North Carolina Parenting Plan

North Carolina sends contested custody and visitation cases to a statewide court mediation program before or when the case is set for hearing. The parenting agreement the mediator drafts becomes a court order once a judge signs it, so knowing the schedule you want before you walk in is what matters.

Document: Parenting agreement
Court: District Court
Decision-making called: Legal custody
Parenting time called: Physical custody

Build your North Carolina residential schedule

Choose a pattern and get the exact overnight counts your parenting agreement 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 parenting agreement is the written document that tells the District Court, 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.

North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Custody and physical custody matters in North Carolina are heard in the District Court. 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 North Carolina judiciary publishes its current forms and local rules at nccourts.gov. CustodyPlan is not affiliated with any court.

Choosing a schedule that works in North Carolina

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.

North Carolina questions

Is custody mediation required in North Carolina?

North Carolina runs a statewide custody mediation program, and contested custody and visitation cases are sent to it before or at the same time the case is set for hearing, unless the court waives mediation for good cause. Bringing a drafted schedule and calendar makes those sessions much more productive.

What is a North Carolina parenting agreement called on the court forms?

North Carolina refers to it as a parenting agreement, filed in the District Court. 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 North Carolina judiciary before filing, as forms and local rules change.

How many overnights do I need for a North Carolina 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 parenting agreement in North Carolina?

Parents routinely prepare and file their own agreed plans. Where North Carolina 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.