A county court judge, at the time of filing a nominating petition for the office or at the time of appointment to the office and during the judge's term of office, shall be a qualified elector and a resident of the county court district in which the judge is elected or appointed. A county court judge does not have to be a resident of an area of separate jurisdiction in the county court district to which the judge may be assigned pursuant to section 1907.15 of the Revised Code. Every county court judge shall have been admitted to the practice of law in this state and shall have been engaged, for a total of at least six years preceding the judge's appointment or the commencement of the judge's term, in the practice of law in this state, except that the six-year practice requirement does not apply to a county court judge who is holding office on the effective date of the amendment of this section by H.B. 487 of the 129th general assembly, and who subsequently is a candidate for that office.

Judges shall be elected by the electors of the county court district at the general election in even-numbered years as set forth in section 1907.11 of the Revised Code for a term of six years commencing on the first day of January following the election for the county court or on the dates specified in section 1907.11 of the Revised Code for particular county court judges. Their successors shall be elected in even-numbered years every six years.

All candidates for county court judge shall be nominated by petition. The nominating petition shall be in the general form and signed and verified as prescribed by section 3513.261 of the Revised Code and shall be signed by the lesser of fifty qualified electors of the county court district or a number of qualified electors of the county court district not less than one per cent of the number of electors who voted for governor at the most recent regular state election in the district. A nominating petition shall not be accepted for filing or filed if it appears on its face to contain signatures aggregating in number more than twice the minimum aggregate number of signatures required by this section. A nominating petition shall be filed with the board of elections not later than four p.m. of the ninetieth day before the day of the general election.

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

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.29, HB 48, §1, eff. 7/2/2010.

Effective Date: 07-01-1997 .