IN PLAIN ENGLISH
How custody works in Alaska
In Alaska, a custody order is usually called a parenting plan. It has two main parts: who makes big decisions about health, school and religion (legal custody) and the schedule of days and times the child is with each parent (physical custody). [AK-P1]
Alaska does not start from 50/50 or from every other weekend. The judge decides custody based on the child's best interests, and the law says neither parent gets a preference, whether or not the parents were married. The judge can order shared custody if that is best for the child. [AK-P2, AK-P3]
There is no statewide default schedule. The court's Parenting Plan form, DR-475, is a fill-in-the-blank tool that lists common choices for schedules, holidays, summer and travel. It does not pick a schedule for you. [AK-P1, AK-P4]
The court's free Family Law Self-Help Center has forms and instructions for starting, answering and changing a custody case. [AK-P5]
Words you’ll see in your papers
- Legal custody
- Who makes major decisions about your child's health, education and religion: both parents together, or one parent. [AK-P1]
- Physical custody
- The schedule of specific days and times your child is with each parent, including who drives and where exchanges happen. [AK-P1]
- Parenting plan
- The part of a custody order that sets out decision-making, the schedule, holidays, travel and how parents communicate. Form DR-475 is the court's worksheet for it. [AK-P1, AK-P4]
- Change in circumstances
- Something that has happened since the last order that makes the old plan no longer best for your child. You need one to change custody. [AK-P6]
COMMON QUESTIONS
What parents in Alaska ask first
Does Alaska start from 50/50?
No. The judge decides based on the child's best interests, and neither parent starts with a preference. Shared custody is allowed when it is best for the child, and then it should give the child frequent and continuing contact with each parent as much as possible. [AK-P2, AK-P3]
What does the judge look at?
The law lists: your child's physical, emotional, mental, religious and social needs; each parent's ability and desire to meet them; your child's preference if old enough; the love between the child and each parent; how long the child has lived in a stable home and the value of keeping that going; each parent's willingness to support the child's relationship with the other parent; any domestic violence, child abuse or neglect; and substance abuse that affects the child. [AK-P2]
Is there a standard visitation schedule in Alaska?
No. Parents fill in their own schedule, often using the court's Parenting Plan form DR-475 as a guide. The form offers options, like a holiday table and summer choices, but a blank form gives no one any time. [AK-P4, AK-P1]
Does my child get a say?
The judge considers your child's preference if the child is old enough and mature enough to form one. Alaska law does not set a specific age. [AK-P2]
Can the other parent move away with our child?
Alaska's custody statutes do not set a statewide notice period for a move. Your order controls. The court's parenting plan form includes a term saying neither parent may move the children to another state if it interferes with the schedule without written permission or a court order, and an option to require at least 120 days' notice before a move. While a contested case is open, a statewide standing order also says neither parent may take the children out of Alaska unless the other parent agrees in writing or a judge allows it. Check which terms are in your order. [AK-P4, AK-P8]
Can a custody order be changed later?
Yes. The court can change custody or visitation if there has been a change in circumstances and the change is best for your child. A new domestic violence crime since the last order counts as a change in circumstances. The self-help center has packets for contested and agreed changes. [AK-P3, AK-P6]
We were never married. What do we do first?
Paternity and custody are separate. Parents can sign a paternity affidavit, the child support agency can establish paternity, or a court can. After paternity is established, a parent can ask the court for a custody order. [AK-P7, AK-P3]
What if there is domestic violence?
If a parent has a history of domestic violence, the law presumes that parent should not get sole or joint custody. That parent usually gets only supervised visits and must complete a program for batterers and a parenting class where available, unless the court finds the strict tests for unsupervised visits are met. [AK-P2]
Free, official places to start
- Alaska Court System: Parenting and Custody
The court's plain-language page on what a parenting plan covers and how judges decide.
- Parenting Plan form DR-475 (PDF)
The court's fill-in worksheet for decision-making, schedules, holidays, summer and moves.
- Family Law Self-Help Center
Free forms and step-by-step help for custody cases, including for unmarried parents.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT · ANCHORAGE
Third Judicial District (Alaska has no counties)
Alaska Superior Court, Third Judicial District at Anchorage
Anchorage does not have its own visitation schedule. It used to hand out its own Domestic Relations Initial Order, but on June 15, 2026 the presiding judges of all four judicial districts replaced the district orders with one statewide standing order for contested divorce, legal separation and custody cases, so Anchorage parents now get the same order as everyone else. [AK-P8] It says neither parent may take a child in the case out of Alaska unless the other parent agrees in writing or a judge allows it, and neither parent may threaten, harass or harm the other parent or the children. It also sets deadlines to file child support papers. [AK-P8] The order points parents to free court help: free mediation to work out a parenting plan, a co-parenting coaching program, and the Family Law Self-Help Center at (907) 264-0851. [AK-P8, AK-P9]
- Presiding Judges' Standing Order in contested divorce, legal separation and custody cases (June 15, 2026, PDF)
The order you get when a contested custody case is filed, including the rule against taking the children out of Alaska and the filing deadlines.
- Request for Court-Sponsored Parenting Plan Dispute Resolution (MED-405, PDF)
The form to ask for the court's free mediation to work out a parenting plan.
- Classes and resources (Alaska Court System)
The court's free family law classes, hearing preparation class and co-parenting program.
- Selected Administrative Standing Orders
The court's index of standing orders, to check for newer versions.
Other counties in Alaska can have different local rules and forms. Check the court where your case is filed.
THE DETAILED GUIDE · WHAT KIND OF SCHEDULE THE LAW PROVIDES
No fixed statewide schedule identified
Research overview
No fixed statewide calendar identified in the current court parenting-plan materials or reviewed statutes. DR-475 is a fill-in proposal/agreement form, not a default possession order. [AK1-AK3]
Legal force and applicability
Case-specific calendar; no fixed statewide calendar identified in reviewed sources. Any custody/allocation presumption is separate.
Schedule & conditions
Read these topics together with your actual order. A model, form, or presumption does not automatically supply an enforceable calendar.
Regular school-year schedule
Case-specific days, times and exchanges must be written into DR-475 section D(a). [AK1]
Holidays and school breaks
DR-475 offers a customizable odd/even/all-year table and lets the selected holiday schedule override regular and break time; the blank table allocates nothing. [AK1]
Summer and vacation time
Options include continuing the regular schedule or assigning specified summer time, including an entire-summer checkbox with editable dates. These are choices, not entitlements. [AK1]
Age and development
No statewide age-tier minimum calendar identified; developmental needs are part of best interests. [AK3]
Distance, travel, and relocation
Travel and transportation are case-specific. DR-475 C(d) requires written permission or a court order for an interstate move interfering with the schedule; D(f) offers a selectable at-least-120-day notice provision for a move making the plan hard to follow. These are proposed form terms, not an automatic statewide mileage calendar. [AK1]
Safety & exceptions
AS25.24.150(g)-(j) provides a rebuttable presumption against sole or joint legal/physical custody for a parent with a qualifying domestic-violence history. Subsection(j) ordinarily requires supervised visitation and intervention/parenting programs, with unsupervised contact allowed only on the specified evidentiary showing. Use the actual safety order. [AK3]