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Ohio Notice of Appeal

Six kinds of post-judgment motions restart Ohio's 30-day clock for every party rather than extending it, and there is no single statewide fee to perfect the appeal: a trial-court clerk fee sits under a separate cost deposit each appellate district sets on its own.

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Introduction

In Ohio, a notice of appeal from a final civil judgment is due within 30 days after the judgment is entered, meaning journalized under Ohio Civil Rule 58(A) (Ohio R. App. P. 4(A)(1)). If an order is not final when entered but later becomes final, the 30 days run instead from the date it becomes final (App.R. 4(A)(2)), and if the clerk has not completed Civ.R. 58(B) service of the judgment within 3 days after entry, the 30 days do not begin until the clerk actually completes service (App.R. 4(A)(3)). A timely Civ.R. 50(B) motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, Civ.R. 59 motion for new trial, objection to a magistrate's decision under Civ.R. 53(D)(3)(b), request for findings of fact and conclusions of law under Civ.R. 52 or 53(D)(3)(a)(ii), motion for attorney fees, or motion for prejudgment interest restarts the 30 days for every party, running from the date the trial court resolves the last such motion (App.R. 4(B)(2)); filing a notice of appeal before the court rules on one of these motions gets the appeal remanded and stayed until it does. App.R. 14(B) bars the court of appeals from extending or reducing App.R. 4 time at all, so outside that restart the deadline generally cannot be extended. File the notice with the clerk of the trial court, the court of common pleas or the municipal or county court that entered the judgment, not the court of appeals; it goes to the Court of Appeals for the appellate district where the trial court sits (App.R. 3(A)). The notice must specify the party or parties appealing, designate the judgment or the part of it being appealed, and name the court appealed to, and, as of the July 1, 2026 amendment, attach a time-stamped copy of the judgment, and it must be served on all other parties (App.R. 3(A), (E)). Ohio's Form 1 is only a suggested form, not a mandatory one; if the local court of appeals has adopted an accelerated calendar by local rule, a docketing statement must also be filed with the notice (App.R. 3(H); 11.1). Filing costs a docketing fee the court of common pleas clerk charges under R.C. 2303.20(U) in a common pleas case (confirm the current amount with the clerk), plus a separate cash cost deposit each appellate district sets by its own local rule, waivable with an affidavit of indigency (R.C. 2323.311). Filing the notice does not by itself stop the judgment creditor from collecting: enforcement continues until a stay of execution is obtained and a supersedeas bond is executed, except for the exemptions in R.C. 2505.12, and a supersedeas bond is capped at $50,000,000 excluding interest and costs (R.C. 2505.09, 2505.12). An appeal reviews the trial court record for legal error; it is not a new trial, and a municipal-court small-claims judgment follows this same record-review route to the Court of Appeals, on the same 30-day clock, rather than a fresh trial (R.C. 1925.16; R.C. 1901.30(A)). This page covers a civil appeal from a final trial court judgment. Criminal, administrative-agency, federal, and interlocutory appeals follow different procedures and are not covered here. Attorney review is available before you file.

Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    The notice of appeal is due 30 days after entry of the judgment, meaning when it is journalized under Civ.R. 58(A) (App.R. 4(A)(1)). A timely Civ.R. 50(B) motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, Civ.R. 59 motion for new trial, objection to a magistrate's decision under Civ.R. 53(D)(3)(b), request for findings of fact and conclusions of law under Civ.R. 52 or 53(D)(3)(a)(ii), motion for attorney fees, or motion for prejudgment interest restarts the 30 days for every party, running from the date the trial court resolves the last such motion (App.R. 4(B)(2)).

  2. 2

    The deadline generally cannot be extended. Ohio Rule of Appellate Procedure 14(B) bars the court of appeals from extending or reducing App.R. 4 time, even for good cause, outside the restart described above.

  3. 3

    File the notice with the clerk of the trial court, the court of common pleas or the municipal or county court that entered the judgment, not the court of appeals. The appeal goes to the Court of Appeals for the appellate district where the trial court sits (App.R. 3(A)).

  4. 4

    Ohio's Form 1 is only a suggested form of notice, not a mandatory one. The notice must specify the party or parties appealing, designate the judgment or the part of it appealed from, name the court appealed to, and, as of the July 1, 2026 amendment, attach a time-stamped copy of the judgment appealed from (App.R. 3(A)).

  5. 5

    If the local court of appeals has adopted an accelerated calendar by local rule, a docketing statement (suggested Form 2) must also be filed with the notice of appeal, in the trial court, not later and not in the appellate court (App.R. 3(H), 11.1).

  6. 6

    Filing layers two costs: a docketing fee the court of common pleas clerk charges under R.C. 2303.20(U) in a common pleas case (confirm the current amount with the clerk) plus a separate cash cost deposit that each appellate district sets by its own local rule as security for appellate costs. An indigent appellant may file an affidavit of indigency to waive it (R.C. 2323.311).

  7. 7

    Filing the notice does not by itself stop the judgment creditor from collecting. Enforcement continues until a stay of execution is obtained and a supersedeas bond is executed, except for the exemptions in R.C. 2505.12, and a supersedeas bond is capped at $50,000,000 excluding interest and costs. Those exemptions cover the state, political subdivisions, and already-bonded fiduciaries (R.C. 2505.09, 2505.12).

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Notice of Appeal in Ohio, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Notice of Appeal guide walks through them.

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Ohio Requirements for Notice of Appeal

  • 30-Day Deadline Runs From Entry, Not Service

    The notice of appeal is due 30 days after the judgment is entered, meaning journalized under Civ.R. 58(A) (App.R. 4(A)(1)). The one exception: if the clerk has not completed Civ.R. 58(B) service within 3 days after entry, the 30 days begin when the clerk completes service (App.R. 4(A)(3)).

  • Post-Judgment Motions Restart the Clock for All Parties

    A timely Civ.R. 50(B), Civ.R. 59, Civ.R. 53(D)(3)(b), or Civ.R. 52/53(D)(3)(a)(ii) motion, or a motion for attorney fees or prejudgment interest, restarts the full 30 days for every party, running from the date the trial court resolves the last such motion (App.R. 4(B)(2)).

  • No Court-Granted Extension Under App.R. 14(B)

    Ohio Rule of Appellate Procedure 14(B) bars the court of appeals from extending or reducing App.R. 4 time at all, even for good cause, outside the restart triggered by a qualifying post-judgment motion.

  • Filed With the Trial Court Clerk, Not the Court of Appeals

    The notice is filed with the clerk of the trial court, the court of common pleas or the municipal or county court that entered the judgment, and the appeal goes to the Court of Appeals for the appellate district where the trial court sits (App.R. 3(A)).

  • Required Contents and Time-Stamped Judgment Copy

    The notice must specify the party or parties appealing, designate the judgment or the part appealed from, name the court appealed to, and, as of the July 1, 2026 amendment, attach a time-stamped copy of the judgment, and must be served on all other parties (App.R. 3(A), (E)).

  • Suggested Form 1 Is Not Mandatory

    Form 1 in the Appendix of Forms to the Ohio Rules of Appellate Procedure is a suggested form only, not a mandatory statewide form, though a docketing statement is required if the local court of appeals has adopted an accelerated calendar by local rule (App.R. 3(H), 11.1).

  • Layered Filing Fee and District Cost Deposit

    Filing requires a docketing fee the court of common pleas clerk charges under R.C. 2303.20(U) in a common pleas case (confirm the current amount with the clerk), plus a separate cash cost deposit each appellate district sets by its own local rule, waivable with an affidavit of indigency (R.C. 2323.311).

  • No Automatic Stay; Supersedeas Bond Capped at $50,000,000

    Filing the notice does not by itself stop enforcement of the judgment. Enforcement continues until a stay of execution is obtained and a supersedeas bond is executed, and the bond is capped at $50,000,000 excluding interest and costs; R.C. 2505.12 exempts the state, political subdivisions, and already-bonded fiduciaries (R.C. 2505.09, 2505.12).

  • Municipal Small Claims Follows the Record-Review Route

    A small-claims judgment from a municipal court is appealed the same way as any other municipal-court civil judgment, on the existing record to the Court of Appeals, on the same 30-day App.R. 4 clock, not a fresh trial (R.C. 1925.16; R.C. 1901.30(A)).

Frequently Asked Questions