What is standard visitation?
Standard visitation is a guideline provided by the State of Texas. The State feels it is appropriate for most parents. This typically has one parent having possession of the child(ren) on the 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends of the month beginning Friday at 6:00 pm or when school is released and ending on Sunday at 6:00 pm or when school resumes on Monday and every Thursday during the school year from the time school is dismissed until Friday when school resumes, or from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Thursdays. It also includes various holiday possession periods and up to 30 days in the summer. The other parent would have possession of the child at all other times.
Most divorces involving children name one parent as the primary Joint Managing Conservator and grant the other parent (also a Joint Managing Conservator) “Standard Possession Order” visitation. The visitation is spelled out in great detail in the statute (Texas Family Code Section 153.312) and should also be spelled out in detail in the Final Decree of Divorce. A very short-hand version of a typical visitation order (assuming both spouses reside within 100 miles) is as follows: the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Friday of every month from Friday beginning at either the time the child’s school is regularly dismissed or 6:00 p.m. until the following Sunday ending at either 6:00 p.m. or the time school resumes on the following Monday. Every Thursday beginning at either the time the child’s school is regularly dismissed or 6:00 p.m. and ending either at 8:00 p.m. that same night or when school resumes the following morning, as well as 30 days in the Summer, and additional visitation periods for Spring
The parties can establish any schedule for each parent’s periods of possession of the children that fits their needs and those of the children. In fact, the court encourages the parents to arrange periods of possession by agreement as much as possible and to stay flexible to adjust to circumstances. However, the Final Decree of Divorce must include a visitation schedule that will control if the parties cannot agree in the future. Ideally parties will agree on a written schedule to be placed in their Decree. But if they don’t agree on a custom schedule the judge must order one, which typically is the “Standard Possession Order.” If the parties live within 100 miles of each other, this standard schedule allows for possession by the parent with whom the children do not primarily reside on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends of each month from 6:00 p.m. (or the time school lets out) on Friday until 6:00 p.m. on the following Sunday (or when school resumes the following Monday); one weeknight ea
