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Indiana Family Court: Custody and Parenting-Time Guide

Plain-language Indiana information for a custody or parenting-time route, including filing, official forms, free help, fee waivers, and legal-cost context.

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This page provides general legal information, not legal advice. State law, court rules, forms, and local procedures can change. Confirm current requirements with the court handling the case.

State laws, court rules, and forms can change. Automated link checks will run every week once the monitoring job is deployed. Please check each cited source before relying on it. Report a broken link or changed law.

Find the right family court

The custody or parenting-time route described in this guide is handled through the Indiana county Circuit and Superior Courts. Other family-law matters can follow a different court or procedure.

Find the court for your area.

  • The Indiana Judicial Branch lists local trial courts and clerks by county, including local rules and e-filing information. The court type can vary by county.Sources:Local Courts

How Indiana courts decide custody

This draft does not summarize Indiana’s custody standard because the cited current General Assembly page did not expose readable statutory text during verification.Sources:Indiana Code, Article 14, Chapter 13, Section 2

  • The Indiana General Assembly’s current-code address for custody following a paternity determination is recorded here for verification. The researcher could retrieve only the site application shell, so this draft does not summarize its factors.Sources:Indiana Code, Article 14, Chapter 13, Section 2

Key legal sources

Parenting time

Indiana calls this parenting time. The guidelines say an agreed parenting plan must be put in writing, signed by both parties, and filed for court approval to be enforceable.Sources:Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines, Section II

  • When parents do not agree on a plan, the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines describe specific provisions as minimum recommended time to help parents and the court develop a plan.Sources:Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines, Section II

Key legal sources

How to file

This draft provides only general orientation while primary-source verification of the selected Indiana paternity filing route remains incomplete.Sources:Indiana Code, Article 14, Chapter 13, Section 2

  1. Confirm requirements with the county court

    Use the Judicial Branch directory to identify the county court, clerk, local rules, and e-filing information. This draft does not state a complete paternity packet or service route.Sources:Local Courts

Official forms

Open the official forms portal.

  • Indiana’s official FAQ says the Indiana Courts created Indiana Legal Help and posts publicly available court forms there, while warning that many filings have no prescribed form. The selected paternity packet expressly names six documents, but its numbered list moves from item 5 to item 7 without explaining item 6; do not treat that packet as a complete form list without local-court confirmation.Sources:Where can I find a form I need to submit in court?, Petition for Paternity

Free court self-help

Find court self-help near you.

  • Indiana Legal Help

    Area served: Statewide directory that asks users to search current free or low-cost legal-aid organizations.

    Indiana Legal Help offers a current legal-aid organization search and a current legal-event listing.Sources:Looking For Help

    Eligibility: The directory does not promise that a particular organization will accept a case; check the selected organization’s current requirements.

  • Indiana Legal Services

    Area served: Indiana Legal Services says it provides support to residents in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.

    The provider lists family-law information areas including custody, paternity, child support, and parenting time, and offers an application for legal help.Sources:Home

    Eligibility: The provider’s site links to eligibility guidelines and an application; applying is needed to determine current eligibility and availability.

Fee waivers

This draft does not state an Indiana fee-waiver procedure because the cited current statutory page did not expose readable section text during verification. Confirm current requirements with the local court.Sources:Indiana Code, Article 37, Chapter 3, Section 2, Local Courts

Who may qualify

What to do

  1. Confirm requirements with the county court

    Use the Judicial Branch directory to identify the county court and clerk for current local fee-waiver requirements.Sources:Local Courts

Key statute or rule

Attorney cost benchmark

Lawyer fees vary by county, experience, services, and the facts of a case. This state benchmark is context for planning, not a quote.

State and local details to confirm

Part of Family Law in Your State.