Butler County Common Pleas Court cases in Butler County, Hamilton, OH
Butler County Court Area 2 in Hamilton, Ohio, is a county court (limited-jurisdiction trial court). It handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic offenses, and local ordinance violations arising within its assigned part of Butler County. The court also hears civil matters up to $15,000, including small claims and landlord-tenant (eviction/forcible entry and detainer) cases. In felony matters, it conducts initial proceedings such as arraignments, bond settings, and preliminary hearings before cases are transferred to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. Its role is to provide first-instance adjudication for these case types within its territorial jurisdiction; it does not hear felony trials or domestic-relations cases.
Butler County Common Pleas Court Contact and Location Information
| Court Type: | Common Pleas |
| County: | Butler |
| Street Address: | 315 High Street, 3rd Floor |
| City: | Hamilton |
| Zip Code: | 45011 |
| Phone: | 513-785-6550 |
| Fax: | 513-785-5719 |
| Hours: | Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
| Website URL: | http://www.bccommonpleas.org/ |
| Parking: | When coming to court you may park at a number of locations in the downtown area. The County parking garage is connected to the building via walkway and is located behind the Government Services Center to the south. The entrance is located on Court Street. Limited parking at meters along the street is available in the downtown area. The City parking garage is approximately two blocks away at 3rd Street and Market Street. |
| Forms & Filing: | Court Forms |
| Divisions / Services: | Probation |
| Dockets / Schedule / Calendar: | Calendar |
| Jury Service: | Juror Basics |
| Languages: | Multiple |
| Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/pages/Butler-County-Common-Pleas-Court/326282138205331 |
| About / Additional Info: | The court of common pleas, the only trial court created by the Ohio Constitution, is established by Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution, and its duties are outlined in Article IV, Section 4.There is a court of common pleas in each of the 88 counties. Specific courts of common pleas may be divided into separate divisions by the General Assembly, including general, domestic relations, juvenile and probate divisions. Common pleas judges are elected to six-year terms on a nonpartisan ballot. A person must be an attorney with at least six years of experience in the practice of law to be elected or appointed to the court.General DivisionThe general division has original jurisdiction in all criminal felony cases and in all civil cases in which the amount in controversy is more than $15,000. General divisions also have appellate jurisdiction over the decisions of some state administrative agencies.Domestic Relations DivisionDomestic relations courts have jurisdiction over all proceedings involving divorce or dissolution of marriages, annulment, legal separation, spousal support and allocation of parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children.Juvenile DivisionJuvenile courts hear cases involving persons under 18 years of age who are charged with acts that would be crimes if committed by an adult. They also hear cases involving unruly, dependent and neglected children. Juvenile courts have jurisdiction in adult cases involving paternity, child abuse, nonsupport, contributing to the delinquency of minors and the failure to send children to school.Probate DivisionThe Ohio Constitution of 1851 provided that probate courts were to be established as separate independent courts with jurisdiction over the probate of wills and supervision of the administration of estates and guardianships. In 1968, under the Modern Courts Amendment of the Ohio Constitution, the probate courts became divisions of the courts of common pleas. Probate courts also have jurisdiction over the issuance of marriage licenses, adoption proceedings, determination of sanity or mental competency and certain eminent domain proceedings. Probate judges can perform marriages and may charge a fee for the service. |
| Wikipedia: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler_County_Courthouse_(Ohio) |
Services and Case Types Handled in Butler County Common Pleas Court
Butler County Area II Court serves the public as a limited-jurisdiction trial court. Key functions include:
- Criminal/traffic: case filings, arraignments, pretrials, motion hearings, bench/jury trials, sentencing; misdemeanor offenses; felony initial appearances and preliminary hearings; bonds and warrants.
- Civil: disputes within statutory limits, small claims, and landlord-tenant/evictions; mediation options for small claims (where available).
- Protective orders: temporary protection orders in qualifying criminal cases; enforcement of no-contact orders.
- Jury services: summons, qualifications, deferrals, reporting, and juror payment.
- Court administration: accepts filings and payments; schedules hearings; issues subpoenas; processes continuances; maintains dockets and public records access.
- Supervision: misdemeanor probation and compliance reviews.
- Public access: forms, instructions, and appearance procedures (in-person or as permitted by local rules).