What is joint physical custody Georgia?

Joint legal custody is the norm in the State of Georgia. This is when the parents share decision making authority regarding the minor child. Joint physical custody is typically an arrangement where the parents share equal or nearly equal parenting time. Judges in Georgia have a bias against equal parenting time.

At what age can a child choose which parent to live with in GA?

14 years old
At what age can a child choose which parent with which to live? According to GA Code § 19-9-3(5), children who are 14 years old or older may choose which parent they want to live with primarily. Once the child has made a decision, he will have to sign an Affidavit of Custody Election and submit it to the court.

Can a parent get joint physical custody in Georgia?

Unless entered into by agreement of the parties, most courts in Georgia will not grant both parents joint physical custody. Joint physical custody is where physical custody of the child is equally split between the two parents.

How does joint legal and joint physical custody work?

Joint Legal and Joint Physical. In this type of arrangement, the child has two residences and spends equal time living with each parent. Joint physical custody usually works best when both parents live within the same city or region. Both parents make important decisions about the child and work together to decide on major issues,…

What does child custody mean in Georgia law?

Child custody simply refers to who has legal rights, or is the legal parent – in the eyes of Georgia law – to the child or children. Custody is separate from who is a biological parent. What that means is a legal parent may not necessarily be the biological, or natural, parent of a child.

Can a parent have both legal and physical custody of a child?

While some parents may have joint custody, they may not have the child the exact same amount of time as the other parent. In some cases, parents have both joint legal and physical custody. In others, they may only have joint legal custody.

Can a judge award joint custody in Family Court?

We don’t address dependency court (sometimes called children’s court) or criminal law matters. We also don’t write about parental rights termination cases. In family court, a judge may award joint or sole legal custody and joint or sole physical custody. Parenting time (also called visitation) may be equal or primarily to one parent.

Are there different types of court ordered custody?

Two Types of Court Ordered Custody. Parents should not interpret a ruling of joint legal custody as an indication that the court is likely to also grant joint physical custody. It is quite common for parents to share legal custody even while the child resides primarily with one parent and has regular visitation with the other.

Can a court take custody away from a non custodial parent?

The court may give discretion on educational related decisions to the non-custodial parent and take parts of the custodial parent’s joint legal custody away. It doesn’t always have to be all or nothing.