Louisiana Parenting Plan

Louisiana requires a joint custody implementation plan and, in most joint custody decrees, the designation of one parent as the 'domiciliary parent': the parent with whom the child primarily resides and who makes decisions affecting the child unless the implementation order says otherwise.

Document: Joint custody implementation plan
Court: District Court (Family Court in East Baton Rouge Parish)
Decision-making called: Legal custody
Parenting time called: Physical custody

Build your Louisiana residential schedule

Choose a pattern and get the exact overnight counts your joint custody implementation plan needs to state.

Schedule pattern

50/50

Each parent keeps the same two weekdays every week and the weekends alternate, producing a repeating 2-2-5-5 night pattern.

January 2026

Parent A
Parent B

Tap any night to switch parents.

A joint custody implementation plan is the written document that tells the District Court (Family Court in East Baton Rouge Parish), and, afterwards, both households, where your children are on each night of the year and who decides what. Once the court signs it, it is an order rather than an agreement.

Louisiana uses the term physical custody for the time the children spend with each parent, and legal custody for the authority to make major decisions. Drafting in the state's own vocabulary avoids questions at filing and makes the plan easier for the court to read.

What a Louisiana plan needs to cover

Residential schedule

Which parent the children are with on every night of the year, including how the regular rotation works and when it starts.

Holidays and school breaks

How Thanksgiving, the winter holidays, spring break, summer and each child's birthday are divided, and how the rotation alternates between years.

Exchanges and transportation

Where exchanges happen, at what time, who does the driving, and what happens when someone is running late.

Decision-making

Who decides on education, medical care, religion and activities: jointly, or with one parent having the final say in specific areas.

Communication

How the parents contact each other, how each parent contacts the children during the other's time, and what counts as an emergency.

Changes and disputes

How the parenting plan gets changed later, notice periods for relocation, and what the parents will try before returning to court.

Filing in Louisiana

Custody and physical custody matters in Louisiana are heard in the District Court (Family Court in East Baton Rouge Parish). Forms, filing fees, mediation requirements and local rules differ between counties, and they change, so confirm the current requirements with the court where you are filing before you prepare anything final.

The Louisiana judiciary publishes its current forms and local rules at lasc.org. CustodyPlan is not affiliated with any court.

Choosing a schedule that works in Louisiana

The schedule is the part of the plan you will actually live with, and the part every other section depends on. Start from your children's ages and the distance between the two homes, then pick the pattern that fits both.

Louisiana questions

What is a joint custody implementation plan?

It is Louisiana's name for the written document setting out how joint custody will actually work: the schedule, decision-making, and the practical arrangements between the parents.

What is a Louisiana joint custody implementation plan called on the court forms?

Louisiana refers to it as a joint custody implementation plan, filed in the District Court (Family Court in East Baton Rouge Parish). The state uses "legal custody" for decision-making authority and "physical custody" for the time each parent spends with the children. Check the current forms published by the Louisiana judiciary before filing, as forms and local rules change.

How many overnights do I need for a Louisiana plan?

Whatever your schedule actually produces, and the plan should state it precisely. In most states the overnight count feeds into the child-support formula and into how the arrangement is classified, though a few states, Texas among them, set guideline support from income alone. The calculator on this page gives you the exact annual figure for the schedule you choose.

Can I write my own joint custody implementation plan in Louisiana?

Parents routinely prepare and file their own agreed plans. Where Louisiana publishes a mandatory or preferred form, work the schedule and figures out first and then transfer them onto that form. Having an attorney review the plan before you sign is advisable, particularly if the two of you disagree on anything substantive.

CustodyPlan is a document-preparation tool, not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice, and using CustodyPlan does not create an attorney-client relationship. We are not affiliated with any court. Have your completed plan reviewed by an attorney or your local court before filing.