Ottawa County Family Court

    MI 
    CHILD CUSTODY:
    Parenting Plans
    Enforcement
    Family Court
  
                      Ottawa County, Michigan Family Court 

Grand Haven, Michigan 49417
Michigan Counties

                Georgetown Township                

                Holland                

                Allendale                

                Jenison                

                Spring Lake                

                Grand Haven                
              
                West Olive                

                Hudsonville                

                Zeeland                

                Coopersville                

                Port Sheldon                

                Marne                

                Nunica                

                Ferrysburg                

                Conklin                

                Macatawa                

        Welcome! On this page you'll find the following information for Ottawa County, Michigan:
Where to file for child custody in Ottawa County
How to find or contact the Ottawa County Family Court
Whether the court offers childcare for days you must visit the court building
Where to find Ottawa County child custody forms and court fees
How to learn more and find a lawyer

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Where To File for Child Custody in Ottawa County, MichiganIn Ottawa County, child custody is handled by the Ottawa County Circuit Court NAME OF COURT Ottawa County Circuit Court

              COURT WEBSITE ADDRESS Right Click to Copy Address...
COURT PHONE NUMBER    Family Division: 616-786-4100
 Friend of Court: 616-846-8210
 Self-Help Center: 616-846-8141
COURT EMAIL ADDRESS
                                      circuitcourt@miottawa.org                                    
COURTHOUSE ADDRESS
Ottowa County Circuit Court 
414 Washington Street, Suite 300
Grand Haven, MI 49417
Friend of the Court
The Ottowa County Friend of the Court offers programs and services to help with your family law case.
414 Washington Street, Room 225
Grand Haven, MI 49417

                  GoogleMap
                
COURTHOUSE HOURS
Courthouse: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friend of the Court and Legal Self-Help Center: Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
All hours exclude court holidays.
COURTHOUSE CHILDCARE
                                  No Childcare Available                                
Ottawa County Child Custody Forms
                          & Fees
            Michigan Child Custody Forms Used in Ottawa County              
            
                            https://www.courts.michigan.go
                      
Ottawa County Child Custody FormsMore Info...
Family Court Fee              More Info...
If you can't afford Ottowa County court filing fees, see the fee waiver information offered by Michigan Legal Help.
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Get Help With Michigan Child CustodyBefore you file legal papers, take some time to familiarize yourself with the resouces offered by your local court. Most courts now offer at least some materials and forms to help you understand and manage your child custody case. Even if you plan to work with a lawyer, it's smart to do some research before you turn things over. When you're ready to find a lawyer, the resources below can help you locate a child custody attorney near you.
Ottawa County Family Court Self-Help MaterialsMore Info...
Michigan Resources for Making a Parenting PlanMore Info...
Ottawa County Free or Low Cost Legal HelpMore Info
Ottawa County Child Custody Lawyers
Related Articles for Ottawa County MichiganHow to Get Custody of a Child
	How Courts Make Child Custody Decisions
How to Find a Child Custody Lawyer
How to Get Parenting Plan Help
          
How to Enforce a Child Custody Order
How to Claim a Child on Your Taxes
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Child Custody Find Your Family Court ▼

Get Help Finding a Michigan Child Custody Lawyer
Get Help Finding a Michigan Child Custody Lawyer
If you want to find a good child custody lawyer, consider starting with these sources:
- Family and friends. Ask people you know and trust whether they have hired a family lawyer in the past -- or if they know someone else who has. If you hear a name once, that could be a starting point. If you hear the same name many times, put that person on your list of lawyers to call.
- Other lawyers. If you know and respect a lawyer who works in another of the law -- for example a business or estate planning lawyer -- ask if they know a good family law attorney (or whether they’re willing to ask around on your behalf).
- Counselors or therapists. If you’re seeing a counselor or therapist -- especially a marriage counselor -- ask for lawyer recommendations.
- Professional associations. If you don't get any good personal referrals, turn to professional associations for family lawyers. Many good family lawyers belong to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). You can also contact the State Bar of Michigan for family lawyer referrals.
More Information for Michigan Residents

To learn more, including:
- how to find free or low-cost legal assistance, and
- interview questions to ask a professional before you turn over your case
See How to Find a Child Custody Lawyer in Michigan.

Consult With a Michigan Child Custody Attorney

Serving Grand Haven, Michigan.

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What Is Physical vs. Legal Custody of a Child?

What Is Physical vs. Legal Custody of a Child?

Every child custody decision has two essential parts:

Physical custody determines where the children will live.

Legal custody refers to the right to make other important decisions for the children—for example, religious upbringing, medical care, and choices about education.

For more details about the different types of child custody and how they fit together, see How Does Child Custody Work in Michigan?

Consult With a Michigan Child Custody Attorney

Serving Grand Haven, Michigan.

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What Is Joint vs. Sole Custody of a Child?

What Is Joint vs. Sole Custody of a Child?

While the terms physical custody and legal custody refer to types of decisions affecting your children, “joint custody” and “sole custody” refer to who makes those choices on behalf of the kids.

Joint custody refers to a situation where both parents make decisions.

Sole custody means that just one parent has control.

Note that these two types of custody can be blended, and that joint custody doesn’t necessarily mean a 50/50 split.

For example, parents could be granted joint legal custody—giving them both a say in important decisions about their child’s education, religious training, medical treatment, and the like—while one parent gets sole physical custody, meaning that the child will live with him or her and most likely visit the other.

For more details about the different types of child custody and how they fit together, see How Does Child Custody Work in Michigan?
What Is Split Custody?

What Is Split Custody?

Split custody means that each parent takes primary custody of different kids—think of the film “The Parent Trap,” where the parents separate the twin sisters as babies, raising one in California and one in Boston. Such arrangements are unlikely to lead to Hollywood endings and are usually disfavored, but there are rare situations in which split custody may make sense. For example, if the siblings aren’t close or if a particular child-parent relationship is unusually strained, an unconventional arrangement might be appropriate.

Before you ask for split custody, it’s wise to consult a counselor or custody evaluator—a therapist that specializes in softening the blow of divorce on children by evaluating the family situation and making recommendations. Your lawyer or your local court should be able to help you find a qualified custody evaluator in your area.
About This Website
About This Website
Here at Legal Consumer, we've been busy building websites to get people the legal answers and information they need. Our goal is to guide you to reliable, local information about your options.

We'll be adding new topics over time, but you can currently use our websites to find comprehensive information on:
- Child Custody (this website)
- Bankruptcy
- Unemployment Law
- Minimum Wage & Overtime Law
- Student Loans
- Obamacare (Health Insurance)
- Inheritance Law
On this website, when you choose your state or enter your zip code, you will quickly learn:
- how child custody works in your state
- how to find and use your local family law court
- how judges make custody decisions
- how to find a good child custody lawyer
- how to get help creating parenting plan
- how to enfoce a child custody or visitation order in your state
- and more.
We know that it's stressful to face difficult issues involving your family and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to find the answers you need.

Who We Are

Legal Consumer

Legal Consumer is a company that believes you should have access to quality information about the legal issues affecting your life. Whether you’re facing financial difficulties, family challenges, health concerns, or trouble at your job, we want to help you get the resources you need. Our websites are written by lawyers and designed to give you accurate, relevant information for your location.

Albin Renauer, Owner and Founder

Albin Renauer is an independent web and database developer and Webby Award judge. He first created LegalConsumer.com as an online companion to his book, How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, to help people file for bankruptcy.

After receiving his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1985, Albin worked for various public-interest law firms in the Bay Area and as a staff attorney for Chief Justice Rose Bird of the California Supreme Court. He spent 17 years as an editor at leading do-it-yourself legal publisher Nolo, where he helped create numerous books and software programs, including the bestselling Quicken WillMaker. He also edited Law on the Net, the first online directory of legal resources, and was the architect of Nolo's Webby Award winning website.

Shae Irving, Writer and Editor

Shae Irving has been a legal editor and writer since 1994, when she joined the editorial staff at Nolo, specializing in estate planning, health care, and family law issues. For almost a decade, she was the managing editor of Nolo’s bestselling Quicken WillMaker software. Her books include Living Wills and Powers of Attorney for California and Prenuptial Agreements: How to Write a Fair and Lasting Contract. Shae graduated from Berkeley Law and briefly practiced at a large San Francisco law firm before becoming an editor and author. She began working with Legal Consumer in 2013.