Strafford County Family Court

    NH 
    CHILD CUSTODY:
    Parenting Plans
    Enforcement
    Family Court
  
                      Strafford County, New Hampshire Family Court 

Dover, New Hampshire 03820
New Hampshire Counties

                Dover                
              
                Rochester                

                Durham                

                Somersworth                

                Barrington                

                Farmington                

                Milton                

                Lee                

                Strafford                

                New Durham                

                Rollinsford                

                Middleton                

                Milton Mills                

        Welcome! On this page you'll find the following information for Strafford County, New Hampshire:
Where to file for child custody in Strafford County
How to find or contact the Strafford County Family Court
Whether the court offers childcare for days you must visit the court building
Where to find Strafford 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 Strafford County, New HampshireIn Strafford County, child custody is handled by the Strafford County Circuit Court NAME OF COURT Strafford County Circuit Court

              COURT WEBSITE ADDRESS Right Click to Copy Address...
COURT PHONE NUMBER    855-212-1234
COURT EMAIL ADDRESS
                                      familyservice@courts.state.nh.us                                    
COURTHOUSE ADDRESS
Strafford County has three family courts. Check the notes below to see what kinds of cases each location accepts.
7th Circuit - Family Division – Dover 
 25 St. Thomas St. 
 Dover, NH 03820
Handles family matters for the cities of Dover and Somersworth, and towns of Durham, Rollinsford, Lee, and Madbury
7th Circuit – Rochester Family Division - Dover
 William A. Grimes Justice & Administration Building, Suite 302 
 259 County Farm Road
 Dover, NH 03820
Handles divorce matters originating in Rochester and the towns of Barrington, Milton, New Durham, Farmington, Strafford, and Middleton.
7th Circuit – Family Division – Rochester  
 76 North Main Street
 Rochester, NH 03867-1905
Handles adoptions, juvenile delinquency, children in need of services, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, guardianship of minors and domestic violence matters originating in Rochester and the towns of Barrington Milton, New Durham, Farmington, Strafford, and Middleton.

                  GoogleMap
                
COURTHOUSE HOURS
Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. excluding court holidays.
COURTHOUSE CHILDCARE
                                  No Childcare Available                                
Strafford County Child Custody Forms
                          & Fees
            New Hampshire Child Custody Forms Used in Strafford County              
            
                            https://www.courts.nh.gov/our-
                      
Strafford County Child Custody FormsMore Info...
Family Court Fee              More Info...
If you can't afford Strafford County court filing fees, ask the court clerk's office about a fee waiver.
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Get Help With New Hampshire 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.
Strafford County Family Court Self-Help MaterialsMore Info...
New Hampshire Resources for Making a Parenting PlanMore Info...
Strafford County Free or Low Cost Legal HelpMore Info
Strafford County Child Custody Lawyers
Related Articles for Strafford County New HampshireHow 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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Get Help Finding a New Hampshire Child Custody Lawyer
Get Help Finding a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Bar Association for family lawyer referrals.
More Information for New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire.

Consult With a New Hampshire Child Custody Attorney

Serving Dover, New Hampshire.

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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 New Hampshire?

Consult With a New Hampshire Child Custody Attorney

Serving Dover, New Hampshire.

Ads by Nolo/Martindale Attorney Network

Click Here to Connect With a Child Custody Lawyer serving Dover, New Hampshire
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 New Hampshire?
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
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- Student Loans
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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.

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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.

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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.