Source: https://www.womenslaw.org/laws/ok/custody/all
Timestamp: 2018-01-23 01:42:55
Document Index: 142070340

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 109', '§ 109', '§ 109', '§ 112', '§ 112', '§ 551', '§ 112', '§ 112', '§ 112', '§ 112', '§ 112', '§ 109']

Oklahoma Custody | WomensLaw.org
Oklahoma Custody
WomensLaw.org strongly recommends that you get help from an organization in your area before proceeding with court action. To find an organization near you, please go to the OK Places that Help page.
There are 2 options for physical custody: sole physical custody or joint physical custody.
In Oklahoma, if you have sole physical custody of your child, then your child lives with you and not with the other parent (but may visit the other parent on weekends or for other time periods). A parent with primary physical custody is sometimes called a child's "primary caretaker," or "custodial parent." Generally, the custodial parent is the person who has responsibility for the everyday care of your child and the everyday decisions that affect that care.
You can have sole physical custody of your child and share legal custody with the other parent. This means that while your child lives with you and not with the other parent, but the other parent still has the right to help make major decisions regarding the child. Sometimes, a judge will call this type of arrangement "joint custody" with the mother (or father) as the "primary custodian." This means that the parents have joint legal custody, but the child mostly lives with one parent.
If a judge orders joint physical custody, your child will live part-time with you part-time with the other parent. The child may or may not spend equal amounts of time with each parent but both of you will have frequent contact with the child. For example, your child may spend weekdays with you, and weekends (or alternating weekends) with the other parent.
When there is joint physical custody, both parents share the rights of making day-to-day decisions about your child and the responsibilities of caring for your child while the child is with you. Some things that parents with joint physical custody will both be responsible for include:
putting your child to bed at night.
When a court orders joint physical custody, the court is required to enter a "joint custody plan" that spells out in detail the rights and responsibilities of each parent. The plan should also address what should be done if the parents disagree on a major decision – for example, sometimes the court designates one parent as the “tie-breaker” or sometimes the court requires mediation. The judge can also order that the parents go to arbitration to resolve disagreements over the interpretation of language in the order. If the parents refuse arbitration, the judge can deny joint custody.*
* 43 Okla. St. § 109(H)
To try to change a custody order, you can file a motion with the court asking the judge to modify (change) your final custody order. There will most likely be fees involved. If you cannot afford the fees, you may file an “affidavit in forma pauperis” in which you explain that you are a low-income person and you are asking the court to waive any court costs.
To modify a joint custody order while still keeping joint custody, if you and the other parent agree on changes to the plan for joint care, custody and control, you can file these changes with the court. If only one parent wants to change the terms of a joint custody order, s/he can file for the modification. In both cases, the judge will only approve the modification(s) if s/he thinks that these changes are in the best interest of the child. If you are asking to terminate the joint custody order because you are asking for sole custody, the court could terminate the joint custody order and continue with the case as if that order had never been agreed to.*
If you have joint custody of your child and you and the other parent have a disagreement about the terms of the custody arrangement, the judge may appoint an arbitrator to your case. An arbitrator is a person who knows about family law and counseling. S/he will look at the facts of your situation and make a decision about how to interpret the part of the order that you and the other parent are disagreeing about. This person’s decision will be legally binding; this means that it will be enforced in the same way as if a judge had made the decision and it is final. If a judge orders arbitration and a parent refuses to consent (agree), the court may decide to end the joint custody agreement.*1
You may have an attorney present at all times if you want one. It is recommended that you get an attorney if you can afford one or obtain one through free or low-cost legal services. For a link to these services, please see our OK Finding a Lawyer page.
To change a custody order from joint to sole or from sole to joint, you will be required to show the court that there has been a permanent, material and substantial change in the custodial situation that negatively affects the child and that changing custody would be in the child’s best interests.*2 This is a tough standard to meet but it is supposed to prevent parents from battling constantly in court to change custody and provide for stability in the child's life. For example, if the custodial parent was convicted of drug possession, the court may agree that this is a substantial change in circumstances and might consider whether your home now is better for the child than the other parent's home.
Note: When a parent is required to be separated from a child due to military service, the court shall not enter a final order modifying an existing custody order until such time as the parent has completed the term of duty requiring separation.*3 A military deployment cannot be used as evidence of a substantial, material and permanent change of circumstances to permanently modify custody.*4
* 43 O.S. § 109(E),(F),(G)
*1 43 O.S. § 109(H)
*2 See, for example, Boatsman v. Boatsman, 697 P.2d 516 (Okl. Supr. Ct,1984.); Buffalo v. Buffalo, 211 P.3d 923 (Okla.Civ.App. Div. 2009)
*3 43 O.S. § 112(5)
*4 43 O.S. § 112.7
It may be possible. If you move to another state, you may be able to change the state where the custody case is being heard, especially if the other parent no longer lives in the state that made the initial custody order or if there is no longer a significant connection between the child and the state that issued the order. In other words, if the court finds that there is no evidence from the original state anymore about the child’s life, then a new state where there are significant ties with the child may be able to hear the case (have jurisdiction.)* You will generally have to ask the judge who is hearing the case to change the jurisdiction of your case. See our Changing a final custody order page for more information.
This is often complicated, and as with all custody issues, we recommend that you talk to a lawyer about this. Go to our OK Finding a Lawyer page for legal referrals.
* 43 O.S. § 551-202(1) & (2)
To get specific advice about your situation, we recommend talking to an attorney. If you are thinking of moving up to 75 miles away, you may want to ask an attorney whether or not you have to notify the court or the other parent in some way. For intended moves of more than 75 miles, Oklahoma has a law that requires parents to give a written notice of intended relocation to the other parent if they are going to move more than 75 miles from their current residence (for 60 days or longer) and there is custody and visitation order in place.* The notice has to be sent by mail to the last-known address of the person to be notified, and you have to send it at least 60 days before you intend to move or if you did not know about the move 60 days in advance (and you can’t delay the move), you have to send it within 10 days of finding out. The following information has to be included in the notice:
the intended new residence, including the specific address, if known,
the mailing address, if not the same,
the home telephone number, if known,
a brief statement of the specific reasons for the proposed relocation of a child, if applicable,
a proposal for a revised schedule of visitation with the child, if any, and
a warning to the non-relocating parent that an objection to the relocation must be made within 30 days or the relocation will be permitted.
However, if you believe that you or your child would be in danger by giving the required identifying information in the notice, you can ask the judge to order that the address and telephone number and other identifying information will not be shown to the abuser. You can also ask for permission to not give the 60 days (or 10 days) notice if that would endanger you or your child. The judge can hold an ex parte hearing (without the abuser present) to decide on these issues.
If the other parent disagrees with the move, s/he has to file an objection in court (and can ask for a temporary or permanent order to prevent the relocation) within thirty days after receiving the notice in the mail. Note: A non-parent who has a visitation order cannot legally object to the relocation but can file to get a new visitation schedule.**
If you don’t properly notify someone who has custody or visitation rights about the relocation (without the court telling you that you do not have to share the information in order to protect the safety of you or the child), the court may take that into account when determining whether to allow you to move, to change the custody or visitation arrangements, or make you pay any attorney fees and costs of the other party who objects to your relocation. It can also be the reason that the judge orders the return of the child if the relocation has taken place without notice.***
* 43 O.S. § 112.3(A)(5),(C)
** 43 O.S. § 112.3(A)-(I)
*** 43 O.S. § 112.3(F)
The judge cannot grant the relocation just based upon the fact that the judge had already given the parent a temporary order allowing the move while the case was pending. Also, the judge cannot consider whether or not the person seeking relocation of the child has declared that s/he will not relocate if relocation of the child is denied.*
Note: The relocating parent has to prove that the proposed relocation is made in “good faith.” If s/he does that, then it is up to the non-relocating parent to show that the proposed relocation is not in the best interest of the child.**
* 43 O.S. § 112.3(J)
** 43 O.S. § 112.3(K)
Yes, a parent who does not have custody can get access to your child's records unless you have a court order restricting the non-custodial parent's access. This includes medical records, school records, and many other types of records that may have your home address and contact information. If you do not want the non-custodial parent to get access to these records, you must request that the court restrict the other parent's access. The judge will only do this if s/he believes that doing so would be in the best interests of the child.* Be sure to tell the judge about any domestic abuse in your household.
* 43 O.S. § 109.6