Hamilton County, Ohio (Court of Common Pleas, General Division, including Commercial Dock…
Adopted en banc by the judges of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas · Court of Common Pleas of Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnati)
Verified September 30, 2026
- Citation
- Hamilton County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas Local Rule 49: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Court Submissions
- Order date
- May 21, 2024
Summary
Rule 49(B) defines AI as 'Any technology that uses machine learning, natural language processing, or any other computational mechanism to simulate human intelligence, including document generation, evidence creation or analysis, and legal research.'
What does the order require?
- Rule 49(B) defines AI as 'Any technology that uses machine learning, natural language processing, or any other computational mechanism to simulate human intelligence, including document generation, evidence creation or analysis, and legal research.'
- Attorneys and/or parties must disclose the use of AI-assisted technology in the creation or editing of any document or evidence submitted to the court.
- Such disclosure should include a general description of the AI technology used and its role in the preparation of the materials.
- The disclosure must be made at the time of submission through a certification attached to the document or evidence, indicating the type of AI used and certifying the attorney's final review and approval of the AI-assisted material.
- Attorneys and/or parties remain ultimately responsible for the accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness of AI-assisted materials submitted to the court, and must thoroughly review all AI-assisted materials to ensure they meet all legal and ethical standards; use of AI does not absolve attorneys of the duties of competence, diligence, and supervision under the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct.
- Violations of this rule may subject an attorney and/or party to sanctions, including but not limited to, Civil Rule 11 and/or Civil Rule 37.
Practice areas: state civil, state criminal, business
What the rule requires
Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (Cincinnati) Local Rule 49 took effect May 21, 2024 and appears in the court’s Local Rules Book (effective April 24, 2026) at page 99. Under Local Rule 1(A), the court’s local rules apply to the General Division, so Rule 49 governs civil and criminal matters there, including the Commercial Docket; the Domestic Relations, Probate and Juvenile Divisions adopt their own local rules.
The rule defines AI broadly, and expressly reaches legal research: “Any technology that uses machine learning, natural language processing, or any other computational mechanism to simulate human intelligence, including document generation, evidence creation or analysis, and legal research.” Its operative provisions are:
- Disclosure (subsection C). Any AI-assisted technology used in creating or editing any document or evidence must be disclosed at submission via a certification, identifying the type of AI used and certifying the attorney’s final review and approval; the rule says the disclosure “should include a general description of the AI technology used and its role.”
- Continued attorney responsibility (subsection D). AI assistance does not displace the duty of competence, diligence, and supervision under the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct.
- Sanctions (subsection E). Violations may trigger Ohio Civil Rule 11 sanctions and/or Ohio Civil Rule 37 (discovery sanctions).
Why this matters beyond Hamilton County
It is one of the few Ohio common pleas local rules on AI in filings; Montgomery County’s General Division adopted a similar disclosure-and-certification rule (Local Rule 12.08, effective November 19, 2025).
For practitioners with Hamilton County General Division dockets (Cincinnati civil and commercial litigation, criminal), this is the operative AI rule. The Commercial Docket (now governed by Ohio Sup.R. 7.40 to 7.52) has no separate AI rule; Local Rule 49 applies.
Practitioner workflow
Brief templates for Hamilton County matters need an AI-disclosure-and-certification block. The certification must identify the specific AI tool used (similar to the Florida 17th, Florida 15th, and S.D. Cal. Bankruptcy GO 210 requirements) and attest to attorney final review and approval.
Primary source
Hamilton County local rules landing page: https://hamiltoncountycourts.org/index.php/local-rules/
Local Rules Book, effective April 24, 2026 (Rule 49 at p. 99): https://hamiltoncountycourts.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Local-Rules-Book-Version-Effective-4-24-26.pdf
Standalone Rule 49 PDF (posted on the court’s site, July 2024): https://hamiltoncountycourts.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Local-Rule-49-AI.pdf