Child custody is older legal language that many people still use as shortcut language but Arizona law no longer uses it. Arizona now addresses what people call custody through two separate legal concepts: legal decision making and parenting time. Understanding the difference matters because they are decided separately and one does not automatically determine the other.

Legal decision making is the authority to make major decisions about a child’s education, health care, religious upbringing, and personal care. Parenting time is the schedule defining when the child is physically with each parent.

When someone says they want full custody they usually mean they want sole legal decision making, primary parenting time, or both. But those are separate requests requiring separate analysis and separate evidence. A parent can have joint legal decision making without equal parenting time.

Modern Arizona pleadings and orders use the current statutory terminology. If you have an older order that uses the word custody it may need to be interpreted in terms of these current concepts, especially in school enrollment, medical, relocation, and modification disputes.