The Greene County standard order of parenting time is the default schedule the Domestic Relations Court imposes when parents cannot agree on their own arrangement. Adopted under Local Rule 4.1, it offers three different weekly schedules, a fixed holiday rotation that overrides the weekly plan, and a week-on/week-off summer arrangement.1Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Local Rules The court treats the schedules as guidelines rather than rigid mandates, and the best-interest factors in Ohio Revised Code 3109.051 can justify deviation from any provision.
The Three Weekly Schedules
Greene County does not apply one schedule to every family. The judge or magistrate assigns Schedule A, B, or C based on the family’s circumstances, and parents who agree can propose modifications to whichever schedule applies.
Schedule A: Alternating Weekends Plus a Midweek Visit
Schedule A is the most traditional arrangement. The non-residential parent has alternating weekends from Friday at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday at 6:00 p.m., plus a midweek visit every Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. regardless of whose weekend it is.2Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Parenting Schedules The Wednesday visit bridges what would otherwise be a long stretch without contact. That works out to roughly 48 continuous weekend hours every two weeks and three midweek hours each week.
Schedule B: Two-Week Alternating Plan
Schedule B gives the non-residential parent more overnights by splitting the two-week cycle into unequal halves. In Week One, parenting time runs from Thursday at 6:00 p.m. through Friday morning drop-off at school, daycare, or the other parent’s home. In Week Two, that time extends from Thursday at 6:00 p.m. through Monday morning drop-off.2Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Parenting Schedules It suits families where the non-residential parent’s work schedule accommodates extended time every other week.
Schedule C: Week-to-Week Rotation
Schedule C is essentially equal time. Parents alternate full weeks with Sunday exchanges at 6:00 p.m. year-round.2Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Parenting Schedules If a holiday or spring break creates an imbalance, the schedule adjusts so each parent still receives two weeks within a four-week period. The non-visiting parent also gets a weekend from Friday at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday at 6:00 p.m. between the regular rotation and the break to prevent excessive gaps.
How Holidays Override the Weekly Schedule
Holidays trump whatever weekly rotation is in effect. Greene County alternates holidays between parents on an even-year/odd-year system, with the year determined by which year New Year’s Day falls in.3Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Standard Holiday Parenting Time Schedule In even years, Parent 1 has President’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day, while Parent 2 has Martin Luther King Day, Easter, Fourth of July, and Halloween. Those flip in odd years. The child’s birthday also alternates by even and odd year. Mother’s Day always goes to the mother and Father’s Day always goes to the father, regardless of year. Regular parenting time lost to a holiday does not have to be made up.
Winter Break and Christmas Eve
Winter break is split at its halfway point. In even years, Parent 1 has the children from 6:00 p.m. the day school recesses until 6:00 p.m. at the midpoint, and Parent 2 has them from that midpoint until 6:00 p.m. the day before school resumes. The order flips in odd years.3Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Standard Holiday Parenting Time Schedule
Christmas Eve carries its own carve-out inside the winter break. In even years, Parent 2 has Christmas Eve from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., after which the other parent’s winter break time resumes. If Christmas falls in the second half of the break, the arrangement reverses so Parent 1 gets the Christmas Eve window.3Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Standard Holiday Parenting Time Schedule Both parents see the children during the winter holidays every year as a result, even when the overall break is split unevenly.
Thanksgiving and Spring Break
Thanksgiving runs from Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. through Thursday at 8:00 p.m. and alternates by even and odd year. Spring break goes to one parent for the entire period, from 6:00 p.m. the day school recesses until 6:00 p.m. the day before school resumes, also alternating annually.3Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Standard Holiday Parenting Time Schedule
Summer Shifts to Week-on/Week-off
During summer break, the standard order sets parents on a week-to-week rotation with Sunday exchanges at 6:00 p.m.4Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Revised Standard Order of Parenting Time This gives both parents extended uninterrupted stretches for vacations and longer activities the school-year schedule cannot easily accommodate. A parent who wants a multi-week vacation block should communicate dates in writing well before summer, because the default assumes regular weekly exchanges unless both sides agree otherwise.
Transportation and Exchanges
Greene County’s Parenting Time Procedures are adopted as Appendix D to the Local Rules and incorporated into every parenting order the court issues.1Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Local Rules The general expectation is that the parent beginning their parenting time provides transportation for pick-up. Punctuality matters. Courts typically allow a short grace period for unavoidable delays, but chronic lateness or no-shows can result in forfeiture of that parenting session and build a record that looks bad in any later modification or contempt proceeding.
When parents live far apart or have a history of conflict at exchanges, the court can designate a neutral location such as a police station lobby or public library. Raise the issue during mediation or at a hearing rather than trying to negotiate it informally after the order is entered.
Information Access and Relocation Notice
Both parents have the right to any record related to the child, including medical, school, and daycare records, on the same terms as the residential parent. Ohio Revised Code 3109.051(H) establishes this right unless a court specifically restricts it.5Hardin County Juvenile Court. Ohio Revised Code – Custody and Parenting Time Notices A record keeper who knowingly refuses access to the non-residential parent can be held in contempt. Both parents can therefore communicate directly with teachers, pediatricians, and counselors without routing everything through the other parent.
The residential parent must also file a notice with the court before moving. Under ORC 3109.051(G), the court sends a copy to the other parent and can schedule a hearing on whether the parenting schedule needs revision.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 3109.051 – Parenting Time Companionship or Visitation Rights Relocating without filing that notice can trigger contempt proceedings and damage a parent’s credibility in court.
Changing the Order
Parents can agree to adjust the schedule at any time, but informal agreements are not enforceable. Any change needs to be documented in a signed entry filed with the court to have legal effect. If the other parent later reverts to the original order, a verbal side deal offers no protection.
When parents disagree, the parent seeking a change must file a motion and show that circumstances have changed since the original order was entered. Under ORC 3109.04(E)(1)(a), the court will not modify a parenting decree unless it finds a genuine change in circumstances and that modification serves the child’s best interest.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 3109.04 – Best Interest of Child Common examples include relocation, a significant change in work schedule, or the child aging into a different developmental stage. Active military service, by itself, does not qualify.
Greene County may refer contested modification cases to mediation before scheduling a hearing. Under Local Rule 5.2, the court can order mediation at any point after a post-decree motion is filed, with a court-employed or court-contracted mediator.1Greene County Court of Common Pleas. Greene County Domestic Relations Court Local Rules For families with persistent conflict, Local Rule 5.3 allows the court to appoint a Parenting Coordinator to resolve day-to-day disputes without repeated filings. Mediation will not be ordered where domestic violence creates a genuine safety concern.
When the Other Parent Won’t Follow the Order
When a parent consistently denies parenting time, shows up hours late, or otherwise ignores the order, the other parent can file a contempt motion under Ohio Revised Code 2705.031. The statute specifically authorizes any parent with a parenting time order to initiate contempt proceedings for noncompliance.8Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2705.031 – Contempt for Parenting Time Violations
Ohio law sets escalating penalties for contempt findings under ORC 2705.05(A):9Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2705.05 – Penalties for Contempt
- First offense: up to a $250 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both.
- Second offense: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both.
- Third or subsequent offense: up to a $1,000 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
Beyond fines and jail, the court can order make-up parenting time, require the violating parent to pay the other side’s attorney fees, or restructure the schedule entirely. Even if the parenting time order is no longer active, the court keeps jurisdiction to address past violations.
One point that catches parents off guard: calling the police when the other parent refuses to hand over the child rarely accomplishes anything. Law enforcement generally will not intervene in civil custody disputes unless a criminal act like kidnapping has occurred. The proper remedy is a contempt motion.
What the Court Weighs When Deviating From the Standard Order
Whether the court is setting an initial schedule or deciding whether to depart from the default, ORC 3109.051(D) lists the factors that guide the decision. These include the child’s existing relationship with each parent, the geographic distance between the parents’ homes, each parent’s work schedule, the child’s age and adjustment to school and community, and the child’s own wishes if the court interviews the child in chambers.6Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 3109.051 – Parenting Time Companionship or Visitation Rights The court also looks at each parent’s willingness to facilitate the other parent’s time and whether either has a history of child abuse or neglect.
Where domestic violence or substance abuse is a concern, the court can order supervised parenting time, meaning a designated responsible adult must be present during visits. Some communities have supervised visitation centers for this purpose, and there is often a cost. The order will name the specific person or program responsible for supervising.