Tacoma, Washington, Family Law Attorneys for Child Relocation Disputes
As Americans have become increasingly mobile, the legal system has had to respond to disputes that arise when the primary residential (“custodial”) parent wants to move. Whether moving to another state, or just across town, the custodial parent’s plans to relocate can create a bitter dispute between the parents, not to mention extreme disruption for the child or children, and can severely impact the parent-child relationship with the non-residential (“non-custodial”) parent.
The Washington Legislature has responded to this frequent problem by enacting what we call the Relocation Act, actually setting forth procedures for dealing with this situation as part of our body of state family law. All divorced or separated parents of minor children must know about and abide by the specific requirements of this law.
Contact us for more information about Washington’s child relocation law. If you are the custodial parent and intend to move with your child or children, or if you are the non-custodial parent and do not want the other parent to relocate with your child, we can provide you with necessary information, legal advice, and representation.
I have custody of our kids, and I want to move to Nebraska to live with some dude I met online. Can I do that?
Under our federal constitution, even after eight long years of George W. Bush, the answer is yes, you can move if you want to. But you don’t necessarily get to pack up your kids and carry them across the country with you like they are suitcases or something. Under Washington law, if there is a Parenting Plan that makes you the custodial parent, you are prohibited from relocating the child or children anywhere outside the public school district in which you currently live without first providing the other parent with a sixty-day advance written notice of your intent to relocate with the kids. The non-custodial parent then has thirty days to file an objection with the Court. If the two of you cannot reach an agreement, the Court will ultimately decide whether you can move with the kids, or whether you will be moving alone and the kids will live with the other parent. Hey, maybe the new dude you met online is worth it. If not, call us.
