Family Court Overview
The Ontario Court of Justice hears many different types of family cases, including child protection, adoption, cases involving decision-making responsibility, parenting time, contact, and support cases. However, the court does not hear divorce or property cases.
In this section, you will find information that will assist you if you have a family case at the Ontario Court of Justice.
It is very important that you are aware of the relevant family law legislation that governs your case. The Family Law Act, Children's Law Reform Act and Child Support Guidelines are the main pieces of family law legislation.
It is also important that you are aware of the Family Law Rules that govern the family court process.
The family law forms that you will need to use are here: Family Law Forms. Make sure that you use the forms from this website as it contains the most up-to-date forms.
Court and case information
Daily court lists (dockets)
Both the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice publish daily court lists online. These lists include family court cases.
They include the case name, time, room number, whether the case is being heard in-person, by video conference or by teleconference, and the reason for the court appearance.
It posts information about the cases for two days.
Access court records
Family court records are managed by the Ministry of the Attorney General.
The Ministry has a policy regarding access to court records.
Section 4 of the policy deals with family court records.
Child protection, adoption and openness court records are not available to the public, including the media.
More informationCourt appearances
Family matters at the Ontario Court of Justice are heard in-person, by virtual technology (video or telephone) or a combination of in-person and virtual technology.
The court has published a chart outlining whether a case is going to be heard in person or by virtual technology.
Find a court and local contacts
To search for a particular court location and all available contact information relating to that location, including telephone numbers and email addresses, use the Courthouse location and information search tool. You should also contact the courthouse that heard the case in order to access court documents.
Search by Courthouse location
Some of the features include:
The Government of Ontario website also has contact information and links for all Ontario Court of Justice courthouses. This includes:
- hours of operation, maps, contact and accessibility information
- satellite and fly-in courts information
- services offered
- list of municipal Provincial Offences Court locations across Ontario
- contact information for the local Crown Attorney’s office
Family court process
What to expect in Family Court
There are several guides that the Ontario Court of Justice and Ministry of the Attorney General have developed for persons appearing in family court about family justice services.
Ministry of the Attorney General family law services
The Ministry of the Attorney General has information about family justice services.
Family law forms
The family law forms that you will need to use for your case.
Zoom user guide
Zoom User Guide for Remote Hearings in the Ontario Court of Justice.
Family law trials at the Ontario Court of Justice
This guide is for unrepresented litigants who have a family court trial at the Ontario Court of Justice.
