Washington

Washington Parenting Plan template

Washington mandates its own Parenting Plan form and it must be used. The form's § 2 'limitations/restrictions' analysis (RCW 26.09.191) is a required section unique to Washington. Our template is strictly the worksheet you negotiate from before filling out the state's form.

Build my Washington plan — free

The words Washington uses

Using the wrong vocabulary is the fastest way to look like you copied a form off the internet. In Washington:

• The document is called a Parenting Plan.
• Time with a child is residential time.
• Decision-making authority is decision-making authority.
• Governing law: RCW § 26.09.187; RCW § 26.09.184.

Washington requires its own form

Washington courts use Parenting Plan (WPF DRPSCU 01.0400) — mandatory form. We don't try to replace it — the court wants its own paperwork. Our draft is what you negotiate from, so that when you fill the official form in, you're transcribing decisions you've already made instead of arguing in a parking lot.

Official Washington form →

What goes in a Washington parenting plan

Decision-Making Authority

States which parent decides what, in the four areas courts ask about: education, non-emergency health care, religion, and extracurricular activities.

Parenting Schedule

The regular, repeating schedule — where the child sleeps each night. Courts want a schedule specific enough that a stranger could read it and know where the child is tonight.

Holidays and School Breaks

Holiday terms override the regular schedule. Alternating by odd and even years is the most common approach because it needs no negotiation each year.

Transportation and Exchanges

Where the handoff happens, who drives, and what happens when someone is late. Vague exchange terms are the single most common source of repeat conflict.

Communication

How the parents talk to each other, and how the child reaches the parent they're not with. Many states expect the plan to name the method and the response time.

Relocation

What happens if a parent wants to move. Most states impose their own notice requirements and distance thresholds on top of whatever the plan says.

Dispute Resolution

The step both parents take before going back to court. Several states require a plan to name one.

Children's Expenses

How costs beyond child support get split and reimbursed. Child support itself is set by your state's guidelines and is not part of this document.

Limitations and Restrictions

Washington's parenting-plan form requires this analysis by statute; other states reach the same issues case by case. This section is a placeholder to complete with counsel — the circumstances it covers are exactly the ones a template cannot responsibly address on its own.

Schedules that work in Washington

Other states