether the child(ren) is/are with him/her, provide the other  parent with a telephone number for contact in the event of an emergency.

17.       a.         Clothing:  The parents shall cooperate in the exchange of the child(ren)’s clothing prior to and following parenting time with said child(ren).

b.         The residential parent shall send with the child(ren) sufficient clothing and outerwear appropriate to the season to last the period of the parenting time with the non-residential parent.  Said clothing shall also be clean and otherwise wearable.  In the case of infants, the residential parent shall send with the child(ren) sufficient bottles, formula and diapers necessary to last during the period of parenting time, as well as provide whatever necessary information the non-residential parent requires to property care for said infant.

18.       Car Seat:  For any child(ren) required by law to ride in a car seat, the parents shall transfer the car seat with the child(ren) as exchanges occur for parenting time with the non-residential parent and residential parent.

19.       Neither of the parties shall attempt to modify the religious practice of the child(ren) without first consulting each other and the Court.

20.       With respect to any child(ren) in school, the residential parent shall take the following action with school authorities of the school or schools in which the child(ren) is/are enrolled.

a.         List the non-residential parent as a parent of the child(ren).

b.         Authorize the school to release to the non-residential parent any and all information concerning said child(ren).

c.         Promptly notify the non-residential parent of copies of notices regarding the child(ren) or cause the school to be aware of the whereabouts of the non-residential parent so as to enable the school to provide notice directly to the non-residential parent.

d.         Provide the non-residential parent with copies of the child(ren)’s grades, status reports, progress reports, or deficiency notices of the child(ren).

e.         Provide the non-residential parent with information concerning the parent-teacher meetings, school club meetings, school programs, athletic programs, and any and all other school activities in which the child(ren) may be engaged or interested or that may involve the child(ren).

21.       The residential parent shall promptly inform the non-residential parent of any illness of the child(ren) requiring medical attention.  Elective surgery shall be performed only after consultation with the non-residential parent.  Emergency surgery necessary for the preservation of life or prevention of further serious injury or condition may be performed without consultation, provided, if times permits, the non-residential parent shall be informed of said non-elective surgery at the earliest possible time.

22.       The “Parenting Time Guidelines” schedule herein is required to be provided to the parties by their respective Counsel together with a copy of any Temporary Order or Decree, and if a party is unrepresented, then a copy of the “Parenting Time Guidelines” schedule is to be provided the unrepresented party along with a copy of the appropriate Order or Decree by the Clerk of Courts.