Filing for Custody in Connecticut: Forms, Fees, and the Step-by-Step Process

Filing for custody in Connecticut involves a specific sequence of forms, deadlines, and administrative steps that are easy to get wrong if you're navigating the system for the first time. Whether you're filing as part of a divorce or as a standalone custody petition, here's the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Prepare Your Filing Packet

For a custody case filed within a divorce, your initial packet includes:

• Summons — Family Actions (JD-FM-3): Initiates the case
• Divorce Complaint (JD-FM-159): States your grounds and initial custody request
• Affidavit Concerning Children (JD-FM-164): Mandatory for any case involving minor children — identifies where the child has lived for the past five years

For a standalone custody or visitation petition (not part of a divorce), you file a Custody/Visitation Application (JD-FM-161) instead of the divorce complaint.

Step 2: File with the Court

Submit your packet to the Superior Court Clerk's Office in the judicial district where either parent resides. The filing fee is $360 under C.G.S. § 52-259.

If you cannot afford the fee, file Form JD-FM-75 (Application for Waiver of Fees) at the same time. Courts grant fee waivers to households at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level. The waiver covers the filing fee, state marshal service fees, and the mandatory Parenting Education Program fee.

Once filed, the clerk assigns a Return Date (always a Tuesday, roughly four weeks out) and returns a signed Summons.

Step 3: Serve the Other Parent

You must serve the other parent at least 12 days before the Return Date. In Connecticut, service must be executed by a licensed State Marshal — there are no private process servers. The marshal fee typically ranges from $50 to $100.

Alternatively, the other parent can sign a Certification of Waiver of Service of Process (JD-FM-249) before a notary public, eliminating the marshal fee entirely. This is common in cooperative cases.

Once served, the Automatic Court Orders (JD-FM-158) become immediately binding on both parents. These orders prevent either parent from hiding assets, changing insurance policies, or removing the children from the state during the proceedings.

Step 4: The Return Date

The Return Date is not a court appearance. Neither parent needs to show up. It's an administrative checkpoint that starts the clock on several deadlines:

• The defendant must file an Appearance form (JD-CL-12) by this date to avoid a default
• Both parents have 60 days to complete the mandatory Parenting Education Program
• The Resolution Plan Date (RPD) is scheduled 30-45 days after the Return Date

Step 5: Prepare for the Resolution Plan Date

Before your RPD, you need:

• A completed Financial Affidavit (JD-FM-6) — Connecticut requires all income and expenses reported on a weekly basis
• Either a joint Custody/Visitation Agreement (JD-FM-183) if you agree, or a Proposed Parental Responsibility Plan (JD-FM-199) if you don't

The RPD is your first face-to-face meeting with the court system — a conference with a Family Relations Counselor who triages your case and assigns it to Track A, B, or C under the Pathways program.

Self-Represented Litigants

Connecticut allows self-represented litigants (pro se) in family court. You are not required to have an attorney. Self-represented litigants may opt in to the court's E-Services portal for electronic filing, but it's not mandatory — you can file paper documents and receive notices by mail.

Resources available:

• CT Law Help (ctlawhelp.org): Free self-help guides, interactive forms, and legal aid referrals
• Statewide Legal Services: Free legal aid for qualifying households
• Court Service Centers: In-person help with forms and procedures at many courthouses

If you can afford a limited consultation, Connecticut attorneys offer "limited scope representation" — you hire a lawyer to review your documents, advise on strategy, or appear at a single hearing without retaining them for the full case. This can cost a few hundred dollars versus the $5,000-$10,000 retainer required for full representation.

The Connecticut Child Custody & Parenting Plan Guide is built specifically for self-represented parents — it provides form-by-form instructions, weekly income conversion worksheets, and parenting plan language designed to satisfy judicial requirements on the first submission.

See more Connecticut guides →