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Legal Information: Massachusetts

Custody

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Laws current as of June 25, 2025

What is custody?

Custody is the legal responsibility for the care and control of your minor child. The judge may give custody of your child to one or both parents. There are two types of custody: legal and physical.

  • Legal custody is the right to make major decisions about your child’s well-being, including matters of education, medical care and religious development.
  • Physical custody deals with whom the child will live with on a day-to-day basis.1

1 M.G.L. 208 § 31; M.G.L. 209C § 10

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