Under Ohio Revised Code section 3109.051, a grandparent may ask for visitation rights with a grandchild 1) when married parents have divorced or separated, 2) when a parent of a child is deceased, and 3) when the child is born to an unmarried woman. In making its decision, the court must consider certain factors, including the wishes and concerns of the child?s parents, and the prior interaction of the child with the grandparent and other relatives. The court may order reasonable visitation if it is in the best interests of the child.

The Legislative Service Commission has published an informative brief on this topic, available at http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/membersonly/127grandparents.pdf.

Grandparent visitation forms are available at the Columbus Law Library's website at http://www.fclawlib.org/forms.aspx.  The forms are listed in alphabetical order. Scroll down to find the approriate ones. Please be aware that these are sample forms and are not officially approved by the court.

Please note that other relatives, not just grandparents, can use these forms to request visiation. The Legislative Service Commission has a brief on this at http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/membersonly/127parentingtime.pdf.