Toronto family cases are heard in two courts. The Superior Court of Justice at 361 University Avenue handles divorce, division of property, and any case combining those with parenting or support issues. The Ontario Court of Justice at 47 Sheppard Avenue East handles parenting, support, and child protection cases that do not involve divorce or property. Most documents are now filed online through the province's family filing portals, and both courthouses have a Family Law Information Centre offering free basic guidance.
- Toronto has two family courts: the Superior Court of Justice at 361 University Ave and the Ontario Court of Justice at 47 Sheppard Ave E.
- Divorce and property division can only be heard at the Superior Court — the Ontario Court cannot grant a divorce or divide property.
- Parenting and support cases without a divorce can proceed at either level, but are commonly started at 47 Sheppard.
- Most Toronto family documents are filed online; in-person counters still operate at both courthouses.
- Both buildings house a Family Law Information Centre (FLIC) with free information and duty counsel for eligible litigants.
- Nearly every parenting or support case must complete the Mandatory Information Program early in the proceeding.
Why Toronto Has Two Family Courts
Unlike many Ontario centres that operate a single Unified Family Court, Toronto still divides family jurisdiction between two levels of court. The Superior Court of Justice draws its authority from the federal Divorce Act and Ontario's Family Law Act, which is why divorce and the division of family property belong to it exclusively. The Ontario Court of Justice works under provincial statutes — the Children's Law Reform Act and the Family Law Act's support provisions — giving it full power over parenting and support, but none over divorce or property.
This split is not a technicality. It decides where you file, which forms you use, and what relief a judge can actually give you. A parent asking only for a parenting schedule and child support has a choice of forum. A spouse who also wants a divorce order or an equalization payment does not — that case must be at 361 University Avenue. And because a case cannot be half in one court and half in the other, the presence of a single property or divorce claim pulls the entire matter into the Superior Court.
The practical starting point for any Toronto separation is an honest inventory of the issues: parenting, support, property, divorce. Our Toronto family law practice does this triage in the first consultation, because everything procedural flows from it.
Which Court Hears Your Case
The rule of thumb Toronto lawyers apply: follow the biggest claim. If any of these are in play, the case belongs at the Superior Court of Justice:
- A divorce — only the Superior Court can dissolve a marriage;
- Equalization of net family property or any dispute about the matrimonial home — the territory of property division claims;
- Exclusive possession of the matrimonial home;
- A trust or unjust-enrichment claim between common-law partners.
If the dispute is confined to decision-making responsibility, parenting time, custody and access, child support, or spousal support, the Ontario Court of Justice at 47 Sheppard can hear it — and for many self-represented parents it is the more navigable building. Child protection cases involving a children's aid society are heard at the Ontario Court as well.
One wrinkle worth knowing: support and parenting orders made at one level can later be varied at the same level, so the court you start in tends to be the court you live in for years. Choosing the forum is a strategic decision, not an administrative one.
361 University Avenue — Superior Court of Justice
The Superior Court's Toronto family branch sits at 361 University Avenue, directly across from Osgoode Hall. It is one of the busiest family courts in Canada, and its caseload shows in scheduling: motions and conferences book weeks out, and trial dates for contested matters commonly land a year or more from the start of a case.
Everything a full-service separation involves runs through this building for Toronto residents: divorce applications, equalization claims, contested parenting cases attached to a divorce, urgent motions, and the conference track — case conference, settlement conference, trial management conference — that Ontario's Family Law Rules use to push cases toward resolution. Our guide to the family case conference explains the first of those steps in detail.
Expect security screening at the entrance, and build in time — lines at 361 University are real. Robes and formality aside, most of what happens in a family case here happens in conference rooms and hallway negotiations, not open-court drama. The overwhelming majority of Toronto family cases settle before trial, and the conference system is engineered to produce exactly that.
47 Sheppard Avenue East — Ontario Court of Justice
Toronto's Ontario Court family location is at 47 Sheppard Avenue East in North York, steps from Yonge and Sheppard. It hears parenting and support cases that do not involve divorce or property, along with the city's child protection docket.
For parents who were never married, or married parents who want parenting and support resolved without yet touching divorce and property, 47 Sheppard is usually where the case begins. The forms are the same family court forms used provincewide, the Family Law Rules apply the same way, and the conference-driven process mirrors the Superior Court's — but the building is smaller, the lists move differently, and duty counsel services for eligible litigants are a significant part of daily operations.
A caution from experience: parents sometimes start at 47 Sheppard for speed, then later decide they want equalization or a divorce after all. That second claim cannot be added there — it means a Superior Court case, and coordinating two proceedings is slower and costlier than starting in the right place. If property division is even arguably on the table, get advice from a separation lawyer before choosing the forum.
How Filing Works in Toronto
Ontario moved most family filing online, and Toronto's volume makes the portals the default rather than the exception. Divorce applications — joint or sole — can be submitted through the province's online divorce filing service, and most other family court documents go through the family online filing portal. Filing fees are paid electronically; fee waivers exist for litigants who qualify financially.
The traditional counters at both courthouses still accept documents, and some steps — particularly urgent motions — move faster with in-person coordination. Two practical rules keep Toronto filings out of trouble:
- Issue, then serve, then file proof. An application does not exist until the court issues it; the other side does not have to respond until properly served; and the court will not act until proof of service is in the file. Each step has its own timing rules.
- Financial disclosure is not optional. A sworn financial statement (Form 13 or 13.1) with supporting documents is required in every support and property case — incomplete disclosure is the single most common reason Toronto family cases stall at the first conference. Our article on financial disclosure and hidden assets covers what complete actually means.
For the divorce-specific sequence — grounds, the one-year separation, the paperwork — see our step-by-step guide to the divorce process in Toronto.
The First Months of a Toronto Case
A defended Toronto family case follows a predictable early arc. The application and answer frame the issues. Nearly every parent must complete the Mandatory Information Program — a court-connected session on the legal process and the effect of conflict on children — before the case moves forward. Then comes the first case conference, where a judge reviews the issues, pushes the parties toward disclosure and settlement, and sets the procedural path.
Interim motions — temporary parenting schedules, interim child support, exclusive possession — generally cannot be brought until after that first conference, except in cases of urgency or hardship. This surprises people: absent an emergency, the system deliberately makes you confer before you fight. Where genuine urgency exists — safety concerns, a child about to be removed from Ontario, assets being drained — Toronto courts do hear urgent family motions on an expedited basis, but the threshold is real and the evidence must meet it.
Free Help Inside the Courthouse
Both Toronto family courthouses house a Family Law Information Centre (FLIC) — a free service where court staff and, at scheduled times, advice lawyers help with forms, process questions, and referrals. Duty counsel funded by Legal Aid Ontario assist income-eligible litigants with court appearances at the Ontario Court in particular. Court- connected mediation services also operate at both locations, offering free or income-geared mediation for parenting and support issues — often the fastest exit from the system for parents who are close on the merits. Our overview of family mediation services in Toronto maps those options.
These services are genuinely useful — and genuinely limited. FLIC staff cannot give legal advice tailored to strategy; duty counsel triage dozens of files a day. For anything with real stakes — a contested parenting schedule, a support dispute with self-employment income, any property issue — the free layer is a supplement to representation, not a substitute for it.
Realistic Toronto Timelines
Toronto's family courts run at Toronto volume. As general guidance, not promises: an uncontested joint divorce commonly completes in roughly four to six months from filing to divorce order. A defended case typically reaches its first case conference within three to five months of the answer. Contested cases that need a trial regularly run eighteen months to two years or more at 361 University. Motions book weeks ahead; urgent matters are triaged faster.
Those timelines carry two strategic implications. First, interim arrangements matter enormously — the “temporary” parenting schedule or support order often shapes the final one, because by the time trial approaches, the status quo has hardened. Second, the settlement track is not a consolation prize; it is where Toronto family cases are actually decided. A properly prepared separation agreement resolves in weeks what litigation resolves in years.
Mistakes Toronto Litigants Make
The same errors repeat across Toronto's family lists. Starting in the wrong court and losing months to a transfer. Serving improperly and having a first appearance collapse. Filing a financial statement with round numbers and no documents, then spending two conferences being ordered to redo it. Bringing a motion before the case conference without meeting the urgency threshold — and paying costs for it. Agreeing to a “temporary” schedule in the hallway that becomes permanent by inertia.
Every one of those mistakes is avoidable with preparation, and none of them is about intelligence — they are about knowing how this specific system runs. Whether you handle your own case with limited-scope advice or retain counsel fully, get the architecture right at the start: correct court, complete disclosure, realistic interim positions, and eyes on settlement from day one. That is how Toronto family cases end well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Toronto has two family courts: the Superior Court of Justice family branch at 361 University Avenue (divorce, property division, and combined cases) and the Ontario Court of Justice at 47 Sheppard Avenue East in North York (parenting, support, and child protection cases without divorce or property claims).
Only the Superior Court of Justice can grant a divorce, so Toronto divorce applications proceed through the court at 361 University Avenue. Filing itself is normally done online through Ontario's divorce filing portal rather than at the counter.
No. The Ontario Court of Justice has no jurisdiction over divorce or division of property. It hears parenting, child support, spousal support, and child protection matters. Any case including an equalization or matrimonial home claim must be at the Superior Court.
Most family documents are now filed online through the province's family filing portals, including divorce applications. In-person filing counters still operate at both courthouses and remain useful for urgent matters. Filing fees are paid electronically, and fee waivers are available for those who qualify financially.
The FLIC is a free service located in both Toronto family courthouses where staff and scheduled advice lawyers provide general information about the family court process, forms, and referrals — including to court-connected mediation. It provides information, not case-specific strategy.
The MIP is a required session for most parties in Ontario family cases involving parenting or support claims. It covers the court process, options like mediation, and the effects of separation and conflict on children. A case generally cannot proceed to a case conference until the parties have attended.
Uncontested joint divorces commonly complete in about four to six months. Defended cases usually reach a first case conference within three to five months of the answer, and contested matters requiring trial regularly take eighteen months to two years or more at 361 University Avenue. Settlement at or after a conference is how most cases actually end.
Generally no. Under the Family Law Rules, motions ordinarily cannot be heard until after the first case conference, unless the situation is urgent or involves hardship — for example immediate safety risks, abduction concerns, or dissipation of assets. Urgent motions are heard on an expedited basis but must genuinely meet the threshold.
You are entitled to represent yourself, and many people do for simpler matters, supported by FLIC and duty counsel services. For contested parenting cases, support disputes involving complex income, or any property issue, representation or at minimum limited-scope legal advice tends to pay for itself — procedural missteps in Toronto's high-volume courts are expensive to unwind.
Yes. Court-connected mediation services operate at both Toronto family courthouses, offering free on-site mediation for matters already in court and income-geared off-site mediation for broader issues. Mediation is voluntary and confidential, and settlements reached there can be turned into binding agreements or consent orders.