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SF0117 • 2025

Shared parenting.

AN ACT relating to child custody; providing a presumption for issuance of an order of shared child custody as specified; providing definitions; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Children Education
Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor
Senator Pearson
Last action
2025-03-03
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The bill was marked as inactive by Wyoming's legislature on March 3, 2025, which means it did not pass in its current session.

Shared Parenting for Children

The bill establishes a presumption that courts should order shared custody of children in divorce or separation cases unless specific exceptions apply.

What This Bill Does

  • Establishes a presumption that the court shall issue an order of shared child custody when making decisions about where children will live after their parents separate, unless certain exceptions apply.
  • Defines 'shared custody' as including both joint legal and physical custody, meaning both parents have equal decision-making rights and spend roughly the same amount of time with the child each year.
  • Lists specific exceptions to shared custody, such as when there is a history of domestic violence or abuse, if one parent lives more than 300 miles away from the other, or if clear evidence shows that another arrangement would be better for the children.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Parents who are getting divorced or separating
  • Children whose parents are splitting up

Terms To Know

Shared custody
A child custody arrangement that includes both joint legal and physical custody, meaning both parents have equal decision-making rights and spend roughly the same amount of time with their children.
Joint legal custody
Both parents share in making important decisions about a child's health, education, and welfare.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the exceptions apply.
  • It is unclear how this will affect existing custody arrangements before July 1, 2025.
  • This bill was marked as inactive by Wyoming's legislature on March 3, 2025.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-03 Senate

    S:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to SR 5-4

  2. 2025-02-10 Senate

    S No report prior to CoW Cutoff

  3. 2025-01-22 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S01 - Judiciary

  4. 2025-01-16 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  5. 2025-01-15 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
25LSO-0566
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0566
Numbered
2.0

SENATE FILE NO. SF0117

Shared parenting.

Sponsored by: Senator(s) Pearson, Boner, Hutchings and Laursen, D and Representative(s) Andrew, Angelos, Kelly, Lucas, McCann and Smith, S

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to child custody; providing a presumption for issuance of an order of shared child custody as specified; providing definitions; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 20
‑
2
‑
201(a)(intro), (d) and by creating a new subsection (j) is amended to read:

20
‑
2
‑
201.

Disposition and maintenance of children in decree or order; access to records.

(a)

Unless otherwise specified by an agreement between the parties, i
n granting a divorce, separation or annulment of a marriage or upon the establishment of paternity pursuant to W.S. 14
‑
2
‑
401 through 14
‑
2
‑
907, the court
may
shall
make by decree or order any disposition of the children that
appears most expedient and
is
in the best interests of the children. In determining the best interests of the child, the court shall consider, but is not limited to, the following factors:

(d)

The court shall order custody in well defined terms to promote understanding and compliance by the parties.
In determining custody a court shall not favor or disfavor any form of custody.
Custody shall be crafted to promote the best interests of the children
.
, and may include any combination of joint, shared or sole custody.

The court shall enter an order of shared custody unless:

(i)

A different form of custody has been agreed to in writing and signed by both parties;

(ii)

One (1) or both parties has been adjudged by a court to be guilty of a crime involving domestic violence against the other party;

(iii)

One (1) or both parties have been adjudged by a court to be guilty of cruelty, abuse, neglect or mistreatment of the children;

(iv)

The parties no longer reside within three hundred (300) miles of each other and a different physical custody arrangement is the only practical arrangement; or

(v)

There is clear and convincing evidence that a different physical custody arrangement is in the best interest of the children.

(j)

For purposes of this section:

(i)

"Joint legal custody" means both parties share the decision making rights, responsibilities and authority related to the health, education and welfare of the children;

(ii)

"Joint physical custody" means the children physically reside with each party for a substantially equal amount of time each calendar year, with a parental plan crafted to promote the best interests of the children;

(iii)

"Shared custody" means a child custody arrangement that includes both joint legal custody and joint physical custody.

Section 2
.

This act shall apply to all actions to first establish custody of a child in a proceeding filed on and after July 1, 2025.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025
.

(END)

1
SF0117