Certificate of Service

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

State of Ohio — Court of Common Pleas

JURISDICTION NOTE: This Certificate of Service template is designed for use in Ohio state court civil proceedings governed by the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure. For matters in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern or Southern Districts of Ohio, consult Fed. R. Civ. P. 5 and the applicable local rules instead.

OHIO SERVICE LAW — QUICK REFERENCE

Ohio Civ. R. 5(A) — Documents Requiring Service

Every pleading subsequent to the original complaint, every paper relating to discovery required to be served upon a party, every written motion (other than one which may be heard ex parte), every written notice, appearance, demand, offer of judgment, and similar paper must be served upon each party.

Service must be made upon the attorney of record for a represented party unless the court orders service upon the party directly.

Ohio Civ. R. 5(B) — Permitted Methods of Service

Service of papers (non-original process) may be accomplished by any of the following:

1. Personal Delivery — Delivering a copy to the person to be served
2. Office / Home Delivery — Leaving a copy at the person's office with a clerk or person in charge; or if no office, at the person's dwelling or usual place of abode with a person of suitable age and discretion
3. Facsimile Transmission — Transmitting to the fax number listed on the person's appearance or prior filing
4. First-Class Mail — Mailing to the last known address
5. Electronic Means — Transmitting electronically if the person has consented in writing pursuant to Civ. R. 5(B)(2)(f)
6. Court E-Filing System (Odyssey) — Filing through the court's approved electronic filing system, which auto-serves all registered participants via Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF)

Ohio Civ. R. 6(D) — Mail Extension (3 Days)

Whenever a party must act or respond within a prescribed period after service, and service is accomplished by mail, 3 calendar days are added to the prescribed period. This extension applies to mail service only — not to personal delivery, facsimile, or electronic filing system NEF service. Consult current local rules and any 2024 amendments regarding whether consented electronic service triggers the extension.

Ohio E-Filing — Odyssey (Tyler Technologies)

Many Ohio courts of common pleas have implemented the Odyssey case management and electronic filing platform (Tyler Technologies). Key rules:

• When a document is e-filed, the system generates a Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) that automatically serves all registered participants
• The NEF constitutes valid service on registered attorneys and parties
• Parties who are not registered in the e-filing system must be served by a traditional method (mail, hand delivery, fax) and that separate service must be noted in the Certificate of Service
• Check your specific county court's local rules and administrative orders for mandatory e-filing deadlines and exemptions

Major counties with Odyssey e-filing: Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Summit, Montgomery, Lucas, Butler, Lorain, Stark, and many others. See each county clerk's website for confirmation.

Electronic Service by Consent — Civ. R. 5(B)(2)(f)

Service by electronic means other than the court's filing system requires written consent from the party or their attorney. Maintain written consent documentation in your file. Consented email service does not automatically receive the 3-day mail extension under Civ. R. 6(D) unless the applicable local rule provides otherwise.

Service on Self-Represented (Pro Se) Parties

Self-represented litigants must be served by mail or personal delivery unless they have (a) separately consented in writing to electronic service, or (b) registered in the court's Odyssey e-filing system. Do not assume a pro se party is registered; verify registration status with the clerk.

Ohio Sup. R. 45(D) — Personal Identifiers / Redaction

Before serving documents electronically, redact personal data identifiers (Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth) in compliance with Ohio Supreme Court Rules of Superintendence, Rule 45(D).

Discovery Service — Civ. R. 5(D)

Discovery requests (interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admissions, depositions) and responses are served on all parties but are generally not filed with the court unless ordered by the court or required for motion practice. A certificate of service must still be maintained for all served discovery documents.

COURT CAPTION

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
[________________________________] COUNTY, OHIO

[________________________________],
Plaintiff(s),

vs. Case No.: [____________________]

[________________________________],
Defendant(s). Judge: [____________________]

Magistrate (if applicable): [____________________]

Division: ☐ General ☐ Domestic Relations ☐ Probate ☐ Juvenile

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

The undersigned hereby certifies that on [__/__/____], a true and correct copy of the following document(s):

Title of Document(s) Served:

1. [________________________________]

2. [________________________________]

3. [________________________________]

(collectively, "the Document(s)") was served upon the following parties and/or their counsel of record by the method(s) indicated below.

PARTIES AND COUNSEL SERVED

Recipient No. 1

Full Name: [________________________________]
Role/Capacity: [________________________________] (e.g., Attorney for Defendant; Self-Represented Plaintiff)
Firm Name: [________________________________]
Mailing Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Email Address: [________________________________]
Facsimile Number: [________________________________]
Ohio Supreme Court Reg. No. (if attorney): [____________________]

Method of Service — check all that apply:

☐ U.S. Mail — First Class, Postage Prepaid
Deposited in the United States Mail, postage prepaid, on [__/__/____], at [________________________________], Ohio.
(Response deadline extended by 3 days per Ohio Civ. R. 6(D).)

☐ U.S. Mail — Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested
USPS Tracking / Certified Article No.: [____________________]
Date mailed: [__/__/____]

☐ Personal / Hand Delivery
Delivered in person at the address shown above on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Person accepting delivery (if not recipient): [________________________________]

☐ Facsimile Transmission
Transmitted by fax to: [____________________] on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Number of pages transmitted (including cover): [____]
Confirmation of successful transmission: ☐ Yes ☐ Attached

☐ Electronic Mail (Email) — Written Consent on File
Transmitted to: [________________________________]
Date/Time transmitted: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Written consent to email service obtained: [__/__/____]
Bounce-back / undeliverable notice received: ☐ No ☐ Yes (describe): [________________________________]

☐ Ohio Court E-Filing System (Odyssey) — NEF Auto-Service
Document e-filed with the [________________________________] County Court of Common Pleas via Odyssey.
Date and time of filing: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Odyssey NEF Confirmation / Reference No.: [____________________]
Recipient is a registered Odyssey user: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown — served by additional method above

☐ Overnight Courier / Commercial Carrier
Carrier name: [________________________________]
Tracking number: [____________________]
Date tendered to carrier: [__/__/____]

☐ Other Method (describe): [________________________________]

Recipient No. 2

Full Name: [________________________________]
Role/Capacity: [________________________________]
Firm Name: [________________________________]
Mailing Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Email Address: [________________________________]
Facsimile Number: [________________________________]
Ohio Supreme Court Reg. No. (if attorney): [____________________]

Method of Service — check all that apply:

☐ U.S. Mail — First Class, Postage Prepaid
Deposited in the United States Mail, postage prepaid, on [__/__/____], at [________________________________], Ohio.
(Response deadline extended by 3 days per Ohio Civ. R. 6(D).)

☐ U.S. Mail — Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested
USPS Tracking / Certified Article No.: [____________________]
Date mailed: [__/__/____]

☐ Personal / Hand Delivery
Delivered in person on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

☐ Facsimile Transmission
Transmitted by fax to: [____________________] on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Number of pages: [____] | Successful confirmation: ☐ Yes ☐ Attached

☐ Electronic Mail (Email) — Written Consent on File
Transmitted to: [________________________________] on [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Written consent obtained: [__/__/____]

☐ Ohio Court E-Filing System (Odyssey) — NEF Auto-Service
Date/Time of filing: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.
Odyssey NEF Confirmation No.: [____________________]
Recipient registered in Odyssey: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown — served by additional method above

☐ Overnight Courier / Commercial Carrier
Carrier: [________________________________] | Tracking No.: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Other Method (describe): [________________________________]

Recipient No. 3 (duplicate as needed for additional parties)

Full Name: [________________________________]
Role/Capacity: [________________________________]
Firm Name: [________________________________]
Mailing Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Email Address: [________________________________]
Facsimile Number: [________________________________]
Ohio Supreme Court Reg. No. (if attorney): [____________________]

Method of Service — check all that apply:

☐ U.S. Mail — First Class, Postage Prepaid
Date mailed: [__/__/____] | Location: [________________________________], Ohio
(3-day response extension applies per Ohio Civ. R. 6(D).)

☐ U.S. Mail — Certified Mail | Tracking No.: [____________________]

☐ Personal / Hand Delivery — Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

☐ Facsimile to [____________________] on [__/__/____] | Pages: [____] | Confirmed: ☐ Yes

☐ Email (Written Consent on File) — Sent to [________________________________] on [__/__/____]

☐ Odyssey NEF — Filed [__/__/____] | NEF No.: [____________________] | Registered: ☐ Yes ☐ Unknown

☐ Overnight Courier — Carrier: [________________] | Tracking: [____________________] | Date: [__/__/____]

☐ Other: [________________________________]

CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE

I, the undersigned, hereby certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Ohio that the foregoing Certificate of Service is true and correct, and that service was completed as described above on [__/__/____].

Signature: ___________________________________________
Printed Name: [________________________________]
Ohio Supreme Court Registration No.: [____________________]
Firm / Organization: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Telephone: ([____]) [____]-[________]
Email: [________________________________]
Representing: ☐ Plaintiff ☐ Defendant ☐ Third-Party ☐ Self-Represented
Party Represented: [________________________________]

SUPPLEMENTAL PROOF OF SERVICE BY MAIL

(Complete this section when service is accomplished by U.S. Mail — attach to main certificate or file separately as required by local rules)

DECLARATION OF MAILING

I, [________________________________], declare as follows:

1. I am over 18 years of age. I am ☐ the attorney of record ☐ an employee of the firm ☐ a person not a party to this action.
2. My business or residential address is: [________________________________], [________________________________], Ohio [____________________].
3. On [__/__/____], I deposited in the United States Mail, at [________________________________], Ohio, a true and correct copy of the Document(s) identified above in a sealed envelope with first-class postage fully prepaid, addressed to each person listed below:

Recipient: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]

Recipient: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]

4. ☐ Service was by regular first-class mail. Per Ohio Civ. R. 6(D), the responding party's deadline is extended by 3 calendar days.
5. ☐ Service was by certified mail, return receipt requested. Certified article number(s): [____________________]

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Ohio that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on: [__/__/____]

Signature: ___________________________________________
Printed Name: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]

SUPPLEMENTAL PROOF OF ELECTRONIC SERVICE

(Complete this section when service is by email, Odyssey e-filing, or fax)

DECLARATION OF ELECTRONIC SERVICE

I, [________________________________], declare as follows:

1. I am over 18 years of age and authorized to make service in this action.
2. On [__/__/____], I served the Document(s) identified above by the following electronic method(s):

☐ Ohio Court E-Filing System (Odyssey):
I electronically filed the Document(s) with the [________________________________] County Court of Common Pleas through the Odyssey e-filing system at approximately [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m. on [__/__/____]. The system generated a Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) confirming electronic service upon all registered users. NEF confirmation number/timestamp: [____________________]. Parties not registered in Odyssey were served by the additional method stated above.

☐ Electronic Mail (Email):
I transmitted the Document(s) by email to each person listed above at the email address(es) identified. Written consent to email service from each recipient was obtained on or before [__/__/____] and is maintained in my files. I did not receive any undeliverable or bounce-back notification.

☐ Facsimile:
I transmitted the Document(s) via facsimile to each person listed above at the fax number(s) identified. The fax machine or transmission log confirmed successful transmission. A confirmation sheet is ☐ attached ☐ maintained in the file.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Ohio that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on: [__/__/____]

Signature: ___________________________________________
Printed Name: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]

OHIO PRACTITIONER NOTES

Response Deadline Calculation — Ohio Civ. R. 6(D)

Summary Judgment Briefing — 2024 Amendments

Ohio Civ. R. 6(C) and 56(C) were amended effective July 1, 2024, to provide uniform briefing schedules for motions for summary judgment: responses are due 28 days after service; replies are due 14 days after service of the response. Add 3 days if served by mail.

Local Rules — Notable Counties

• Cuyahoga County: Check local rules for certificate of service requirements on all motions
• Franklin County: Franklin County Court of Common Pleas civil practice guidelines posted at fccourts.org
• Hamilton County: Mandatory e-filing for many civil case types via Odyssey
• Montgomery County: Local rules on electronic service and NEF service

Discovery Documents

Under Ohio Civ. R. 5(D), discovery requests and responses are served on all parties but not filed with the clerk unless ordered. Maintain your certificate of service for every discovery document served.

Self-Represented Parties

Before relying on Odyssey NEF for service on a self-represented party, confirm with the clerk that the party is registered. If not registered, serve by mail or hand delivery and document it in this certificate.

Redaction Obligation

Before electronically serving documents, redact personal data identifiers including Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth, and home addresses of minor children, consistent with Ohio Sup. R. 45(D).

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure (full text): https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/LegalResources/Rules/civil/
• Ohio Supreme Court 2024 Rule Amendments: https://www.courtnewsohio.gov/happening/2024/PracticeProcedureRuleUpdates_070124.asp
• Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Civil Practice Guidelines: https://www.fccourts.org/386/Civil-Practice-Guidelines
• Ohio eFile / Odyssey Portal: Contact your county clerk's office for the applicable county-specific Odyssey URL
• Ohio Revised Code (searchable): https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code