Hamilton County Circuit Court Filing Rules

A surety must execute a cost bond in substantially the prescribed form for every pleading seeking affirmative relief, including counterclaims, cross-claims, and third-party complaints.

An order granting or denying relief must not be lodged before the Court rules on the issue, except for an agreed order signed by all counsel or pro se parties.

A document with an electronic signature must be filed through the signer’s own user account and is binding on that individual when the account matches the signature, even if credentials are shared.

The parties must exchange the exhibits they intend to rely on at least ten days before the hearing.

Exhibit filenames must be continuous and contain no spaces or periods.

A clerk may charge transaction fees for copies of documents maintained in an electronic filing or document management system, in addition to the E-Filing or subscription fee.

If counsel will arrive late or attend another court, counsel must notify the Judge’s office and other counsel, or request a continuance and notify other counsel before the hearing.

A hearing may be continued only with the Master’s leave for good cause, which must be brought to the Master’s attention as soon as practicable before the hearing; a witness’s absence is not grounds unless the witness was subpoenaed under Rule 45, and requests must be made by telephone conference call involving all interested parties.

E-Filers alone must ensure compliance with redaction rules and laws; the Clerk will not review each document for redaction.

Non-jury matters may be heard on a motion day, but motions take priority over them.

An email filing may not exceed 50 pages including its cover sheet unless the Court authorizes it, and it may not be split to evade the limit.

Do not provide the Judge a copy of a paper unless the Judge requests one.