Arizona Child Custody: A Parent's Guide

In short: Arizona replaced "custody" with legal decision-making (major decisions) and parenting time (the physical schedule) in 2013, decided as two separate questions under the same 11-factor best-interest standard. There's no statutory presumption of equal parenting time. Moving a child out of state, or more than 100 miles within Arizona, requires 45 days' notice, and the other parent has 30 days to object.

This is an educational overview written for parents, not lawyers. It isn't legal advice. For anything beyond general understanding, talk to a licensed Arizona family law attorney or use the Arizona Judicial Branch's family law self-help resources.

What Arizona generally provides

A.R.S. § 25-403 governs legal decision-making and parenting time, decided in accordance with the best interest of the child. Arizona law is gender-neutral and expressly prohibits courts from preferring either parent based on sex. There's no statutory presumption of equal parenting time, though a bill proposing one (SB 1720) was pending as of 2026. Legal decision-making and parenting time are evaluated separately, so a court can order joint legal decision-making while awarding one parent significantly more parenting time.

Important terminology

• Legal decision-making: authority over major decisions, education, health care, and religious upbringing. Can be joint or sole.
• Parenting time: the physical schedule, when the child is with each parent, decided independently of legal decision-making.
• Best interest of the child: Arizona's controlling standard under § 25-403, assessed through 11 enumerated factors, with courts required to make written findings on each one.
• Relocation: a move of the child's residence out of state or more than 100 miles within Arizona, governed by its own notice process under § 25-408.

How custody works in Arizona

Legal decision-making

Legal decision-making covers major decisions about the child's education, health care, and religious upbringing. It can be joint (both parents share authority) or sole (one parent decides), based on the child's best interest rather than a default presumption.

Parenting time

Parenting time is the physical schedule, decided as a separate question from legal decision-making. A parent can hold joint legal decision-making authority while having significantly less parenting time than the other parent, or vice versa.

The 11 best-interest factors

A.R.S. § 25-403 requires courts to make written findings on 11 factors, including the past, present, and potential future relationship between each parent and the child, the child's interaction with siblings and other significant people, the child's adjustment to home, school, and community, the child's own wishes if of suitable age and maturity, the mental and physical health of everyone involved, and which parent is more likely to allow the child frequent, meaningful, and continuing contact with the other parent. No single factor is automatically decisive.

Parenting schedules

With no presumption of equal time, Arizona families use the full range of common patterns, 2-2-3, week on, week off, or a primary-residence model with scheduled parenting time, based on the child's age, school schedule, and the parents' circumstances. See how to choose a custody schedule for a general framework, and the custody schedule generator to build the actual calendar.

Moving with your child (relocation)

Under A.R.S. § 25-408, a parent must give the other parent 45 days' notice, by certified mail with return receipt requested or as provided under Arizona's family law procedure rules, before relocating a child out of state or more than 100 miles within Arizona. The other parent then has 30 days from the notice to petition the court to prevent the move. After that window passes, blocking the move generally requires a showing of good cause. Courts sanction a parent who fails to comply with the notice requirement without good cause, though any sanction affecting legal decision-making or parenting time still has to align with the child's best interest. See moving to another state with shared custody for how notice requirements and relocation standards tend to work more broadly across states.

Common questions

How is child support calculated? Arizona uses the income shares model under the Arizona Child Support Guidelines: both parents' incomes, the parenting time schedule, childcare costs, and children's health insurance premiums feed into a formula that estimates what the family would spend on the children if living together, then divides it proportionally. The Arizona Judicial Branch's official calculator generates the required Child Support Worksheet.

Can a legal decision-making or parenting time order be changed later? Yes, generally on a showing of a change in circumstances affecting the child's welfare, and that a modification serves the child's best interest.

What if my co-parent won't follow the parenting time order? You can file a petition for enforcement with the court. Courts can order makeup parenting time and, in serious or repeated cases, hold a parent in contempt.

Practical considerations

Because legal decision-making and parenting time are evaluated separately in Arizona, it's worth being specific about which one you're requesting or contesting rather than treating "custody" as a single bundle, the two carry different practical stakes. Whatever the order specifies, the operational part that follows it, keeping both households aligned on the same schedule, logging change requests instead of relying on memory, and keeping a record if an enforcement issue arises, is a separate, ongoing piece worth planning for.

Official Arizona resources

• A.R.S. § 25-403 (Legal Decision-Making and Parenting Time; Best Interest Factors)
• A.R.S. § 25-408 (Relocation of Children)
• Arizona Judicial Branch: Child Support Guidelines

Related OnePage resources

• Custody schedule generator
• What is a parenting plan
• How to choose a custody schedule
• Moving to another state with shared custody

Related Arizona pages

• Arizona hub