Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio Electronic Filing Rules

CRITICAL

Applies to

Document requiring filing deposit or fee

Documents requiring a filing deposit or fee must be filed like other e-filed documents, and the e-file system accepts electronic payment.

(M) Collection of Filing Deposit and Fees: (1) Any document requiring payment of a filing deposit or fee to the clerk in order to achieve valid filing status shall be filed in the same manner as any other e-Filed document. The e-file system accepts payment of deposits and fees electronically.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Civil protection order petition

Neither attorneys nor self-represented litigants may e-file a Civil Protection Order petition remotely.

Neither attorneys nor self-represented litigants can e-file remotely the Petition for a Civil Protection Orders.

CRITICAL

The listed document types must be filed conventionally rather than electronically unless the court expressly requires electronic filing.

(L) Exceptions to E-File: (1) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following types of documents shall be filed conventionally, unless expressly required to be filed electronically by the court: a. Documents Under Seal: A party shall file a document to be sealed only after an order sealing that document has been signed and journalized. The sealed documents will not be e-filed but physically presented to the clerk’s office along with a copy of the signed order. b. Documents to be presented to the Court for an in-camera review: Any document submitted for an in-camera inspection shall be submitted to the assigned judge or magistrate outside of the e-filing system. c. Exhibits and Transcripts: Any exhibit, transcript, or other documents that may not be comprehensibly viewed in PDF format shall be submitted in their physical form with the court. d. Civil Protection Orders: Neither attorneys nor self-represented litigants can e-file remotely the Petition for a Civil Protection Orders. e. Subpoenas which are to be issued by the Clerk. f. Documents initiating an appeal in the Ninth District Court of Appeals: Notices of appeal, docketing statements, or other contemporaneous pleadings to initiate an appeal shall not be e-filed. g. Garnishments. h. Lien filings or releases. i. Making, filing, or releasing a certificate of judgment. j. Any document required to be certified or authenticated. k. Any pleadings or filing that requires a deposit for costs for witness fees. l. Subpoenas to attend court proceedings as a witness.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Case document

Beginning December 8, 2025, attorneys must use the court’s e-filing system, and counsel of record and self-represented litigants must register to manage case documents in designated case types.

Effective December 8, 2025, all attorneys shall use the court’s e-filing system. Counsel of record and self-represented litigants are required to register with the e- file system to file, serve, receive, review, and retrieve copies of all case documents, including orders, notices, pleadings, or other documents submitted in designated case types.

CRITICAL

The clerk will not accept fax filings, except for CVSPOs and DVCPOs.

Fax filings will no longer be accepted by the clerk of courts, except for Civil Stalking Protection Orders (CVSPOs) and Domestic Violence Civil Protection Orders (DVCPOs).

CRITICAL

Registered users must use their assigned unique identifier for e-file system functions and are responsible for its security and use.

The court’s e-file system shall assign an individual who has registered pursuant to Subsection IV, a confidential and unique electronic identifier that shall be used to file, serve, review, retrieve e-filed pleadings, orders, and other documents in the case. Each person to whom a unique identifier has been assigned shall be responsible for the security and use of such identifier.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Ex parte cspo petition

Ex-parte CSPO petitions must be filed in person during regular business hours.

Ex-parte Petitions for Civil Stalking Protection Orders may only be filed in person during the court’s regular business hours.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Case document

Counsel filing documents in mandatory e-file case types must be registered users of the e-filing system.

All counsel filing documents in case types designated as mandatory e-file case types shall be registered users in the e-filing system.

CRITICAL

Documents larger than 70 MB must be filed on paper with the clerk of courts.

Documents that exceed 70 MB must be filed in paper form with the clerk of courts.

WARNING

Documents may be filed on paper with the clerk during any technical failure or system outage.

(3) Documents may be filed in paper form with the clerk during any technical failure or system outage.

WARNING

A filer cannot change a document after e-filing submission; the clerk may reject an erroneous submission during review, and only the court may strike it after acceptance.

(1) A filer cannot make changes to a document once it has been submitted for e- filing. If the clerk determines during review that the document was submitted in error, it may reject the filing. If, after the document offered in error has been accepted for filing after Clerk Review, the document may only be stricken from the Court Electronic Record by the court.

INFO

Any filing other than an ex-parte CSPO petition may be e-filed with the Clerk at any time.

Submission: With the exception of ex-parte Civil Stalking Protection Orders (CSPO), any filing may be e-filed with the Clerk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

INFO

A party or counsel without internet access may use the clerk’s public access terminal to register and e-file documents.

If a party or counsel of record does not have internet access, the party or counsel of record may use the clerk’s public access terminal to register to use the court’s e-file system and to e-file documents.