Does a Custody Order Ever End?

Custody agreements are not always the easiest scenario to navigate through. The reality is that you might wish to spend more time with your children, but you are unable to because of your custody order. And in other situations, perhaps your work schedule changes, and you are no longer able to continue the same order of custody you have enjoyed. Custody orders can end on their own if there are certain factors present. You may also be able to seek a modification of your original custody order should your situation necessitate doing so. 

What Automatically Ends Your Custody Order?

When your child turns 18 years old, your custody order automatically ends. Your child at that point can make their own decisions, as a legal adult, about where he or she would prefer to live. Along with this privilege comes the ability to make other decisions typically reserved for the custodial parent in favor of the non-custodial parent, like medical decisions or financial decisions. Emancipation is also a circumstance that would automatically end your custody order. Emancipation occurs when a child turns 18 years old or has graduating high school and does not turn 18 until the summer break. Some states do grant earlier emancipations through the court system. 

Can We Change Our Agreement?

If you and your ex-spouse come to an agreement on an alternate custody plan, your current custody order can be terminated to institute the new agreement. It is important to remember that just because you and your ex-spouse have come to an agreement, until the court signs off on it, your current custody order remains in place. Your new agreement must become a new custody order from the Court that issued your original order. If you are unable to come to an agreement, you can petition the court at any time to have your custody order modified. However, to do this you must be able to prove that your children and their other parent have experienced a change of circumstance significant enough to warrant a change to your existing custody order. 

Child custody cases are never easy to navigate and there are obviously high stakes involved. Hiring an experienced family law attorney will ensure you rights are fought for in court.