The Arizona Revised Statutes have been updated to include the revised sections from the 56th Legislature, 1st Regular Session. Please note that the next update of this compilation will not take place until after the conclusion of the 56th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session, which convenes in January 2024.
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This online version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is primarily maintained for legislative drafting purposes and reflects the version of law that is effective on January 1st of the year following the most recent legislative session. The official version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is published by Thomson Reuters.
25-403.01 - Sole and joint legal decision-making and parenting time
25-403.01. Sole and joint legal decision-making and parenting time
A. In awarding legal decision-making, the court may order sole legal decision-making or joint legal decision-making.
B. In determining the level of decision-making that is in the child's best interests, the court shall consider the factors prescribed in section 25-403, subsection A and all of the following:
1. The agreement or lack of an agreement by the parents regarding joint legal decision-making.
2. Whether a parent's lack of an agreement is unreasonable or is influenced by an issue not related to the child's best interests.
3. The past, present and future abilities of the parents to cooperate in decision-making about the child to the extent required by the order of joint legal decision-making.
4. Whether the joint legal decision-making arrangement is logistically possible.
C. An order for sole legal decision-making does not allow the parent designated as sole legal decision-maker to alter unilaterally a court-ordered parenting time plan.
D. A parent who is not granted sole or joint legal decision-making is entitled to reasonable parenting time to ensure that the minor child has substantial, frequent, meaningful and continuing contact with the parent unless the court finds, after a hearing, that parenting time would endanger the child's physical, mental, moral or emotional health.