When divorced or separated parents live in different states, managing parenting time is inherently challenging. If one parent resides in Arkansas and the other in a neighboring state, careful planning is necessary to better ensure that the affected child maintains a meaningful relationship with both of their parents.
Since Arkansas shares borders with six states—Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma—cross-state parenting arrangements are common. However, they each require special considerations regarding travel, custody agreements and legal jurisdiction. The standardized shared parenting time approaches adopted in many Arkansas child custody cases just don’t reasonably apply without modifications when parents live more than an hour or two apart.
Creating a cross-state parenting plan
A well-structured parenting plan is important for fostering consistency and minimizing disputes. A thoughtful plan should address:
- Physical custody arrangements – How parenting time will be divided between both parents. Some families choose an alternating weekend schedule, while others may opt for longer periods during school breaks.
- Transportation logistics – Who is responsible for transporting the child, where exchanges will take place and how travel expenses will be handled.
- Holiday and vacation schedules – How time will be split during major holidays, summer breaks and special occasions.
- Communication methods – How (and how often) the child will stay in touch with their other parent when residing with the other.
Courts in Arkansas prioritize the child’s best interests when approving custody and parenting time schedules. Therefore, the court’s judgment will govern the case if parents and their legal teams cannot reach an amicable agreement in this regard.
Jurisdiction
It is important to note that simply because one parent resides in Arkansas doesn’t necessarily mean that the state will have jurisdiction over any disputes that may arise between a child’s parents even though one of them lives here.
Interstate custody cases fall under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), which Arkansas and all neighboring states have adopted. This law establishes which state has jurisdiction over custody matters and helps prevent conflicting court orders. Generally, the child’s primary home state—where they have lived for at least six months—has jurisdiction over custody decisions. If a dispute arises, parents may need to work with legal teams familiar with both Arkansas law and the laws of the other state involved to resolve their concerns.