Child Custody Agreement - Washington

Child Custody Agreement and Proposed Permanent Parenting Plan Terms

Superior Court of Washington, [COUNTY] County

Case number: [________________________________]

Date of agreement: [__/__/____]

Before you use this: The parents may sign this agreement to record their proposed terms. It does not replace an existing court order. To request a court-approved parenting plan, put the agreed terms on the current FL All Family 140 Parenting Plan and any other required court forms; RCW 26.09.006 requires approved forms for filing. Court findings about safety may require different terms.

The parents agree to the completed terms below and intend to ask the Court to approve them on the official form. Existing protection, custody, and support orders continue to govern until a court order changes them.

1. Parents, children, and existing orders

Parent A: [FULL NAME]

Address and contact method for notices: [________________________________]

Parent B: [FULL NAME]

Address and contact method for notices: [________________________________]

Existing relevant orders and case numbers: [________________________________].

Other people entitled by order to residential time or visitation: [________________________________].

2. Residential arrangement

The children's regular residential schedule is:

Cycle start date and repeat pattern: [________________________________].

Schedule differences for a particular child or for children under age three: [________________________________].

The completed holiday periods override the regular schedule. An unfilled period follows the regular schedule.

Summer schedule if different: [________________________________].

Vacation request method, lead time, and overlapping-request rule: [________________________________].

Temporary schedule changes and make-up time will be recorded by: [________________________________].

If one parent has a majority of residential time, that parent is designated [PARENT] as custodian solely for statutes requiring that designation; it does not change the parents' rights under this plan. RCW 26.09.285.

3. Decisions and information

Each parent may make ordinary day-to-day decisions while the child resides with that parent. Either may make an emergency decision affecting the child's health or safety; the other will be informed as soon as practicable. RCW 26.09.184(5).

When a category is assigned to both parents but they cannot agree, they will make a good faith effort to resolve that decision through the process selected in Section 6. RCW 26.09.184(5)(c).

School and health provider names and contact details: [________________________________].

Parents will share material school, health, and activity information by [METHOD] within [AGREED TIME] when practicable. Child contact during the other parent's time: [FREQUENCY / METHOD / TIMES / PRIVACY: ________________________________].

4. Exchanges, travel, and care

Primary exchange place: [________________________________]. Backup or protected exchange place, if needed: [________________________________].

Transport: ☐ Receiving parent picks up ☐ Departing parent drops off ☐ School or care provider exchange ☐ Other: [________________________________].

If delayed, the parent will notify the other at [CONTACT METHOD]. Medication, school supplies, and agreed belongings traveling with the child: [________________________________].

Optional first offer of care when a parent will be unavailable for more than [____] hours: offer method [____________], response time [____], exceptions [________________________________].

Travel itinerary, passport, and consent arrangements agreed by the parents: [________________________________].

5. Safety and limitations for court review

Existing protection or restraining order, case number, and controlling terms: [________________________________].

☐ No parenting limitation is requested by the parents.

☐ The following conduct or safety issue requires a court finding or review under RCW 26.09.191: [FACTS / ORDERS: ________________________________].

Proposed residential, decision-making, supervised-contact, protected-exchange, or confidential-contact limits: [________________________________].

The Court decides whether statutory limits apply. The parents will follow every controlling safety order and will present any proposed limits for court review.

6. Dispute resolution and enforcement

Proposed process for disagreements about implementing this plan (choose and complete):

☐ Parent communication followed by counseling or mediation with [PROVIDER / COST ALLOCATION: ________________________________].

☐ Court action because another process is precluded, limited, unaffordable, or unsafe: [REASON: ________________________________].

☐ Other court-appropriate process: [________________________________].

Where a noncourt process is designated, the parents will first use it to resolve plan-implementation disputes, except disputes over financial support and emergencies. The process will give preference to carrying out this plan. A written record of any agreement reached in counseling or mediation, and of any arbitration award, will be given to each parent. Each may seek superior-court review as allowed by RCW 26.09.184(4). No term here delays an urgent request for protection.

If a parent fails to comply with this plan or a support order, the other parent's obligations remain in force. RCW 26.09.184(7). Enforcement relief will be requested from the Court.

7. Relocation and later changes

A person with majority or substantially equal residential time who intends to relocate a child will identify who must receive notice under RCW 26.09.430. Except for applicable school-district or safety provisions, RCW 26.09.440 ordinarily calls for personal service or return-receipt mail at least 60 days before the move, with specified contents and an objection warning; it provides a later-notice exception when information could not reasonably be known sooner and delay is unreasonable. An objection to the formal notice generally must be filed and served within 30 days. A qualifying move within the child's current majority-residence school district may use reasonable actual notice under RCW 26.09.450. RCW 26.09.460 includes safety and confidentiality protections.

This plan does not itself serve as a future statutory relocation notice. Contact and service details for any future notice: [________________________________].

The parents may sign an updated proposal for court approval. A later change to a court-ordered plan is governed by RCW 26.09.260; a temporary practical adjustment does not itself replace the order.

8. Support and submission

Child support, insurance, and shared expenses are governed by: ☐ existing order, case [____________] ☐ separately submitted proposal ☐ court determination requested. This custody agreement sets no support amount.

The parents intend to submit the terms on the official form as: ☐ an agreed permanent plan ☐ a proposed plan for review ☐ a proposed modification of the order dated [__/__/____]. They ask the Court to enter the proposed terms, subject to the Court's safety findings and any required changes. RCW 26.09.181, 26.09.184, 26.09.187, 26.09.191.

9. Signatures

By signing, each parent confirms that the completed choices express that parent's proposed terms and that the parent has received a copy.

Parent A signature: [________________________________]

Printed name: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

Parent B signature: [________________________________]

Printed name: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

The court's approval, if granted, must be recorded on the required court form or a separate court order.

Sources and References

• RCW 26.09.181, .184, .187, .191, .260 and .285
• RCW 26.09.006 and Washington Courts FL All Family 140
• RCW 26.09.430 through .460