How to Build a Parenting Plan That Holds Up in Colorado

A parenting plan that holds up starts with specificity, not good intentions. Colorado law requires every case involving parenting time in Colorado to have a written plan addressing both the schedule and decision-making responsibility, and the plans that avoid future conflict are the ones that spell out dates, times, and decision rules instead of leaving them to interpretation.

This is not about finding one “best” schedule. It is about building a plan specific enough that neither parent has to guess what happens next, whether that is a Tuesday exchange or a decision about which school the child attends.

What a Colorado Parenting Plan Is

Both parents may submit a proposed parenting plan for the court’s approval, and that plan must address parenting time and the allocation of decision-making responsibility. ^[1] If no plan is submitted, or the court does not approve the one submitted, the court formulates its own. When parenting time is contested, the statute directs that the plan be as specific as possible.

In practice, that means you have more control over the outcome if you and the other parent can agree on a workable plan than if you leave the details for a judge to fill in.

Decision-Making Allocation

Decision-making responsibility covers education, health care, and religious training. ^[2] A parenting plan should state plainly whether these decisions are joint, split by category, or assigned to one parent, and what happens if the parents disagree.

Plans that skip this section, or that use vague language like “decisions will be made together,” tend to generate disputes later. Naming a tiebreaker process, even an informal one, prevents a disagreement over a school choice from turning into a motion filed with the court.

The Regular Parenting-Time Schedule

The regular schedule is the backbone of the plan: which days and nights belong to each parent in a typical week or two-week rotation. Courts weigh factors like each parent’s past involvement, the child’s adjustment to home and school, and the parties’ physical proximity when evaluating whether a proposed schedule serves the child. ^[3]

A workable schedule accounts for school start times, extracurricular commitments, and each parent’s actual work hours, not just an even split on paper. A schedule that looks fair on a calendar but is impossible for one parent’s job to support will not hold up in practice.

Holidays, Breaks, and Summers

Holidays and school breaks need their own section, separate from the regular schedule, because they override the normal rotation. Name the specific holidays that matter to your family, state whether they alternate by year, and set the exact start and end times for the handoff.

Summer schedules deserve the same treatment. If the summer routine differs from the school-year schedule, spell out when the switch happens and how much notice each parent needs to give for vacation time.

Exchanges, Communication, and Travel

Exchange logistics head off a large share of future disputes: where the handoff happens, who provides transportation, and what happens if one parent is running late. Specify a location and a grace period rather than leaving it to whatever feels reasonable in the moment.

Communication and travel provisions matter for the same reason. State how much notice is required before either parent travels with the child, what information must be shared, and which communication method (text, a co-parenting app, email) the plan expects the parents to use.

Provisions That Prevent Future Conflict

A well-built plan can include mediation as a first step before either parent files a motion over a disagreement. Colorado courts can order mediation to help parents formulate, modify, or carry out a parenting plan. ^[4]

Building a dispute-resolution step into the plan itself, rather than defaulting straight to litigation, tends to keep smaller disagreements from escalating. It also signals to a court, if you ever need one to weigh in, that both parents tried to resolve the issue first.

It is worth remembering that the schedule you settle on here also feeds into child support calculations, since overnight counts factor into that number. And if your circumstances change down the road, the process for changing a plan later follows its own set of rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be included in a Colorado parenting plan?

A complete Colorado parenting plan addresses decision-making responsibility, a regular parenting time schedule, holidays and school breaks, exchange logistics, communication expectations, and travel provisions. Courts look for a plan specific enough that neither parent has to guess what happens next.

Do you need a parenting plan in Colorado?

Yes. Colorado courts require a parenting plan, whether the parents submit their own for approval or the court formulates one when the parents cannot agree. Every case allocating parental responsibilities needs one on file.

What makes a parenting plan enforceable?

Specificity makes a parenting plan enforceable. Vague language about a schedule being “flexible” or decisions being made “as needed” is difficult to enforce if a disagreement lands back in court. Clear dates, times, and decision-making rules hold up better.

Can parents change a parenting plan in Colorado?

Yes, but the standard depends on what you are changing. Parenting time and decision-making responsibility follow different modification standards under Colorado law, and changing which parent has the majority of time carries a higher bar.

How Johnson Law Group Can Help

A parenting plan shapes your family’s day-to-day life for years after a divorce or APR case, and it is worth getting a second set of eyes on it before you sign. Our team can give you a clear read on whether a draft plan actually protects your time and your say in your child’s life, or help you build one from scratch that reflects your family’s actual routine instead of a generic template.

The attorneys on our team regularly review and negotiate parenting plans for clients across Johnson Law Group‘s Colorado offices. Ask an attorney to review your parenting plan before you sign, through a no-pressure consultation at one of our office locations across Colorado or virtually.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Family law outcomes depend on the specific facts of your case. Consult a licensed Colorado attorney about your situation.

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