Child Custody

How Is Child Custody Determined?

Learn how child custody is determined by courts, including the best interests standard, factors judges consider, types of custody, and how to prepare.

Types of Child Custody Explained

Types of child custody include legal, physical, joint, and sole custody. Learn how each type works, how they combine, and what courts consider in your state.

Child Custody Laws Explained

A clear guide to how child custody works, the types of custody, how courts make decisions, and what parents need to know.

Custody Arrangements

50/50 Custody: What to Know

Learn how 50/50 custody works, common schedules like week-on/week-off and 2-2-3, pros and cons, child support implications, and how to request it.

How to Get Full Custody of a Child

Learn how to get full custody of a child, including what full custody means legally, when courts award it, evidence needed, and realistic expectations for your case.

How to Create a Parenting Plan

A parenting plan outlines custody schedules, decision-making, holidays, and communication rules. Learn what courts require and how to build an effective plan.

Florida Parenting Plan Requirements

Understand Florida's mandatory parenting plan requirements under FL Stat 61.13(2), including required elements, time-sharing schedules, and what happens when parents cannot agree.

Montana Parenting Plan Requirements

Understand Montana's mandatory parenting plan requirements under MCA 40-4-234, including required elements, best interest factors, the role of children's preferences, and protections in domestic violence cases.

Washington Parenting Plan Requirements

Understand Washington State's mandatory parenting plan requirements, including the residential schedule, decision-making provisions, required Pattern Forms, and mandatory parenting seminars.

Rights & Special Cases

Child Custody for Unmarried Parents

Learn how custody works for unmarried parents, including establishing paternity, filing for custody, fathers' and mothers' rights, and how the process differs from divorce custody.

Fathers' Rights in Child Custody

Learn about fathers' rights in custody cases, including legal equality, practical challenges, documentation strategies, and what courts actually consider.

Relocating with Your Child After Divorce

Understand the legal requirements for relocation custody moves after divorce, including notice rules, court approval, and how judges decide relocation cases.

At What Age Can a Child Choose Custody?

Learn at what age a child can choose custody. Covers state-by-state rules, what 'choose' actually means legally, how courts weigh preferences, and maturity factors.

Relocating with a Child After Divorce in Florida

Understand Florida's relocation statute (FL Stat 61.13001), including the 50-mile threshold, petition requirements, burden of proof, and the 11 statutory factors courts consider.

Relocating with Children in Illinois

Understand Illinois relocation law under 750 ILCS 5/609.2, including distance thresholds, the 60-day notice requirement, 11 statutory factors, and how courts decide relocation cases.

Fathers' Rights in Texas Custody Cases

Understand fathers' rights in Texas custody disputes. Learn about the presumption of joint managing conservatorship, the standard possession order, equal custody trends, and how to establish paternity.

Court Process

What to Expect at a Custody Hearing

Learn what happens at a custody hearing, including types of hearings, evidence presented, what judges look for, how to prepare, and common mistakes to avoid.

Custody Mediation: How It Works

Learn how custody mediation works, what it costs, when courts require it, and how to prepare. A complete guide to resolving custody disputes.

How to Modify a Custody Order

Learn how to modify a custody order, including what qualifies as a substantial change in circumstances, the court process, timeline, and strategies for a successful modification.

Custody Mediation in North Carolina

Learn how mandatory custody mediation works in North Carolina, including the court-ordered process, what to expect, costs, confidentiality rules, and exceptions for domestic violence.

More Guides

How Domestic Violence Affects Custody in California

Learn how domestic violence affects custody decisions in California, including the FC 3044 presumption against abusers, DVROs, batterer intervention programs, supervised visitation, and the best interest standard under FC 3011.

Move-Away Custody Cases in California

Learn how California courts handle move-away custody cases. Understand the Burgess presumption, LaMusga factors, notice requirements, and strategies for both relocating and non-relocating parents.

Modifying Child Custody in Georgia

Learn how to modify a child custody order in Georgia, including the material change of circumstances standard, the two-year waiting period, and the Bodne v. Bodne framework.

Legitimation in Georgia: How Unmarried Fathers Get Custody Rights

Learn why legitimation is required for unmarried fathers in Georgia, how the petition process works under OCGA 19-7-22, and how it connects to custody and visitation rights.

Allocation of Parental Responsibilities in Illinois

Understand how Illinois allocates parental responsibilities under the 2016 IMDMA reform, including significant decision-making, parenting time, and best interest factors.

Michigan's 12 Best Interest Factors in Custody Cases

Understand the 12 statutory best interest factors under Michigan's Child Custody Act (MCL 722.23). Learn how courts weigh each factor, the role of the established custodial environment, burden of proof standards, and the Friend of the Court's recommendation.

Michigan Parenting Time Guidelines

Understand Michigan's parenting time guidelines, including standard schedules by age, best interest factors, holiday arrangements, long-distance parenting time, and the Friend of the Court's role.

Custody Rights for Unmarried Parents in New York

Learn how custody and visitation work for unmarried parents in New York, including establishing paternity, court jurisdiction, the best interest standard, and same-sex parent rights after Brooke S.B.

Grandparent Visitation Rights in New York

Learn how grandparents can petition for visitation rights in New York under DRL Section 72, including standing requirements, the best interest standard, and the impact of Troxel v. Granville.

Best Interest Factors in North Carolina Custody Cases

Understand how North Carolina courts determine child custody using the best interest of the child standard under NCGS 50-13.2. Learn about judicial discretion, common factors, domestic violence considerations, and the role of guardians ad litem.

How to Modify a Custody Order in Ohio

Understand the legal requirements for modifying a custody order in Ohio, including the change of circumstances standard, the one-year waiting period, and exceptions.

Shared Parenting Plans in Ohio

Learn how shared parenting works in Ohio under ORC 3109.04, including what the plan must include, how to file, court approval, modification, and the role of a guardian ad litem.

Grandparent Rights in Texas Custody Cases

Learn about grandparent custody and visitation rights in Texas, including standing requirements under TFC 153.432-433, the Troxel impact, managing conservatorship, and how to overcome the parental presumption.

The 16 Best Interest Factors in Pennsylvania Custody Cases

Learn all 16 best interest factors under 23 Pa.C.S. 5328(a) that Pennsylvania courts use to decide custody, including which factors matter most and how judges apply them.

Child Custody Relocation Rules in Pennsylvania

Learn Pennsylvania's custody relocation requirements under 23 Pa.C.S. 5337, including the 60-day notice rule, 10 statutory factors, and burden of proof.

Custody and Domestic Violence: What Courts Consider

How domestic violence affects child custody — presumptions against abusers, protective orders, safety provisions, and how to protect your children.

Custody Evaluation: What to Expect

What happens during a custody evaluation — who conducts it, what they assess, how to prepare, how long it takes, and how it affects your custody case.

Emergency Custody Orders: When and How to Get One

How to get an emergency custody order — when courts grant them, the process, what evidence you need, and what happens after the order is issued.

Grandparent Custody and Visitation Rights

A guide to grandparent rights in custody and visitation — when grandparents can seek custody, visitation laws by state, and how courts decide.

Long-Distance Custody Arrangements

How to make long-distance custody work — parenting schedules, travel logistics, communication plans, and legal considerations for parents who live far apart.

Parental Alienation: How Courts Respond

What parental alienation is, how courts identify it, the impact on custody cases, warning signs, and what you can do if your child is being turned against you.

Temporary Custody Orders Explained

What temporary custody orders are, how they work, how to get one, and how they differ from permanent custody orders during divorce or separation.

Alabama Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

How Alabama courts decide child custody — the best interest factors, types of custody, and what judges consider in custody cases.

Arizona Custody and Relocation Laws

Arizona's rules for relocating with a child after divorce — notice requirements, court approval, and how judges decide relocation cases.

Colorado Parental Responsibilities: How Custody Works

How Colorado handles child custody — allocation of parental responsibilities, decision-making, parenting time, and the best interest factors.

Delaware Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

How Delaware courts decide custody — best interest factors, custody types, and what judges look for in custody cases.

Kentucky Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

Understand how Kentucky courts determine child custody using best interest factors under KRS 403.270, the equal parenting time presumption, types of custody, domestic violence considerations, and de facto custodian rights.

Indiana Child Custody Factors

How Indiana courts decide custody — best interest factors, custody types, parenting time guidelines, and modification.

Maine Custody and Parental Rights

Understand how Maine handles child custody using 'parental rights and responsibilities,' including primary residence, shared parenting, best interest factors, mediation requirements, and the role of guardians ad litem.

Missouri Custody Modification

A comprehensive guide to modifying custody orders in Missouri, covering the two-year waiting period, changed circumstances standard, best interest factors, relocation rules, and parenting plan requirements under RSMo 452.

Minnesota Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

A detailed guide to Minnesota's 12 best interest factors under Minn. Stat. Section 518.17, covering joint legal custody presumption, domestic violence considerations, the friendly parent factor, parenting plan requirements, custody evaluations, and modification standards.

New Hampshire Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

Understand how New Hampshire courts determine child custody — best interest of the child standard, parenting plans, joint decision-making, domestic violence presumption, guardian ad litem, mediation, and the child's preference.

New Mexico Custody and Parenting Plans

How custody and parenting plans work in New Mexico — joint custody presumption, timesharing, parenting plan requirements, best interest factors, domestic violence considerations, relocation rules, and mediation.

Oregon Custody and Parenting Plans

Understand Oregon's custody laws, including the distinction between custody and parenting time, the prohibition on court-ordered joint custody over a parent's objection, best interest factors, and parenting plan requirements.

South Carolina Child Custody Factors

A detailed guide to how South Carolina courts determine child custody, including the best interest standard, custody types, factors the court considers, domestic violence, the child's preference, guardian ad litem appointments, and mediation requirements.

Utah Custody and Parent-Time Guidelines

How Utah handles child custody and parent-time — statutory minimum schedules, joint legal custody presumption, best interest factors, age-specific guidelines, and relocation requirements.

Tennessee Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

How Tennessee courts decide child custody — the 15 best interest factors under TCA Section 36-6-106, parenting plan requirements, types of custody, and the comparative fitness standard.

Virginia Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

A comprehensive guide to Virginia's best interest factors for child custody under Va. Code section 20-124.3, including the 10 statutory factors, custody types, the presumption for frequent contact, domestic violence considerations, and how courts evaluate each factor.

Vermont Custody and Parental Rights

Understand how Vermont handles child custody through its parental rights and responsibilities framework, including physical and legal responsibility, best interest factors, the primary caretaker doctrine, shared custody, and same-sex parent rights.

West Virginia Child Custody Factors

Learn how West Virginia courts determine child custody, including the best interest standard, the primary caretaker doctrine, types of custody, domestic violence considerations, and mediation options.

Wisconsin Custody and Placement

How Wisconsin handles child custody and physical placement in divorce. Learn about legal custody, physical placement, the 16 best interest factors, joint custody presumptions, mediation requirements, and domestic violence exceptions.

Wyoming Child Custody: Best Interest Factors

How Wyoming courts decide child custody — the best interest factors, custody types, parenting plan requirements, domestic violence considerations, and modification standards under Wyoming law.

Hawaii Custody and Relocation Laws

Hawaii's rules for relocating with a child — notice requirements, court factors, and the unique challenges of island relocation.