Any person who registers as a filer in the Franklin County e-Filing System can e-File unless otherwise ordered by the Court. Customers without the capability to e-File will be provided support by a Deputy Clerk of Court on a walk-in basis during the Court's regular business hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All pleadings requiring a new case number or the payment of Court costs shall be filed by 4:30 p.m.
When does e-Filing begin?
Franklin County Probate Court began an e-Filing pilot of its civil cases on August 18, 2011. Beginning on or after October 17, 2011, e-Filing will become mandatory for all civil case types filed in Probate Court; for example, will contests, concealment of assets, and declaratory judgment actions. Adoption and Mental Commitment case types will follow.
Do I need special software to e-File?
You will need the ability to save your documents into Portable Document Format (PDF) and MS Word (.doc, .docx). Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010 provides the capability to save in PDF. Various free software downloads that enable PDF conversion are available through the Internet.
Proposed Entries/Orders and Motions must be submitted separately and must be in editable PDF format or in Word format (*.doc,*.docx). Special editable PDF forms for e-Filing are provided through the Court’s website: http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/probate/forms/eForms/
Do I need special hardware to e-File?
A computer, Internet connection and an e-mail address are needed to e-File. In order to file documents that are not in PDF or MS Word (.doc, .docx) format you may need an optical scanner.
Can I e-File all Probate Court case types?
Civil cases are the first case types in Phase I of the e-Filing Project. The Court will roll out e-Filing for additional case types in Phase II and Phase III. Adoption cases will begin e-Filing in February, 2012, followed by Mental Commitment cases in June, 2012. Additional case types will be implemented based on feedback from the public, including attorneys, litigants and paralegals.
Are there certain hours of the day when I can e-File?
The Court's e-Filing System is accessible 24/7, with the exception of nightly backups to Probate Court's systems each evening between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Live Help Desk support is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Probate Court On-Line Help