Lake County Common Pleas Court cases in Lake County, Painesville, OH
The Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, in Painesville, Ohio, is a county-level probate court within the Ohio Court of Common Pleas system. It exercises exclusive original jurisdiction over probate and fiduciary matters, including administration of decedents' estates, wills, and trusts; guardianships of minors and incompetent adults; adoptions; name changes; determinations of heirship; approval of wrongful-death and minor settlements; land sales by fiduciaries; issuance of marriage licenses; and civil commitment/involuntary treatment proceedings under Ohio mental health and substance-use statutes. It does not hear criminal, traffic, or general civil disputes; those matters are handled by the General, Domestic Relations, Juvenile, or Municipal Courts within the local judicial system.
Lake County Common Pleas Court Contact and Location Information
| Court Type: | Common Pleas |
| County: | Lake |
| Street Address: | 47 North Park Place |
| City: | Painesville |
| Zip Code: | 44077 |
| Phone: | 800-899-5253 |
| Hours: | Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m |
| Website URL: | https://www.lakecountyohio.gov/common-pleas/ |
| Parking: | Parking is available to the public only in the county lot on the north side of East Erie Street, adjacent to the Juvenile Justice Center. There is also a limited number of metered parking spaces on the square (around Veteran's Park) |
| Directions: | From State Route 2 (Lakeland Freeway): get off at the Richmond Street (S.R. 283) exit; turn left and go south on Richmond Street to downtown Painesville, about 0.7 mile (five traffic signal lights) to Erie Street; turn left on East Erie Street, go about 700 feet, and use the parking lots located at the north end of the courthouse and in the vicinity of the sheriff's office and juvenile court, or, turn left on South Park Place, one street past one signal light south of Erie Street, drive around the square and park at the metered spaces in front of the courthouse |
| Forms & Filing: | Forms |
| Jury Service: | Jury Info |
| Languages: | Multiple |
| Facebook: | https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=387026681401275&__tn__=%2As-R |
| About / Additional Info: | With four judges and 46 employees, the Lake County Common Pleas Court, General Division, has jurisdiction to hear criminal felony cases where the penalty imposed could be community control (probation) up to life imprisonment, or in some cases, death. The court hears civil cases with no limit on the amount that can be awarded. In addition, it hears appeals from the decisions of state and local administrative agencies. About 3,300 new cases are filed each year, including 1000 felony cases and 800 foreclosure cases.Cases are randomly assigned in each of the categories of civil, criminal, stalking, and foreclosure, in equal numbers, to each of the four judges of the General Division. |
| Wikipedia: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_County_Courthouse_(Ohio) |
Services and Case Types Handled in Lake County Common Pleas Court
Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division-primary public services and case types:
- Case types: decedent estates (wills, administration), trusts, guardianships/conservatorships for adults and minors (including emergency), adoptions, name changes, marriage licenses, mental health/substance-use civil commitments, minor and wrongful-death settlements, disinterment, vital-record corrections/delayed registrations, safe‑deposit openings.
- Services: intake and case filings; issuance of letters of authority and other orders; scheduling and conducting hearings (will admission, fiduciary appointments, accountings, guardianship adjudications, adoptions, commitments, name changes); monitoring fiduciary compliance (inventories, accountings, reports); court investigators and appointed counsel/guardians ad litem as required; mediation where appropriate; certified copies and records access.
- Protective measures: emergency guardianships and protective‑services orders for vulnerable adults.
- Jury services: occasional jury trials when authorized (e.g., will contests).