A custody order tells you who has custody. A parenting plan tells you how co-parenting will actually work: which house the kids sleep at on Wednesday, who decides about braces, and what happens when parents disagree. In Utah, a parenting plan is required whenever a parent requests joint custody, and even when not required, a detailed plan is the single best tool for preventing years of conflict. This guide explains what Utah parenting plans must include and how to build one that serves your children.
When Utah Requires a Parenting Plan
Under Utah Code § 81-9-203, a parent who files for joint legal custody or joint physical custody must file a proposed parenting plan with the petition. Parents can file a plan jointly if they agree, or each parent can propose their own plan and the court will resolve the differences. The objectives are written into the law itself: a plan should provide for the child’s physical care and emotional stability, set clear authority and responsibilities so future conflict is minimized, and protect the child from harmful parental conflict.
Parents with minor children in a Utah divorce must also complete the state’s mandatory divorce orientation and parenting education courses, which are designed to help parents keep children out of the middle.
What a Utah Parenting Plan Includes
The residential schedule. This is the heart of the plan: where the child lives day to day, including the regular weekly rotation, holidays, school breaks, birthdays, and summer vacation. Utah provides statutory minimum parent-time schedules that apply when parents cannot agree, including a minimum schedule for children ages five to eighteen, an optional schedule that increases time toward equal, and a separate schedule for children under five. These are floors, not ceilings. Parents are free to agree on any schedule that fits their family, and the best plans reflect the children’s school, activities, and the practical distance between homes.
Decision-making authority. The plan spells out how major decisions are made, particularly education, health care, and religious upbringing. Parents can share all decisions jointly, divide categories between them, or give one parent final say in specified areas after consultation.
Dispute resolution. Utah parenting plans designate how future disagreements will be handled before anyone runs to court, most often through mediation. Given how much cheaper and faster it is than litigation, this provision does real work over the years. Our guide to how mediation works in Utah divorce cases explains the process.
Practical logistics. Strong plans also address exchanges and transportation, communication between parents and between each parent and the child, travel and relocation notice, access to school and medical records, and how new schedules will phase in as children grow.
Holiday and Special Occasion Planning
Holidays produce more co-parenting conflict than almost anything else, so the plan should leave nothing vague. The common approach alternates major holidays by even and odd years, splits or alternates school breaks, and guarantees each parent time on their own birthday, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day. Specify start and end times, not just dates. “Thanksgiving with Mom in odd years, from Wednesday at 6 p.m. until Friday at 6 p.m.” prevents the argument that “Thanksgiving” alone invites.
Co-Parenting Strategies That Make Plans Work
A parenting plan is a framework; cooperation makes it succeed. A few principles consistently help:
- Keep communication businesslike and child-focused, in writing when tensions are high.
- Never use children as messengers or ask them to choose sides.
- Follow the schedule reliably, and be flexible when life happens, because the goodwill returns.
- Support the child’s relationship with the other parent. Utah courts pay close attention to which parent fosters that relationship, a factor that matters in the custody analysis explained in our guide to the types of child custody in Utah.
For more on helping children through the transition, see our article on protecting kids during divorce.
When a Parenting Plan Needs to Change
Children grow, jobs move, and schedules that worked for a toddler fail for a teenager. When circumstances change substantially, parents can agree to update the plan or ask the court to modify it. The standards and process are covered in our guide to modifying custody and support orders in Utah.
Talk to a Utah Parenting Plan Attorney Today
The difference between a parenting plan that prevents conflict and one that creates it comes down to foresight and drafting. Felt Family Law & Mediation has focused exclusively on Utah family law since 2016, and attorney Jonathan L. Felt’s background as both an educator and a trained mediator makes him especially effective at building child-centered plans parents can actually live with. Our Ogden child custody lawyer serves families throughout northern Utah, alongside our divorce practice. Consultations are always confidential. Contact us today to build a parenting plan that works for your children and for you.
