Alternating custody

{{Family law}}

Alternating custody can have two different meanings. It is typically used when parents take turns having sole custody of a child based on a regular schedule, while the non-custodial parent has visitation rights. For example, the father may have sole custody on odd years while mother has sole custody on even years. Also called divided custody, this is a very rare type of child custody, typically utilized when the parents of a child live long distances away from each other.Nancy Gilsan Gourley, [https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1630&context=tlr Joint custody: The best interest of the child], Tulsa Law Review, 1982, 18:159.[https://www.msbar.org/media/2375/gal-disc-3-mississippi-law-on-custody-and-visitation.pdf Mississippi law on custody and visitation], The Mississippi BarRichard C. Guerriero, [https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4732&context=lalrev Louisiana's New Joint Custody Law], Louisiana Law Review, 1983, 43:759.

At other times, the term is used as a synonym for divided custody, a form of joint physical custody where the child lives approximately equal time with the two parent, for example with weekly or bi-weekly exchanges.{{cite journal |last1=Gour |first1=Nancy G. |title=Joint Custody: The Best Interests of the Child |journal=Tulsa Law Review |date=Fall 1982 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=161 |url=http://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/tlr/vol18/iss1/6 |accessdate=16 November 2019}}