Section 3705.242. Fee for copy of birth or death records - divorce decree filing fee

(A)

(1) The director of health, a person authorized by the director, a local commissioner of health, or a local registrar of vital statistics shall charge and collect a fee of one dollar and fifty cents for each certified copy of a birth record, each certification of birth, and each copy of a death record. The fee is in addition to the fee imposed by section 3705.24 or any other section of the Revised Code. A local commissioner of health or local registrar of vital statistics may retain an amount of each additional fee collected, not to exceed three per cent of the amount of the additional fee, to be used for costs directly related to the collection of the fee and the forwarding of the fee to the department of health.

The additional fees collected by the director of health or a person authorized by the director and the additional fees collected but not retained by a local commissioner of health or a local registrar of vital statistics shall be forwarded to the department of health not later than thirty days following the end of each quarter. Not later than two days after the fees are forwarded to the department each quarter, the department shall pay the collected fees to the treasurer of state in accordance with rules adopted by the treasurer of state under section 113.08 of the Revised Code.

(2) On the filing of a divorce decree under section 3105.10 or a decree of dissolution under section 3105.65 of the Revised Code, a court of common pleas shall charge and collect a fee of five dollars and fifty cents. The fee is in addition to any other court costs or fees. The county clerk of courts may retain an amount of each additional fee collected, not to exceed three per cent of the amount of the additional fee, to be used for costs directly related to the collection of the fee and the forwarding of the fee to the treasurer of state. The additional fees collected, but not retained, under division (A)(2) of this section shall be forwarded to the treasurer of state not later than twenty days following the end of each month.

(B) The treasurer of state shall deposit the fees paid or forwarded under this section in the state treasury to the credit of the family violence prevention fund, which is hereby created. A person or government entity that fails to pay or forward the fees in the manner described in this section, shall send to the department of public safety a penalty equal to ten per cent of the fees. The department of public safety shall forward all collected late fees to the treasurer of state for deposit into the family violence prevention fund in accordance with rules adopted by the treasurer of state under section 113.08 of the Revised Code.

The treasurer of state shall invest the moneys in the fund. All earnings resulting from investment of the fund shall be credited to the fund, except that actual administration costs incurred by the treasurer of state in administering the fund may be deducted from the earnings resulting from investments. The amount that may be deducted shall not exceed three per cent of the total amount of fees credited to the fund in each fiscal year. The balance of the investment earnings shall be credited to the fund.

(C) The director of public safety shall use money credited to the fund to provide grants to family violence shelters in Ohio and to operate the division of criminal justice services.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 7, HB 51, §101.01, eff. 7/1/2013.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 9/10/2012.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005; 03-30-2006; 2007 HB67 07-03-2007