Benton County Arkansas Visitation Schedule: The Complete Breakdown

Benton County's 19th Judicial Circuit maintains its own standard visitation schedule that differs from neighboring Washington County in several important ways. If you are going through a custody case in Benton County — whether through a divorce or a standalone paternity action — this is the default schedule the court will apply when parents cannot agree on their own arrangement.

Regular Weekend Visitation

The non-custodial parent receives alternating weekends. Visitation starts at school release on Friday (or 7:30 AM if school is not in session) and ends at school start on Monday morning. If school is not in session on Monday, the return time is 7:30 AM.

This is more generous than many Arkansas counties. The Monday-morning return effectively gives the non-custodial parent three overnights every other weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights), compared to counties that end visitation Sunday evening at 6 PM.

Mid-Week Visitation

Benton County's standard schedule includes one mid-week overnight per week during the school year. The default evening is Tuesday, and the child stays overnight through the next morning's school start.

This is a significant provision. Many Arkansas counties — including neighboring Washington County — limit mid-week visits to a two-hour evening window without an overnight. Benton County's overnight mid-week adds roughly 40-50 overnights per year, which has a direct impact on child support calculations under Administrative Order No. 10.

Holiday Rotation

Major holidays alternate annually between parents. The Benton County schedule typically addresses:

• Thanksgiving — Alternates yearly. The parent with Thanksgiving visitation usually receives Wednesday after school through Sunday evening.
• Christmas — Often split into two blocks. In even-numbered years, one parent gets Christmas Eve through Christmas morning, and the other parent gets Christmas afternoon through the end of the break (or vice versa in odd-numbered years). The transition point in Benton County has historically been set at a fixed hour — commonly 9 PM on Christmas Eve or morning of Christmas Day.
• Spring Break — Alternates yearly, covering the full school break period.
• Easter — The parent without spring break may receive Easter weekend.
• Mother's Day and Father's Day — Each parent receives the child for the respective holiday, regardless of whose weekend it falls on.
• Child's Birthday — Specific provisions vary, but courts generally expect some contact with both parents.

Holiday schedules override the regular weekend rotation. If Thanksgiving falls on the non-custodial parent's off-weekend but it is their year for Thanksgiving, the holiday schedule takes priority.

Summer Visitation

Benton County differentiates by age:

Children under five — Summer visitation is typically split into shorter blocks to avoid extended separation from the primary attachment figure. The court may order alternating weeks or split weeks rather than one continuous stretch.

Children five and older — The non-custodial parent receives five consecutive weeks of summer visitation beginning July 5 at 10 AM. During this extended block, the primary custodial parent retains alternating weekend and mid-week visitation — unless the non-custodial parent takes the children out of town, in which case the primary parent's mid-visit rights are suspended for the travel period.

The five-week consecutive block is substantially different from Washington County's two separate 15-day blocks. It allows for longer vacations and travel but requires more advance planning around camps, activities, and travel schedules.

How This Schedule Affects Child Support

The combination of alternating three-night weekends plus weekly overnight mid-week visits generates a high overnight count. A parent following the Benton County standard schedule closely will typically accumulate between 130 and 150 overnights per year — right around the 141-overnight threshold that activates the shared-custody offset under AO10.

Whether you cross that threshold depends on how consistently mid-week overnights are exercised and how summer time is counted. Tracking overnights carefully matters because crossing 141 can reduce the child support obligation significantly through the offset method.

Customizing Beyond the Default

The Benton County standard schedule is a starting point, not a requirement. Judges prefer that parents negotiate their own arrangement through mediation. If you and your co-parent can agree on a schedule that better fits your work schedules, the child's school calendar, and extracurricular commitments, the court will generally approve it — as long as it provides adequate time with both parents and includes sufficient detail to be enforceable.

The Arkansas Child Custody and Parenting Plan Guide includes the full Benton County schedule alongside Washington County's version, with a comparison showing how each affects overnight counts, child support calculations, and practical logistics for NWA families.

See more Arkansas guides →