Source: https://www.wgandf-law.com/Articles/MOVING-FORWARD-A-SUMMARY-OF-ARIZONA-RELOCATION-LAW.shtml
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 02:11:02+00:00

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When a relocation dispute arises between the joint custodians of a minor child, a reviewing court is controlled by the provisions of Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 25-408 and the parents' decree of dissolution, to the extent that it addresses the issue. Note that it is common for a decree to forbid either parent from taking the child out of the state of Arizona for more than a short duration of time and/or will typically prohibit either parent from relocating out of state with the child absent consent from the other parent or a court order.
This is where Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 25-408(H) comes into play. It states, in pertinent part, that "The court shall not deviate from a provision of any parenting plan or other written agreement by which the parents specifically have agreed to allow or prohibit relocation of the child unless the court finds that the provision is no longer in the child's best interests. There is a rebuttable presumption that a provision from any parenting plan or other written agreement is in the child's best interests." This is the relocating parent's first hurdle: rebut the legal presumption that the parties' prohibition on relocation is in the child's best interests.
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 25-408(G) presents the next hurdle: "The burden of proving what is in the child's best interests is on the parent who is seeking to relocate the child." The common thread in both statutory sections is clear: relocation must be in the best interests of the child. Indeed, "The court shall determine whether to allow the parent to relocate the child in accordance with the child's best interests." Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 25-408(G). Again, although the court must ultimately make a decision that is in the best interests of the child, it is the relocating parent who has the burden of not only demonstrating that the proposed relocation is such, but also overcoming the statutory presumption that a decree prohibiting relocation is what in the child's best interests.
1. The factors prescribed under section 25-403.
Excluding factor (1), which will be addressed shortly, Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 25-408(I) presents seven distinct factors that must be weighed in arriving at a conclusion about a proposed relocation. None of these factors are individually controlling; all of them should be weighed collectively. Pollock v. Pollock, 181 Ariz. 275 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1995).
Combining § 25-408(I) with § 25-403(A), the parent seeking relocation has an exhaustive list of seventeen (17) factors that must addressed and weighed in proving to the court that the relocation is in their child's best interests; this is an even more substantial burden than must be met in a typical custody case. A parent seeking relocation would be wise to keep that in mind when making the personal choice about whether they intend to move out of Arizona with a child that also has another joint custodian.

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