--- name: in-family-court description: > Use for Indiana family-court matters — paternity (**JP case**), dissolution (**DC/DN**), child support (**DR**), custody / parenting time, adoption (**AD**), CHINS (**JC**), delinquency (**JD**). Indiana has **no separate Family Court**; family matters are heard by Circuit or Superior Court, with juvenile routed to a **Juvenile Division** in large counties (Marion, Lake, Allen, Hamilton) or **Circuit Court directly** in smaller counties (Bartholomew). Covers Odyssey case-type codes, paternity under **IC 31-14**, juvenile jurisdiction at **IC 31-30**, and county-by-county routing. Triggers: "Indiana family court", "IN paternity", "JP case", "IC 31-14", "IN juvenile court", "IN CHINS", "IN dissolution". version: 0.1.1 --- # Indiana Family Court — Venue Mechanics > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Family-law procedure varies > materially by county in Indiana — which division of the > Circuit / Superior Court hears each case type, what > local family-law rules apply, and what the standing > orders require. This skill names the controlling > sources for venue mechanics; **current statutory text, > day counts, and per-county routing live in the > references corpus** (county-rule references in > `in-law-references/references/court-rules/`, IC 31 > chapters in `in-law-references/references/in-statutes- > debt/`). Verify the assigned court's local rules + > standing orders before filing. ## At a glance Indiana has **no separate Family Court trial court**. Family-law matters are heard by the **general- jurisdiction Circuit Court or Superior Court** in each county. Indiana's family-law topology depends on county size: - **Large urban counties** (Marion, Lake, Allen, Vanderburgh, Hamilton, St. Joseph) have a dedicated **Juvenile Division** or specialized **Juvenile Court** that hears JP / JC / JD / JS / JM / JT cases. Domestic Relations cases (DC / DN / DR) route to a Domestic Relations Division. Adoption may sit in the Probate Court (St. Joseph) or in a designated Superior Court. - **Mid-sized + small counties** (most of Indiana's 92 counties) consolidate family-law jurisdiction in the **Circuit Court** or one of the Superior Courts. The same judge may hear DC / JP / JC cases on the same calendar. **Bartholomew County** is in this category — Bartholomew Circuit Court hears JP cases directly. - **Monroe County** is structurally unusual: 10 Circuit Court Divisions (no Superior Court at all); family-law cases distribute across divisions. ## Indiana case-type codes — the family / juvenile slice Indiana's Odyssey case-management system identifies every case by a **county-letter-number** identifier (e.g., `03C01-2501-JP-000123`). The middle two-letter code identifies the case type. For family / juvenile cases: | Code | Case type | |---|---| | **DC** | Dissolution **with** Children | | **DN** | Dissolution **with No** Children (or no minor children) | | **DR** | Domestic Relations Miscellaneous (modifications, child-support enforcement, post-decree) | | **AD** | Adoption | | **GU** | Guardianship (including guardianship of a minor) | | **JC** | Juvenile CHINS (Children In Need of Services) | | **JD** | Juvenile Delinquency | | **JM** | Juvenile Miscellaneous | | **JP** | **Juvenile Paternity** — establishes paternity + opens custody / support / parenting orders for a non-marital child | | **JS** | Juvenile Status (truancy, runaway, incorrigible) | | **JT** | Juvenile Termination of Parental Rights | | **PO** | Protection Order (Order of Protection under IC 34-26-5) | The case-type code prefixes everything that follows in the case caption + Odyssey docket. A JP case filed in Bartholomew Circuit Court would carry a caption like `Cause No. 03C01-YYYYY-JP-NNNNNN`. ## Chapter pointers (family + juvenile) | Topic | Article | Reference file | |---|---|---| | Paternity (JP case-type backbone) | IC 31-14 | `IC-31-14.md` | | Dissolution / annulment / legal separation | IC 31-15 | `IC-31-15.md` | | Child support | IC 31-16 | `IC-31-16.md` | | Custody and parenting time | IC 31-17 | `IC-31-17.md` | | Adoption | IC 31-19 | `IC-31-19.md` | | UCCJEA | IC 31-21 | `IC-31-21.md` | | Department of Child Services (DCS) | IC 31-25 | `IC-31-25.md` | | Juvenile Court jurisdiction | IC 31-30 | `IC-31-30.md` | | Juvenile Court procedure | IC 31-32 | `IC-31-32.md` | | Children In Need of Services (CHINS) | IC 31-34 | `IC-31-34.md` | | Juvenile delinquency / status | IC 31-37 | `IC-31-37.md` | | Protection Orders | IC 34-26-5 | `IC-34-26.md` | | Indiana Superior Courts (statutory framework) | IC 33-29 | `IC-33-29.md` | For specific subsection numbers, current dollar thresholds (combined-income cap for child-support guidelines, adoption-fee figures, etc.), and day counts (filing deadlines, summons / response periods, hearing windows, modification thresholds), **read the relevant chapter file**. ## Paternity (JP cases) — procedural framework A JP filing under IC 31-14 establishes the legal father of a child born out of wedlock and opens orders for custody, parenting time, and support. Mechanical steps: 1. **Verified petition** filed in the Juvenile Court (or Circuit Court directly in counties without a separate juvenile docket) — typically by the mother, the alleged father, the child, or a prosecutor / DCS where public assistance is involved. Filed in the county of the mother's residence, the alleged father's residence, or the child's birth/residence (IC 31-14-4-1 et seq. — see chapter file for the venue framework). 2. **Service** on the respondent under Trial Rule 4 (with special service rules for paternity affidavits). 3. **Answer / response** within the Trial Rule 6 / 12 response window — see `in-deadlines`. 4. **Genetic testing** under the IC 31-14-6 framework if paternity is contested; results raise a statutory presumption. 5. **Final order** — establishes legal father; sets custody, parenting time per the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines (a court rule, not statute), and child support per the Indiana Child Support Guidelines (also a court rule). 6. **Modification** available on substantial change of circumstances under IC 31-16-8 (child support) or IC 31-17-2-21 / IC 31-14-13-6 (custody / parenting). ### Bartholomew County (03) — Columbus Bartholomew County does NOT have a separate Juvenile Division — **Bartholomew Circuit Court (03C01)** hears JP cases directly along with the rest of its family-law docket. Court address: 234 Washington Street, Columbus, IN 47201. Local rules: LR03 series. The two Bartholomew Superior Courts (03D01-D02) handle other case types (civil collections, misdemeanor criminal, small claims). When the user's matter is a JP case in Bartholomew, expect: - Cause-number format: `03C01-YYYYY-JP-NNNNNN` - Forum: Bartholomew Circuit Court (Circuit Judge, not a Juvenile Magistrate) - E-filing: Odyssey statewide e-filing system (mandatory for represented parties; pro-se filers may use paper or e-file via the public portal at `mycase.in.gov`) ## Larger-county routing For comparison, the larger-county family-law topology: ### Marion County (49) — Indianapolis - **Marion Superior Court — Juvenile Division** (49D08 + Courtrooms 30-33 at the Juvenile Justice Center) hears JP / JC / JD / JS / JM / JT cases - **Marion Superior Court — Domestic Relations Divisions** hear DC / DN / DR cases (Courtrooms 12-29; sub-numbering for custody / paternity / support) - **Marion Superior Court — Probate Division** (49D08) for adoption + guardianship ### Lake County (45) — Crown Point - **Lake Superior Court — Juvenile Division** (45D04) hears JP / JC / JD / JS / JM / JT - **Lake Superior Court — County Division** for domestic relations ### Allen County (02) — Fort Wayne - **Allen Superior Court 8** (02D08) — Family Relations - **Allen Superior Court 9** (02D09) — Juvenile ### Hamilton County (29) — Noblesville - Hamilton Superior Courts 4-7 split between criminal and family law (29D04-D07) ### St. Joseph County (71) — South Bend - **St. Joseph Probate Court** (71J01) — distinct probate court that hears adoption + juvenile + guardianship For the rest of Indiana's 92 counties, the rule is generally: Circuit Court hears JP / JC / DC unless a specific Superior Court has been designated for one of those case types. Check the county's local rules at LR in the `in-law-references/references/court-rules/` corpus. ## Forms Indiana publishes **state-approved family-law forms** through the Indiana Supreme Court's Self-Service Center at `courts.in.gov/help/self-service`. The form catalog covers: - Petition to Establish Paternity (JP cases) - Verified Petition for Dissolution (DC / DN cases) - Petition for Modification of Custody / Parenting Time / Child Support - Child Support Obligation Worksheet (per the Indiana Child Support Guidelines) - Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines acknowledgment Forms are NOT mandatory in Indiana (unlike Washington's AOC GR 31 regime) — a properly-pleaded substitute can be filed in lieu of the state form. But the state forms are the canonical safe-harbor structure. ## DCS / CHINS overlap When the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS, statutory backbone at IC 31-25) becomes involved, the family-law matter often runs in parallel with a CHINS proceeding under IC 31-34. Critical points: - A CHINS adjudication does NOT terminate parental rights; TPR is a separate JT proceeding under IC 31-35 - CHINS hearings, fact-finding, and disposition follow the IC 31-34 + IC 31-32 framework - Indigent parents have a right to assigned counsel in CHINS / TPR proceedings (see chapter file) ## Composition with other in- skills - `in-family-law` — substantive family-law framework - `in-statewide-format` — caption + Trial Rule 5(E) formatting + Indiana cause-number conventions - `in-discovery` — Trial Rule 26-37 discovery (applied to family-law matters) - `in-deadlines` — Trial Rule 6 + Indiana legal-holiday list; family-court-specific deadlines (paternity- affidavit windows, modification thresholds) live in the IC 31 chapters - `in-pro-se` — pro-se framework; Indiana lacks a family-law-facilitator equivalent, so pro-se family filers rely on the Self-Service Center + court clerks (clerks cannot give legal advice) - `in-county-courts` — per-county routing detail (e.g., the Bartholomew Circuit Court entry for JP cases) - `in-marion` / `in-lake` — flagship-county overlays - `in-fact-check` — citation verification