How to File for Custody Together

• Is this page for me?  This page is for people who are not married, have never had a custody order and both parents are willing to sign and notarize their 100% agreement on all of the issues, such as:
  • The legal custody, physical custody, and visitation schedule for the minor children;
  • Who will pay how much in child support; 
  • Who will provide health insurance for the children; 
  • Whether changes are needed on any birth certificates.
• What if we don't agree about something, or one parent won't sign?  You can File for Custody on Your Own.  
  
  
• What laws apply?  Learn the basics of the laws that apply to custody cases on the Custody Overview page.
  • By filing a joint petition, you will waive some rights you would normally have.  A joint petition waives your right to file an appeal, the right to a Notice of Entry of Order, the right to findings of facts and conclusions of law, and the right to request a new trial. 
• Where can I learn more?  You can attend a free custody class that teaches you the basics of the custody process.  

Follow these steps to start a Joint Petition for Custody:

 1. Fill out the forms.  There are several forms both parents will have to fill out and sign.  

 2. File the forms.  Turn in your completed forms to the Clerk of Court for filing. 

 3. Turn in the decree to the Judge.  You must turn in the proposed Decree for the judge to review and sign. 

 4. Send a copy of the final decree to the other party.  If the court sent the final Decree to only you, you will need to send a copy to the other person and file one last form. 

Learn more about each step below.

  1: Fill out the forms

All of the following documents must be completed to file a Joint Petition for Custody.  Do not skip any documents, or your filing may be rejected by the Court.

Family Court Cover Sheet

This form is REQUIRED.  It asks for basic information about the parents and the children. The Clerk of Court uses this information to open your case.  

Family Court Cover Sheet (pdf fillable)

Confidential Information Sheet

This form is REQUIRED.  This form helps parents with child support enforcement in the future if needed.  

Confidential Information Sheet - WITH CHILDREN (pdf fillable)

Joint Petition for Custody

This form is REQUIRED and must be notarized.  It tells the judge how the parents have agreed to settle everything, such as custody, visitation, child support, health insurance, and birth certificate issues. The parents must complete every section, and you both must sign the Joint Petition in front of a notary. 

Sign this form in front of a notary as close to the date you will file your papers as possible.  You can sign it separately in front of different notaries, but try to make sure the dates you sign are close together.

Joint Petition for Custody (pdf)

Joint Petition for Custody (pdf fillable)

Decree of Custody

This form is REQUIRED.  The judge will sign the Decree when your custody agreement is approved. Both parents must complete and sign the Decree before the judge can sign.  

Decree of Custody (pdf)

Decree of Custody (pdf fillable)

  2: File the forms

The court charges $259 to file the papers.  You can pay by cash, money order, or most major credit/debit cards. If you cannot afford the fee, please see Filing Fees and Waivers to find out how to ask the court to waive the fee.  Use the Joint Petition fee waiver forms.  

You can file your papers one of these ways:

1. Online: You can file online through the court's e-filing system, eFileNV. There is a fee of $3.50 to upload your documents, in addition to the regular filing fee. You must register for an account, you must provide a valid email address, and you must be able to scan and upload your documents as separate pdfs.  Do not upload one pdf with all of the forms included - this will significantly delay the processing.  Each form needs to be filed as its own pdf, but you can upload all of them in one submission.  Do not efile the decree, that will be submitted in the next step.  Carefully follow the E-Filing Guide to avoid mistakes. 
   E-Filing Guide
   
   
2. In person at the Family Courthouse (check our How to File page for hours and more information).

3. By Mail: (mail takes about 6-8 weeks to process) Mail your forms and the filing fee (with check or money order made out to Clerk of Court) to:

   Family Courts and Services Center
   Attn: Clerk of Court
   601 North Pecos Road
   Las Vegas, NV 89101

  3: Turn in the Decree to the Judge

You must turn in a decree to your assigned department to review.  If you do not know what department your case was assigned to, you can look it up here: https://www.clarkcountycourts.us/Portal/. 

If you did not already fill out a Decree with the rest of your forms, do so now: 

Decree of Custody (pdf fillable)

Attach a filed copy of your Joint Petition to the back of the Decree.  

You can submit the Decree to your judge in person (601 N. Pecos, Las Vegas, NV 89101), by mail (mail takes 4-6 weeks to process), or by email.  

If emailing, email your proposed decree (with a copy of the filed joint petition behind the decree) in a single combined pdf format to your assigned judge.  The system will not allow you to attach two pdfs.  You will need to scan the decree with the joint petition behind it as a single pdf before submitting.  Check the Department Letter assigned to your case and email it to the correct email below.  Your subject line should appear like this:  "(case numer) - DECC - (last names)" (i.e., D-23-123456-Z - DECC - Smith v Jones)

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The judge will review your papers, and if everything is completed properly and the judge approves of your agreement, the judge will sign your Decree.    .

  4. Send a copy of the final decree to the other party

Whoever gets the final Decree must make a a copy of the filed Decree and mail it to the other person. After mailing, fill out a Certificate of Mailing and file it with the court to prove that both parties have a copy.

Certificate of Mailing - Decree (pdf)  Certificate of Mailing - Decree (pdf fillable)