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Custody and Parenting Time

Iowa Code § 598.41 — maximum continuing contact with both parents, in the child's best interest

  • The court may order joint custody, and makes the award that assures the child the opportunity for maximum continuing physical and emotional contact with both parents, in the child's best interest.
  • That gives way where direct physical or significant emotional harm to the child, other children or a parent is likely.
  • A history of domestic abuse creates a rebuttable presumption against joint custody.
  • A parent's denial, without just cause, of the child's contact with the other parent is a significant factor.
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Sources for this section (1)
  1. Iowa Code § 598.41 — Custody of children

Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Iowa attorney.

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This section is the long version of a step in one walkthrough. Each one takes the same law one decision at a time, with both sides of the moment written out.