Instructions to Change Name
- All documents must be typed, and all signatures must be in blue ink.
- Change of Name Forms
- Applicant must be a resident of Fairfield County for one year prior to the filing of the Application.
- A certified copy of your birth certificate must accompany the application.
Adult's Change of Name
APPLICATION:
This Application must be filled out with the exact full name as it appears on your birth certificate and must be signed by you. When the hearing is set by the court, we will mail you a copy to advise you when you should appear.
JUDGEMENT ENTRY:
You should type the names in the proper spaces at the top and complete the information in the middle. This entry will be signed by the Judge at the time of the hearing.
Minor's Change of Name
Both parents must consent to the change of name or be served a notice of the hearing to have the opportunity to appear in Court.
If you do not have a good address for the other parent, then we must publish in order to get service on them. Type the Affidavit of Service by Publication form and the Notice of Hearing on Change of Name and file these forms with the Application. We will publish it for you in the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.
If there is no father listed on the child’s birth certificate, then we must publish for unknown father, or if a paternity action has been established then we need a copy of the Entry.
Judge Vandervoort requires you to bring the child to the hearing with you.
If the original birth certificate is from Ohio, we will send a certified copy of the Judge’s Entry to the State Department and you should receive your copy of the corrected birth certificate in about eight weeks. If the original birth certificate is from a different state, you will need to mail the Judge’s Entry to that state office in order for them to change the child’s birth record.
