Also known as:visit · visits · visited · visiting · visitations · visitation rights · parenting time
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A noncustodial parent's or relative's court-ordered period of access to a child. The right is subject to the presumption that a fit parent acts in the child's best interests and may be enforced or modified only under statutory criteria that respect parental authority.
Sources & Authorities· 23 primary sources
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Cases
Statutes
Uniform Acts
Model Codes
Common Law
Restatements
Casebooks
Dictionaries
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Grandparent Visitation Petition Denied
After Valerie Viera's daughter died, Valerie petitioned for visitation with her grandchildren over the objections of the surviving father, Vincent Valdez. The court applied the presumption that Vincent, as a fit parent, acts in the children's best interests and denied the petition because the statute required no special weight to his decision. Visitation was refused.
Separation Agreement Includes Visitation
Virgil Volpe and Vivian Vaughn executed a written separation agreement that set a detailed visitation schedule for their two children. The agreement was presented in their dissolution proceeding. The court accepted the visitation terms as part of the amicable settlement of their marital disputes.
Unmarried Father Seeks Visitation
Vincent Valdez, an unmarried biological father, regularly visited his newborn, paid support, and admitted paternity. When the mother placed the child for adoption, Vincent objected and sought visitation. The court recognized his constitutionally protected opportunity to develop a relationship and granted him visitation rights.
Out-of-State Visitation Enforced
Vanessa Vinson obtained a visitation order in State B that lacked a specific schedule. She registered the order in State A where the child now resided. The State A court issued a temporary order enforcing the visitation provisions while Vanessa sought a modification in the appropriate forum.
Arbitration Covers Visitation Dispute
Vera Vu and Virgil Volpe agreed to arbitrate their family law dispute over parenting time. The arbitrator treated the disagreement as a child-related dispute that included visitation rights. The resulting award set a revised visitation schedule that the court later confirmed.
Court Reviews Visitation Terms
Vivian Vaughn and Vincent Valdez submitted a separation agreement containing visitation provisions. The court examined the economic circumstances of the parties and found the visitation terms satisfactory. The court incorporated those terms into the dissolution decree without modification.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
6
Does a fit parent's decision about visitation receive special weight?+
Yes. A presumption exists that fit parents act in their children's best interests. A statute allowing visitation based solely on a judge's best-interests determination without according special weight to the parent's decision violates due process.
Supporting sources
Can parties include visitation in a separation agreement?+
Yes. Parties to a marriage may enter a written separation agreement that contains provisions for the visitation of their children. The agreement is presented to the court in a dissolution proceeding.
What must an unmarried father show to obtain visitation rights?+
An unmarried biological father must demonstrate actual manifestations of parental responsibility, such as regular visitation, payment of support, and admission of paternity. These actions establish his constitutionally protected opportunity to develop a relationship with the child.
Supporting sources
How does a court enforce an out-of-state visitation order lacking a specific schedule?+
A court may issue a temporary order enforcing the visitation provisions of another state's child-custody determination. The order remains in effect for a period sufficient to allow the petitioner to obtain relief from a court with modification jurisdiction.
Supporting sources
Is a visitation dispute subject to family law arbitration?+
Yes. A child-related dispute includes issues of visitation. Parties may therefore submit visitation disagreements to arbitration under an applicable family law arbitration statute.
Supporting sources
When may a court modify visitation terms in a separation agreement?+
Terms concerning visitation are not automatically binding. The court reviews them for unconscionability after considering the parties' economic circumstances and any other relevant evidence before incorporating them into the decree.
Supporting sources
visitation
privileges by an adulterous father, or in Bowers v. Hardwick , 478 U. S. 186 (1986), where the Court found no fundamental right to engage in homosexual sodomy, or in a case involving the…
upon the sacrificed animals and health hazards from improper disposal. But the ordinances when considered together disclose an object remote from these legitimate concerns. The design of…
Business Associations Corporations and LlcsManagement and control · DirectorsUBEFoundational