Having the right child custody and visitation information can make all the difference in your family law case. The laws and procedures that apply to your specific needs will depend on the state — and even the county — in which you live. Therefore, you must do your research and work with a local attorney whom you trust.

To make the research easier for you, below you can find links to child custody and visitation information at the national and state levels. The sources include information on parenting plans and agreements where available. You might also find what you're looking for on the state-specific Family Courts and Family Law Forms pages.

To suggest a resource for this page, please e-mail FindLaw.

National

• Grandparents' Visitation Rights (AARP)
• The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (DOJ)

Alabama

• Self Help Legal Info: Child Custody (Alabama Legal Aid)
• Kinship Care: Grandparents and Relatives as Parents

Alaska

• How to Make a Parenting Plan (Alaska Court System)
• Parenting and Custody (Alaska Court System)
• Modifying Child Custody and Child Support (Alaska Court System)

Arizona

• Establish Parenting Plan (Arizona Judicial Branch, Family Law Forms)
• Family Court Forms (The Judicial Branch of Arizona)

Arkansas

• Child Custody & Visitation
• Child Custody and Visitation (Arkansas DFA)
• Grandparent Visitation (Women'sLaw.org)

California

• Custody & Visitation Information (California Courts)
• Child Custody Mediation (California Courts)

Colorado

• Children Not Living at Home - Handbook [PDF]
• How Family Mediation May Work For You [PDF] (Colorado Judicial Branch)
• Connecting With Your Kids [PDF] (Colorado Foundation for Families and Children)
• Modifying Custody or Allocation of Parental Responsibilities (Colorado Judicial Branch)

Connecticut

• Child Custody Actions in Connecticut (Connecticut Judicial Branch)

Delaware

• Child Custody Overview (Delaware State Courts)
• 3rd Party/Grandparent Visitation (Delaware State Courts)
• Registration of Foreign Custody Orders [PDF] (Delaware State Courts)

District of Columbia

• Custody and Visitation[PDF] (LawHelp.org)
• Custody Jurisdiction Decision Tree (D.C. Family Court Self Help Center)
• Guardianship Procedures [PDF] (District of Columbia Courts)

Florida

• Non-primary residential parent visitation schedule [PDF] (Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida)

Georgia

• Child Custody (State of Georgia)
• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (Division of Child Support Services)
• Child Access and Visitation (Georgia Dept. of Human Services)

Hawaii

• Family Courts (Hawaii State Judiciary)
• Facts about Getting a Divorce in Hawai'i (Hawaii State Judiciary)
• Purple Family video Info and order form. (O`ahu's Kids First)

Idaho

• Paternity, Custody, Visitation and Child Support Forms(State of Idaho)
• Idaho Child Custody Laws (FindLaw)

Illinois

• Child Custody (Illinois Legal Aid Online)
• Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
• Parenting Plan Illinois Statewide Form
• Visitation Laws (FindLaw)

Indiana

• Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines (Indiana Judiciary}
• What Rights Do I Have As A Grandparent? (Indiana)

Iowa

• Child Custody (Iowa Judiciary)

Kansas

• Child Custody, Support and Visitation Rights (Kansas Bar Association)

Kentucky

• What is Child Custody? (Legal Aid Network of Kentucky)

Louisiana

• Divorce: Who Gets Custody? Who Pays Support? [PDF] (Louisiana State Bar Association)
• Child Support Enforcement Access and Visitation

Maine

• Grandparent Visitation Rights (Pine Tree Legal Assistance/Maine Judicial Branch )
• Parental Rights and Responsibilities: Maine Court Forms

Maryland

• Divorce and Custody Mediation (People's Law Library of Maryland))
• Mediation and Other Forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Maryland Courts)

Massachusetts

• Planning for Shared Parenting [PDF] (Mass Legal Help)
• Massachusetts Law About Child Custody (MA Trial Court Law Libraries)
• Massachusetts Law About Grandparents' Visitation (MA Trial Court Law Libraries)

Michigan

• Michigan Parenting Time Guideline (State Court Administrative Office)
• Custody and Parenting Time (Michigan Legal Help)

Minnesota

• Child Custody and Parenting Time (Minnesota Judicial Branch)
• Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association (MKCA) (Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota)
• Rights of Visitation to Unmarried Persons (Minnesota Legislature)

Mississippi

• Mississippi Law on Custody and Visitation [PDF] (The Mississippi Bar)
• Mississippi Child Custody Laws (FindLaw)
• Grandparents Rights (House Bill 302, Mississippi)

Missouri

• Supportive Co-Parenting (University of Missouri Extension)
• Motion to Modify Child Custody and Support (Missouri Courts)
• Family Law Resource Guide

Montana

• Child Custody, Parenting Plans, Visitation (Montana Courts)
• Co-parenting After Divorce (Montana State University)
• Grandparent-Grandchild Contact (Montana Code)

Nebraska

• Establishing Paternity, Custody, Parenting Time, and Child Support (State of Nebraska Judicial Branch)
• Family Law and Domestic Violence (Legal Aid of Nebraska)

Nevada

• Filing for Custody, Paternity, and Child Support (Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada)
• Legal Resources by Subject (Nevada Judiciary)
• Custody and Visitation Schedule Form (Washoe Courts)

New Hampshire

• How to File a Parenting Petition (New Hampshire Superior Court)
• Child Custody and Visitation (New Hampshire Law Library)

New Jersey

• Kinship Care (New Jersey Department of Human Services)
• Parenting Time: A Child's Right (New Jersey Courts)

New Mexico

• Establishing Parentage, Custody, or Child Support (New Mexico 2nd Judicial District)
• Grandparenting [PDF] (New Mexico University Cooperative Extension Service)

New York

• Custody (New York Courts)
• Child Custody and Visitation in New York (Legal Assistance of Western New York)
• New York Parenting Plan Form (New York State Supreme Court)

North Carolina

• Child Custody (North Carolina Judicial Branch)
• Family Law (FindLaw)

North Dakota

• Parenting Time (North Dakota State)
• Establishing Custody (Residential Responsibility) and Visitation (Parenting Time) (North Dakota Courts)

Ohio

• Ohio Law Guides Parenting Plans in Divorce and Custody Cases (Ohio State Bar Association)
• Grandparent Companionship and Visitation Rights (Ohio General Assembly)

Oklahoma

• Standard Visitation Schedule & Advisory Guidelines [PDF] (Supreme Court of Oklahoma)
• Co-Parenting Through Divorce [PDF] (OSU Extension)

Oregon

• Custody and Parenting Time (Oregon State Bar)
• Basic Parenting Plan Guide (Oregon Judicial Branch)
• Oregon's Legal Guide for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children

Pennsylvania

• Child Custody (Pennsylvania Bar Association)
• Custody Proceedings (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania)
• Parenting Plan (PA General Assembly)

Rhode Island

• Commonly asked questions by Non-Custodial Parents (Rhode Island Dept. of Human Services)
• Office of Child Support Services (Rhode Island Dept. of Human Services)
• Custody or Placement Mediation Form (Rhode Island Judiciary)

South Carolina

• Child Custody (South Carolina Bar)
• Visitation Rights After Divorce or Separation (South Carolina Bar)

South Dakota

• Parenting Time Guidelines [PDF] (South Dakota Unified Judicial System)
• Custody and Visitation Rights (South Dakota Legislative Research Council)

Tennessee

• Parenting Plan Information (Administrative Office of the Tennessee Courts)
• Fourth Circuit Parenting Plan Rules [PDF] (Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County)
• Child Support Fact Sheet [PDF] (Tennessee Department of Human Services)

Texas

• Handbook for Non-Custodial Parents (Office of the Attorney General)
• Child Custody and Support (Texas State Law Library)

Utah

• Child Custody and Parent Time (Utah Courts)
• Parenting Plan (Utah Courts)

Vermont

• Family (Vermont Judiciary)
• Kinship Caregivers [PDF] (Vermont Department for Children and Families)
• Child Custody and Visitation (Vermont Legal Help)

Virginia

• Child Custody and Visitation (Circuit Court of Fairfax County)
• Frequently Asked Questions About Virginia's Court System (Virginia State Bar)
• Spare Your Child [PDF] (Virginia State Bar)

Washington

• Washington Parenting Law for Unmarried Couples Who Are Separating (Washington Law Help)
• Parenting Plan Form (Superior Court of Washington)
• Grandparent Visitation (Senate Bill 5598)

West Virginia

• Parenting Plan (West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals)
• Parenting Plan Instructions (West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals)
• Allocation of Custodial Responsibility (West Virginia Legislature)

Wisconsin

• Grandparents/Relatives Raising and Nurturing Dependent Children [PDF] (University of Wisconsin-Extension)
• Child Custody and Visitation (Wisconsin State Law Library)

Wyoming

• Wyoming Resource Guide for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren [PDF] (AARP Wyoming)
• Child Custody and Visitation (Equal Justice Wyoming)

Get Professional Legal Help with Your Child Custody Case

Child custody and visitation information varies by state, but forms and other resources are available. However, nothing matches the support that an experienced family law attorney can provide. They are well-versed in the laws of your state and can be your strongest advocate with the court. Get started today by finding a skilled family law attorney in your state.