Co-parenting in Des Moines, without the 10 p.m. scramble
The school email. The $120 receipt. The pickup you have to confirm again. Hand Civly any of it as it arrived and it lands on one calendar both houses read — and if you ever need the record for a matter in Polk County District Court, Family Division, it's already there. You won't be building it at 10 p.m.
Set up your side tonight · Cancel anytime · 30-day refund by email
Des Moines family court information
Custody and family law cases in Des Moines are handled by the Polk County District Court, Family Division in Polk County. Iowa custody matters are heard in the District Court system; the governing custody statute is Iowa Code § 598.41. Civly exports a complete, timestamped PDF of your messages, calendar and expenses that you can hand to your attorney.
Des Moines co-parents navigating Iowa's strong emphasis on joint physical care use Civly to maintain detailed parenting schedules for Polk County courts.
How custody works in Iowa
Iowa courts determine custody based on the best interests of the child and may award joint legal custody with primary physical care to one parent.
Iowa custody cases are filed in District Court. The state uses 'physical care' rather than 'physical custody,' which may be joint or awarded primarily to one parent. Courts may order mediation and frequently refer cases to Family Law Early Neutral Evaluation programs. The court may appoint a guardian ad litem to investigate and report on custody issues. Iowa requires 60 days' advance notice before a custodial parent can relocate 150 miles or more from the other parent.
Cases from Des Moines are filed in Polk County and heard in the Polk County District Court, Family Division. The court that hears your case is determined by where the children have been living, not by where either parent works.
For the full picture, see custody in Iowa.
214,133
residents
Polk County
primary county
District Court
court system
How Civly helps Des Moines parents
AI-powered message rewriting
Type what you really feel — Civly writes the calm version — the one you would not cringe at if it were read back later. Your vent stays private and never enters an export. What you send is what gets kept.
Shared custody calendar
Color-coded custody schedule built from your own parenting plan. Share a read-only link with grandparents, attorneys, or mediators.
Snap the receipt, skip the math
Snap a receipt or forward an email. AI extracts the amount. Your co-parent approves or disputes. Track every shared expense in Des Moines.
Frequently asked questions
You don't need their agreement to start
Set up the calendar, log what's owed, draft the message you have to send tonight. Invite them when you're ready — the shared parts switch on the day they join.
Start tonight — $79/year30-day money-back guarantee. Available in every state.
Civly is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Custody law and the rules of evidence vary from state to state, and individual judges apply them differently. For advice about your own case, speak to a family law attorney licensed in Iowa. Civly launched in 2026 and is not named in many court orders yet — if your order already requires a specific platform, keep using it and ask your attorney before switching.