What Is the Definition of Joint Custody?

“Joint custody” means (i) joint legal custody where both parents retain joint responsibility for the care and control of the child and joint authority to make decisions concerning the child even though the child’s primary residence may be with only one parent, (ii) joint physical custody where both parents share physical and custodial care of the child, or (iii) any combination of joint legal and joint physical custody which the court deems to be in the best interest of the child.

In other words, there is joint physical custody – where the parties share in where the child resides, which might include 50/50, weekdays/weekends, or full-time/visitation, depending on the circumstances.

You might wonder: can legal custody be split between parents? Yes. There is also joint legal custody – where the child resides with one party, but the parties still share in making any decisions about the child’s welfare, education, medical care, and other aspects of the child’s well-being.