Rule I - Hours of Operation

The Court and its offices shall be open for the transaction of business from the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. The Court shall be closed on weekends and legal holidays. The court maybe closed on other days as ordered by the Judge.

Rule II - Conduct and Dress Code

• A. Proper decorum in the court is necessary to the operation of the court. Any conduct that interferes with the operation of the court is prohibited.
• B. No radio, television transmission, cell phones, pagers or recording devices other than ones operated by the court are permitted in the court room.
• C. Proper dress is required by all individuals that come to the court or court offices. The dress code shall be shirts with sleeves, shoes, no hats in court, and no shorts.

Rule III - Criminal Investigation

• A. Probation officers are not criminal investigators except as necessary for back ground checks, violation of probation investigations and other investigations as designated by the judge.
• B. Law enforcement may contact the juvenile court for assistance on matters concerning juvenile rights and procedural matters.

Rule IV - Examination of Juvenile Records

• A. All juvenile cases shall be considered confidential and are not subject to public inspection without the permission of the judge.
• B. Court records cannot be removed from the court offices without the permission of the judge.
• C. Violations of the confidentiality rule and dissemination of information without the consent of the judge may result in the filing of contempt charges.

Rule V - Appointment of Counsel

• A. Any youth whose family is indigent has the right to court appointed counsel in all cases except juvenile traffic.
• B. The court shall decide which attorney to appoint on an individual case.
• C. Any family found not to be indigent shall have the attorney fees added to the court costs associated with the case.
• D. A $25.00 indigent appointment fee shall be charged unless waived by the court.

Rule VI - Closed Hearings

• A. All hearings in the juvenile court shall be deemed closed hearings.
• B. The judge may make exceptions to any rule as needed.

Rule VII - Juvenile Court Costs & Fines

• A. Court costs shall be imposed on all cases brought before the court.
• 1. Minimum total costs are $102.00
  2. Additional cost can be added for other legal fees.
• B. The costs are determined by the Ohio Revised Code and shall be charged accordingly.
• C. The judge has the right to suspend part or all of the court costs and/or fines.
• D. Fines and costs may be met by completing community serve at the rate of $5.00 per hour.
• E. A $25.00 fee shall be imposed for each hearing that is recorded.

Rule VII - Probate Court Costs

Rule VIII - Pretrials

All pretrials shall be scheduled at the time of arraignment and shall be within two weeks of the arraignment on a Monday afternoon unless scheduled at a different time by the court.

Rule IX - Other Rules

All other rules of court shall follow the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Supreme Court Rules of Superintendence.

Rule X - Local Rule of Court Pertaining to Bank Deposits

The Probate/Juvenile Court adopts this policy pertaining to bank deposits. Deposits shall be made daily or the maximum of every 3-business days if the deposit amount is less than $1000.00 for each division. If the deposit amount exceeds $1000.00 the deposit shall be made on the next business day.

Rule XI - Sealing and Expungement (ORC 2151.356-.358)

Most juvenile records may be sealed and expunged upon application to the court. Records may be sealed two years after successful completion of all court orders. The Court may, on its own motion, have records sealed or expunged. Certain records may not be expunged including all felony level 1 and 2 and any sexually oriented offenses.