Find Your Form

Form FL-311 Guide: Child Custody and Visitation (Parenting Time)

Home · Page

Divorce & Family Law Guides → Form FL-311

What is Form FL-311?

Form FL-311 is California’s Child Custody and Visitation (Parenting Time) Application Attachment. It gives the court and the other party details about the custody and parenting-time arrangements you are asking the court to order. Those details can include where the children will live, who will make important decisions, a regular schedule, and how exchanges will work.

Completing FL-311 does not create a custody order. It is an attachment to other court papers, not a standalone case or a judge’s decision. If there is already an order, writing a different schedule here does not change the order in effect.

This guide follows all 13 numbered items on the five-page form. Keep the official form beside you. The examples explain how to describe an arrangement clearly; they do not recommend a custody choice, schedule, or amount of parenting time.

Form version: FL-311, revised January 1, 2026. Verified against the current California Courts listing and all five pages of the official form on October 4, 2026. Get the official FL-311 and the new FL-311-INFO parenting-time information sheet (January 1, 2026).

FormExplainer provides general informational guidance about legal and government forms. It does not provide legal advice, assess individual circumstances, or create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your situation, consult a qualified professional.

Jump to a Section

Before You Start

When do I use FL-311?

Use FL-311 when you need to describe requested child-custody or parenting-time arrangements in the family-law papers it accompanies. The top of the form has boxes for a Petition, Response, Request for Order, Responsive Declaration to Request for Order, and Other. The right main document depends on the step you are taking.

For example, item 6 of FL-100, the divorce or legal-separation petition, includes FL-311 among its custody attachment choices. That lets you give more detail about the requests in the petition. It does not schedule a custody hearing or put a temporary parenting plan into effect.

Is FL-311 a standalone form?

No. FL-311 supplies details for another document; it does not start a family-law case by itself. If there is no case yet, use California Courts’ custody filing-options guide to identify the appropriate starting process. Divorce, parentage, custody-and-support, and domestic violence proceedings do not all begin with the same papers.

If the children have lived in another state or country, or another court has made custody orders, get help with the court’s authority to decide custody before choosing a filing process. Filling in a California form does not resolve that question.

How does FL-311 work with FL-300?

FL-300 asks the court to make or change an order; FL-311 can supply the custody and parenting-time details for that request. In FL-300’s custody section, identify the requested orders and the attachment you are using. Keep the children, custody choices, and schedule consistent across both forms. Our FL-300 Request for Order guide explains the main request, filing, service, response, and hearing steps.

FL-300 also asks why you believe the requested orders are in the children’s best interests and, when you seek a change, for the dates and terms of existing orders. A proposed schedule on FL-311 does not replace those answers. Keep three things distinct: what the current order says, what is actually happening, and what you want the new order to say.

The official FL-300 information sheet explains when that process applies. An agreement submitted for court approval and a request to change an active domestic violence restraining order have different procedures. FL-311’s attachment boxes do not make those procedures interchangeable.

What should I gather before filling out FL-311?

Have the case papers, children’s information, existing orders, and a calendar beside you. These help you describe the request accurately. They are not all documents you automatically attach.

  • The party names and case number used on the main document, plus each child’s name, birth date, and age.
  • Current custody, parenting-time, and protective orders, including later changes. Read their actual wording.
  • A calendar showing the regular schedule you are proposing, school start and dismissal times, school breaks, and relevant holidays.
  • Details needed for the requested exchanges: who transports the children, where each exchange happens, and when.
  • If applicable, information about a proposed supervision provider, availability, contact details, and fees.
  • Information about the children’s residence history and other custody cases for FL-105 when that declaration is required, plus your court’s local instructions.

A school calendar is useful because “after school” means something different on an early-release day or a day school is closed. A copy of an existing order helps you avoid accidentally describing its terms as a new proposal. Keep working records separate from the forms and supporting material the filing procedure actually requires.

Page 1 — Case Information, Children, and Custody

What goes at the top of FL-311?

Copy the petitioner, respondent, other parent/party if applicable, and case number from the main document. Repeat the case information on the later pages. The petitioner and respondent labels stay the same even when the respondent is the person asking for an order.

Under “TO,” identify the document this FL-311 accompanies. The “Other” line is for identifying another appropriate document, not for skipping the main paperwork. Make sure the attachment reference on that document matches the FL-311 you include.

The boxed statement about California custody policy is information, not a request you fill in. It emphasizes the child’s health, safety, and welfare and explains that domestic violence affects custody decisions. Below it, the form directs you to complete the numbered items that apply to your request.

1. Which children do I list?

List the minor children covered by the request, giving each child’s name, birth date, and age. Use Attachment 1 if you need more room. Check that the list agrees with the main document.

Listing the children here does not replace FL-105/GC-120, the UCCJEA declaration. That separate form asks about the children’s residence history, other cases and orders, and other people claiming custody or visitation rights. FL-100 requires it when the parties have minor children together; FL-300-INFO also identifies it among the forms that may be needed for a custody request.

2. What is the difference between legal and physical custody?

Legal custody concerns important decisions about a child’s health, education, and welfare. Physical custody concerns where the child regularly lives. FL-311 asks about them separately: physical custody in item 2a and legal custody in item 2b.

For example, deciding which school a child attends is a legal-custody question. Describing where the child stays on school nights is a physical-custody and parenting-time question. An answer about school decisions does not tell the reader who picks the child up on Thursday.

Each row offers Petitioner, Respondent, Joint, and Other Parent/Party. “Joint” means shared. Sole legal custody gives one parent the decision-making right and responsibility; joint legal custody shares it. The physical-custody choice separately identifies the living arrangement you are requesting. Choosing joint custody does not write a schedule or, by itself, specify equal time.

Does joint legal custody mean we must agree on every decision?

The specific terms matter. FL-341(E), Joint Legal Custody Attachment, explains that parties exercising joint legal custody may act alone so long as the action does not conflict with physical-custody orders. It is used to request terms specifying when both parties’ consent is required and the consequences of failing to obtain it.

FL-311’s note under item 2 points to FL-341(E), or a document with the same content, for those more detailed requests. It can address matters such as choosing a school or health professional. A joint-custody checkbox and a list of decisions requiring mutual consent do different jobs; read any existing order before assuming what it allows.

Item 2c identifies allegations of a history of abuse or substance abuse and directs you to complete item 5. Item 2d provides space for other custody details. If different arrangements are requested for different children, make that distinction explicit in the description and attachments so the single set of custody boxes does not leave the reader guessing.

3. What does parenting time mean?

Parenting time, also called visitation, describes when and how a child spends time with a parent. Physical custody identifies the living arrangement; the parenting-time provisions explain its practical details. A custody label alone does not tell anyone the days, hours, or exchange arrangements.

Item 3 asks you to check one way of describing the visitation order you request. The choices lead to different details elsewhere in the form:

  • 3a. Reasonable visitation: an open-ended arrangement, including possible virtual visits, rather than a set calendar. “Reasonable” does not supply a hidden standard schedule. The form warns that this choice is not appropriate in cases involving domestic violence and substance abuse.
  • 3b. An attached schedule: identify the document’s page count and date and include it. A dated reference helps distinguish it from an older proposal.
  • 3c. The schedule in item 4: use the next page to describe in-person, virtual, or other parenting time.
  • 3d. Supervised visitation: complete item 6 as the form directs.
  • 3e. No visitation: the form directs you to describe the reasons in item 13.

The FL-311-INFO information sheet explains the different types of orders. These choices identify what you are requesting, not what you have already obtained. The court decides the request.

Page 2 — 4. Describing the Parenting Schedule

How do I describe a parenting schedule on FL-311?

Identify whose parenting time you are describing, then give the starting date, repeating days, and beginning and ending times. Item 4 starts with Petitioner, Respondent, and Other Parent/Party. Its in-person, virtual, and other-visit choices say to check all that apply.

A reader should be able to put the proposed visits on a calendar without supplying missing details. That does not mean writing a long explanation for every line. It means using the spaces for the information they request and keeping any attachment consistent with those entries.

For a practical calendar-building method covering regular weeks, exchange details, alternating or numbered weekends, holidays, vacations, and conflict priority, see how to create a parenting and holiday schedule for FL-311.

How specific should the schedule be?

Specific enough to tell when each period begins and ends and how the repeating pattern starts. “Every other weekend” leaves questions about the first weekend, whether a visit starts Friday or Saturday, and whether it ends Sunday evening or Monday morning.

For example, “alternate weekends beginning November 6, 2026, from Friday at 5:00 p.m. to Sunday at 6:00 p.m.” identifies a first weekend and two endpoints. The dates and times are only an illustration of clear wording, not a suggested arrangement. Your request may use entirely different days or a different pattern.

Use the a.m. and p.m. boxes carefully. A time without either can be ambiguous, especially for an early-morning or evening exchange. If the arrangement differs among children, identify which child each part covers.

How do numbered weekends differ from alternating weekends?

Numbered weekends repeat within each month; alternating weekends repeat every two weeks from a starting date. They can produce different calendars, particularly when a month has five weekends.

Item 4a(1) has rows for the first through fifth weekends. The form defines the first weekend of a month as the first weekend with a Saturday. Use the day and time fields for each selected row, and the starting-date field for the arrangement.

The fifth-weekend options let you describe alternating fifth weekends, identifying the party with the initial one and its starting date, or a named party having fifth weekends in odd- or even-numbered months. Read that word closely: these are months, not the odd/even years used in many holiday schedules.

Item 4a(2) has a separate alternate-weekends option with a starting date and from/to days and times. Do not assume selecting the first and third weekends creates the same pattern as alternating weekends throughout the year. Try marking the proposal on two or three consecutive calendar months to see whether the words describe the pattern you intend.

How do weekdays and school-based times work?

Item 4a(3) asks for the weekday pattern, its starting date, and its endpoints. The printed schedule also lets you identify the start of school or after school when those events define the beginning or end of a visit.

For example, “after school” can describe an event instead of a fixed clock time. But school may end earlier on some days, and there may be no school on others. If your requested arrangement uses school as an endpoint, explain the intended treatment of those days in the appropriate schedule detail rather than assuming everyone will interpret the phrase the same way.

Item 4a(4) provides room for other parenting-time days and restrictions, either on the form or in Attachment 4a(4). This is also where a clearly labeled continuation can help when the printed rows do not adequately describe the request. Check the complete schedule for overlapping periods or missing endpoints.

What are virtual visits, and where do I describe them?

Virtual visits let a parent and child see and hear each other through audiovisual technology. Item 4b is for that request, either in the space provided or Attachment 4b. A video call and an ordinary voice-only phone call are not the same description under the form’s definition.

Describe the requested timing and frequency and any practical details needed to understand how the visit would happen. If people are in different time zones, identify the time zone rather than leaving the same clock time open to two readings. A virtual visit can be supervised or unsupervised; using a screen does not itself supply supervision.

Item 4c allows you to specify other ways parenting time can happen. The official information sheet explains virtual visits and includes a planning worksheet. The form’s virtual-visitation resource currently leads to California Courts’ broader custody and parenting-time guidance.

Page 3 — 5. Allegations of Abuse or Substance Abuse

What is item 5 asking me to explain?

It separates the allegations in the case from the custody and visitation orders you are requesting in light of them. If you marked item 2c, the form says you must complete item 5. An allegation is a claim; identifying one is different from saying a judge has already made a finding.

Item 5a(1) identifies the party or parties alleged to have a history of abuse against a child or the other people described on the form. Item 5a(2) separately identifies allegations of habitual or continual illegal controlled-substance use, alcohol abuse, or abuse of prescribed controlled substances. Read the printed categories instead of replacing them with a general label such as “we disagree about parenting.”

Item 5b addresses custody. Its first choice asks the court not to award sole or joint custody to the identified party. Its second choice asks for custody orders despite the allegations and calls for an explanation of why the requested result would be in the child’s best interests. The answer can continue in Attachment 5b(2) or another identified document.

A printed cross-reference needs care: item 5b(2) refers to “child custody orders in item 4,” although item 2 contains the custody choices and item 4 contains the visitation schedule. That is how the January 1, 2026 form reads. Make the requested orders identifiable and ask the court’s self-help center how to handle this reference if it affects your completion; do not guess that the printed reference changes the purpose of either section.

Item 5c separately addresses visitation: supervised visits described in item 6, unsupervised visits described in item 4, or another specified request. For the unsupervised request, identify the party in 5c(2)(A) and give the required best-interest explanation in 5c(2)(B), its labeled attachment, or another identified document.

The explanations in 5b(2) and 5c(2)(B) also direct that requested custody or visitation terms be specific about time, day, place, and the manner of exchanging the child. “At a place we agree on later” may leave the very detail this section asks you to supply unresolved.

Domestic violence and protective orders can change both the governing rules and the safe way to participate in the case. Use California Courts’ domestic violence and child custody guidance and get appropriate help with the particular request. This guide explains the fields; it cannot determine whether allegations are established or which custody or supervision result to seek.

Page 4 — 6. Supervised Parenting Time

What does supervised parenting time mean?

A neutral third person watches and listens while the parent and child spend time together. That person is the provider or monitor. Supervision is more than arranging for someone to drive the child or to be somewhere nearby.

Item 6 asks for the parent or party whose visits would be supervised, the reasons for the request, and the proposed provider, location, and schedule. The official supervised-visitation guide explains the provider’s role and how the process works.

  • 6a–6b. Person and reasons: identify the party and explain why you believe unsupervised visits would not be in the child’s best interests. Use Attachment 6b or another identified document if needed.
  • 6c. Provider: give the person’s or agency’s name, if known, and phone number. Identify professional or nonprofessional supervision. For a professional, the form asks for the proposed fee percentages payable by each party.
  • 6d. Location or format: choose in-person visits at a safe location, virtual visits, or describe another arrangement.
  • 6e. Schedule: identify the requested frequency and number of hours per visit, refer to item 4, or describe another schedule. Make the frequency, duration, and schedule elsewhere in the packet agree.

What is the difference between a professional and nonprofessional provider?

A professional provider has required training and qualifications and charges for the service. A nonprofessional provider is generally an unpaid friend or family member, but still must meet applicable requirements. “A person I know” does not automatically mean “a qualified monitor.”

FL-311 points to FL-324(P), the professional provider declaration, and FL-324(NP), the nonprofessional provider declaration. Both current forms are revised January 1, 2026. They concern the provider’s qualifications and responsibilities. They are not substitutes for explaining your requested order, and naming someone on FL-311 does not complete that person’s declaration.

If an existing order requires supervision, do not treat a new proposal as permission to stop it or substitute a different provider. The official guidance explains that a named provider’s unavailability can require asking the court to change the order.

7. How do exchanges and transportation work on FL-311?

Item 7 separates who transports the children from where and how each handoff occurs. The trip to a visit and the trip back can involve different people or locations, so the form asks about both.

Item 7a states that drivers must be licensed and insured, vehicles legally registered, and required child restraints properly installed. Items 7b and 7c identify transportation to begin the visits and transportation from the visits. Items 7d and 7e ask for the exchange-point addresses at the beginning and end.

For example, saying “Respondent provides transportation” may still leave the return trip unclear. The two transportation fields let the request identify each trip separately. Likewise, a Friday pickup at school and a Sunday return at another location require two identifiable exchange points. These examples illustrate the fields, not a preferred transportation arrangement.

Item 7f is a particular proposed exchange procedure: the driver waits in the car while the other party waits in the home or exchange location and the children go between them. It is not a universal instruction that applies to every family. Item 7g lets you describe other requested terms.

Is a supervised exchange the same as a supervised visit?

No. An exchange concerns transferring the child between adults; a visit concerns the time the parent and child spend together. FL-311-INFO explains that a neutral third person can help with an exchange so the parents do not have to meet. That does not, by itself, say the whole visit is supervised.

Read exchange terms alongside any protective order, supervision requirement, and schedule. Item 7 specifically emphasizes precise time, day, place, and manner of exchange in domestic violence cases. If publishing an address could create a safety risk, ask the self-help center about the appropriate confidentiality procedure before putting it into filed or served papers.

Page 5 — Travel, Mediation, Holidays, and Other Details

8. What does the travel-permission request mean?

Item 8 asks for a restriction requiring written permission from the other parent or party, or a court order, before the identified party takes the children outside specified places. The choices cover California, listed counties, or other specified locations.

Identify the party and the geographic boundary the request concerns. This is different from stating who has a particular vacation week. A holiday schedule does not automatically answer whether travel is permitted, and a new request does not override an existing travel restriction, protective order, or restriction in the Summons. Read those documents together before planning travel.

9. When is FL-312 relevant?

FL-312, Request for Child Abduction Prevention Orders, is the related form for requesting measures to prevent a child from being taken without permission. Item 9 of FL-311 identifies an abduction-risk request and directs you to attach FL-312. It is not a routine attachment for every parenting plan.

FL-312 asks about the claimed risk and the particular preventive orders requested, which can concern travel, passports, or other safeguards. It has its own declaration and signature. Describing a risk and requesting a preventive order are separate parts of that form; neither establishes that an order has already been made.

An immediate risk of harm or removal may require a different timetable and additional papers. FL-311 alone is not an emergency application. California Courts’ emergency-order instructions explain the separate process, including proposed orders and notice requirements. If there is immediate danger, seek emergency help rather than waiting to finish this guide.

10. What is child custody mediation?

Mediation is the court process for trying to develop a parenting plan when the parents do not agree about custody or parenting time. Item 10 lets you request mediation or child custody recommending counseling and give the appointment’s date, time, and location if applicable.

Courts differ in whether their process includes a counselor’s recommendation to the judge. Check the court’s appointment instructions and local procedure. Writing a date on FL-311 does not schedule an appointment by itself, and leaving this request unchecked does not remove a mediation requirement that otherwise applies.

The form explains an important safety procedure: a party who alleges domestic violence in a written declaration under penalty of perjury, or who is protected by a protective order, may ask the mediator or recommending counselor for separate meetings at separate times. A separate court order for those sessions is not required. Contact the appropriate court staff about arranging them.

11. How do I address holidays and vacations?

Use item 11 to describe the holiday and vacation schedule on FL-311 or identify the attached FL-341(C), Children’s Holiday Schedule Attachment. The holiday plan answers questions the ordinary weekly schedule may leave open, such as a school break, a birthday, or a holiday that falls during the other parent’s regular weekend.

FL-341(C) provides columns for every year, even-numbered years, and odd-numbered years, along with beginning and ending days and times. Put the party in the applicable year column. “Odd years” describes the calendar year, not a parent’s alternating weekend or an odd-numbered month.

For example, a holiday entry needs to communicate both who has that holiday in the identified year and the period it covers. “Thanksgiving with Respondent in even-numbered years” still leaves the beginning and ending times unanswered. The form gives you room to specify those endpoints without prescribing what they should be.

What happens if a holiday conflicts with the regular schedule?

The form says that, unless specifically ordered otherwise, a child’s holiday schedule order has priority over regular parenting time. Read the actual order for any different direction. Your proposed holiday attachment is not yet an order that overrides the current schedule.

Read the two proposed schedules together. Check where a holiday or break begins and ends, which school calendar defines a break, and when the regular schedule resumes. Avoid leaving two attachments assigning the same period to different people without an explanation of which provision controls.

What vacation details does FL-341(C) ask for?

Its vacation section asks about the number and length of vacation periods, advance written notice, a basic itinerary and emergency contacts, time to raise a scheduling problem, and how disagreements would be handled. It also addresses travel outside California or the United States and written-consent or court-order requirements.

Those are requested terms, not a set of notice periods you can assume already applies. If you use this attachment, make its vacation and travel provisions consistent with item 8 and any other applicable restriction. A request for vacation time does not itself authorize taking the children out of the state or country.

12. What are additional custody provisions?

These are practical terms beyond the basic calendar. Item 12 lets you describe them on FL-311 or attach FL-341(D), Additional Provisions—Physical Custody Attachment. That form addresses subjects such as notices of address changes, child care, canceled visits, phone contact, children’s belongings, and communication about the children.

Use the provisions that belong to the request, and complete their details where required. A blank number in a proposed notice period or child-care provision does not tell the reader what the requested term would be. Do not assume every printed option must be selected simply because you are attaching the form.

Keep these practical provisions distinct from FL-341(E)’s joint legal-custody decision-making terms. For example, communicating that a medical appointment occurred is different from specifying whose consent is required to choose a health professional. The two attachments can address related topics while asking different questions.

13. What goes in “Other”?

Use item 13 to specify another requested custody or parenting-time term that is not adequately described elsewhere. Item 3e also directs you here for the reasons supporting a no-visitation request.

Make clear which request the explanation belongs to. If an answer needs a continuation sheet, identify the case, form, and item so it stays connected to the right question. The “Other” space does not replace a required main form, emergency procedure, or supporting declaration.

Which Other Forms and Attachments Might Apply?

Include the documents your answers and filing process call for; you do not need every custody attachment. The form numbers refer to different jobs. After working through the guide, use this check to make sure the packet is complete:

  • Case and custody history: FL-105/GC-120 supplies UCCJEA information. It does not describe the requested weekly schedule or decide jurisdiction simply because it is completed.
  • Abduction-prevention request: FL-312 supplies the risk information and preventive orders referenced in item 9.
  • Holidays and vacations: FL-341(C) expands item 11.
  • Practical physical-custody terms: FL-341(D) expands item 12.
  • Shared decision-making details: FL-341(E) addresses the joint legal-custody terms noted under item 2.
  • Supervision qualifications: FL-324(P) and FL-324(NP) concern the provider, as explained under item 6.
  • Continued answers: include each numbered attachment you identify, such as Attachment 1, 4a(4), 4b, 5b(2), 5c(2)(B), or 6b, and the dated schedule if you selected item 3b.

Some attachments use language that can become part of an order later. When they accompany your request, they still describe what you are asking for. Match each attachment’s “TO” selection to its actual use and do not present a proposed provision as an already signed court order.

What Happens After I Complete FL-311?

Review the complete packet, then follow the signing, filing, and service instructions for the main document. FL-311 has no separate signature line on its five pages. That does not mean the packet is unsigned: sign the main form and any separate declarations where those documents require signatures.

Do I file and serve FL-311 with FL-300?

When FL-311 supports your FL-300 request, include it with the request and the required attachments for filing and service. FL-300-INFO directs you to make at least two copies of the full packet and explains obtaining the hearing information. Check your court’s filing method, local forms, and copy requirements.

After filing, have a qualified adult who is not a party serve the required papers. You cannot serve your own request. The served packet includes the filed request and attachments and the required blank response form. Filing and service are different steps: giving FL-311 to the clerk does not notify the other party for you.

Service method and deadlines depend on the procedure, hearing date, and any court directions. Personal service, permitted mail service, an initial Petition and Summons, and an emergency request do not all follow the same instructions. Use the FL-300 service explanation and current official instructions rather than treating FL-311 as having an independent universal deadline.

What if FL-311 goes with a petition or response?

Then follow the process for that petition or response. An FL-311 attached to FL-100 becomes part of the petition packet; it does not turn the petition into a hearing request. An attachment to a Responsive Declaration belongs with that response and its deadlines. Check the main document before deciding what to file or serve.

When does the requested schedule become an order?

Only through the court’s order process—not when you finish or file FL-311. Attend required custody appointments and the scheduled hearing unless the court directs otherwise. If the parties agree, follow the procedure for submitting the agreement for court approval instead of assuming an informal agreement cancels the hearing.

After the court decides, check the written order and follow the court’s directions for preparing, filing, and serving it. The terms can differ from either party’s proposal. Until an existing order is changed through the proper process, the new request itself does not replace it.

Before You Finish

  • Have I used the January 1, 2026 form and checked the case names, number, children, and main-document attachment box?
  • Do the custody choices and parenting-time details agree with the main form and with each other?
  • Could someone identify the first occurrence and the beginning and ending of each repeating period from the words I used?
  • Have I distinguished numbered weekends from alternating weekends and addressed any applicable fifth weekends?
  • Do school-based times, holidays, vacations, travel terms, transportation, and exchange locations fit together?
  • Have I completed the required follow-up sections for allegations, supervision, or a no-visitation request without treating a proposal as an existing order?
  • Is every referenced attachment present, labeled, and consistent? Have the main document and separate declarations been reviewed and signed where required?
  • Have I confirmed local filing, service, hearing, and mediation requirements and kept a complete copy?

Official Forms and Sources

This guide follows the current Judicial Council FL-311 and related forms, with California Courts Self-Help guidance. Sources were checked October 4, 2026. Check the official form listing again before filing in case a revision or procedure changes.

Your court’s self-help center can help identify forms and procedures. For advice about custody choices, safety, jurisdiction, or the particular orders to request, consult a qualified family law attorney.

Back to Divorce & Family Law Guides · Form FL-300 Guide · Form FL-100 Guide