The parties may - and are encouraged to - enter into a written stipulation (agreement) on custody issues. If the parties cannot agree, custody orders may be made at any time after the filing of an underlying divorce, paternity, or domestic violence action and may be modified at any time until the child(ren) turn eighteen. In contested cases, they are most commonly made:

Child custody orders may be modified at any time before they terminate as long as the party moving for the modification can show that there has been a change in circumstances affecting the welfare of the child(ren) since the last order. Such changes in circumstances include (but are by no means limited to):