By state
Custody documentation, state by state
The habits of good documentation are universal. Three things aren’t: whether you may record conversations, what your state’s courts call custody, and where your case would be heard. Pick your state for the specifics.
California
Legal custody and physical custody | Superior Court's family law division
Texas
Conservatorship (managing and possessory conservators) rather than custody | District Court
Florida
Parental responsibility (shared or sole) and time-sharing rather than custody and visitation | Circuit Court's family division
New York
Legal custody and physical (residential) custody | Family Court (or the Supreme Court within a divorce case)
Pennsylvania
Legal custody and physical custody | Court of Common Pleas
Illinois
Allocation of parental responsibilities (decision-making) and parenting time rather than custody and visitation | Circuit Court
Ohio
Allocation of parental rights and responsibilities | Court of Common Pleas
Georgia
Legal custody and physical custody | Superior Court
North Carolina
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
Michigan
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit Court's family division
Alabama
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit Court
Alaska
Legal custody and physical custody | Superior Court
Arizona
Legal decision-making and parenting time | Superior Court
Arkansas
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit Court
Colorado
Parental responsibilities: decision-making responsibility and parenting time | District Court
Connecticut
Legal custody and physical custody | Superior Court
Delaware
Legal custody and primary residence | Family Court
District of Columbia
Legal custody and physical custody | Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Hawaii
Legal custody and physical custody | Family Court
Idaho
Legal custody and physical custody | Magistrate Division of the District Court
Indiana
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit or Superior Court
Iowa
Legal custody and physical care | District Court
Kansas
Legal custody | District Court
Kentucky
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit or Family Court
Louisiana
Custody under the Civil Code | District Court
Maine
Parental rights and responsibilities | District Court
Maryland
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit Court
Massachusetts
Legal custody and physical custody | Probate and Family Court
Minnesota
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
Mississippi
Legal custody and physical custody | Chancery Court
Missouri
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit Court
Montana
A parenting plan setting residential schedule and decision-making | District Court
Nebraska
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
Nevada
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
New Hampshire
Parental rights and responsibilities: decision-making and residential responsibility | Circuit Court
New Jersey
Legal custody and physical custody | Superior Court
New Mexico
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
North Dakota
Parental rights and responsibilities: residential responsibility and decision-making responsibility | District Court
Oklahoma
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
Oregon
Legal custody | Circuit Court
Rhode Island
Legal custody and physical custody or placement | Family Court
South Carolina
Legal custody and physical custody | Family Court
South Dakota
Legal custody and physical custody | Circuit Court
Tennessee
A permanent parenting plan naming a primary residential parent and setting a residential schedule | Circuit
Utah
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
Vermont
Parental rights and responsibilities | Family Division of the Superior Court
Virginia
Legal custody and physical custody | Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
Washington
A parenting plan with a residential schedule and decision-making | Superior Court
West Virginia
Allocation of custodial responsibility and decision-making responsibility | Family Court
Wisconsin
Legal custody and physical placement | Circuit Court
Wyoming
Legal custody and physical custody | District Court
All 50 states and Washington, D.C. are covered. The record-keeping fundamentals for every state are in our guides.
These pages are general information, reviewed in July 2026 and rechecked for some states in October 2026 (each page shows its date), not legal advice. Laws change; consult a family-law attorney in your state.