What is joint custody?

There are a number of potential arrangements that can fall under the standard of joint custody.

Joint legal custody: Both parents share in the decisions affecting their children. Neither parent may make a major decision (e.g., school, medical decisions) without the explicit consent of the other parent.

Joint physical custody: Each parent has significant periods of physical custody of their child. In practice, however, a parent may be awarded joint physical custody even though they may only see their children on weekends.

Primary physical custody: The child lives with one parent the majority of the time. This is generally used in cases where parents are awarded joint physical custody and one parent has slightly more time than the other.