Oklahoma custody laws are found in The Oklahoma Statutes in Title 43. Section 109 contains most of the laws that affect custody situations. Here’s a brief overview.
Oklahoma Parenting plan, Section 109, Part D. Oklahoma requires that the court have a final plan concerning custody matters and arrangements. This plan, often called a parenting plan or custody agreement, is made based on the plan submitted by the parents. If the mother and father are able to agree on the plan, they can submit one jointly that the court will consider. If they are not able to work together, each parent should submit a proposed plan and the court will look at both ideas. The plan needs to detail the physical living arrangements of the child, child support obligations, medical and dental care for the child, school placement, an Oklahoma visitation schedule with information about visitation rights, and anything else the parents want to include.
Joint Custody, Section 109, Part C and E. Oklahoma allows parents the option to have joint custody. If the father or mother wants joint custody, they must submit a plan to the court about how the responsibilities of rearing the child will be divided. This plan must contain the same information as the regular parenting plan (listed in the above paragraph). The court can terminate joint custody at any time if either parent requests it or if it is in the best interest of the child. If this happens, the court will create a new Oklahoma custody agreement that the parents must follow.
Awarding custody, Section 109, Part A. This details how the state awards custody of the children. This is essential to an Oklahoma custody schedule, and parents must figure out how they will arrange custody. Custody will be awarded according to what is in the best physical, moral, and mental interest of the child. Either parent may be awarded custody, or joint custody can be awarded. The state gives no preference to either parent because of gender.