Co-parenting in Minnesota, 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 District Court, where MN custody matters are heard, it's already there. You won't be building it at 10 p.m.
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District Court
handles custody in MN
Minn. Stat. § 518.17
custody statute
Minnesota custody law
Minnesota courts determine custody based on the best interests of the child and favor arrangements that promote the child's relationship with both parents.
What Minnesota courts consider in custody decisions
Minnesota overhauled its custody statute in 2015 (effective 2016), replacing the prior factor list with 12 best interest factors under § 518.17(a). These include the child's physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual, and other needs and the effect of the proposed arrangements on those needs; any special medical, mental health, or educational needs that may require special parenting arrangements; the reasonable preference of the child if of sufficient age; whether domestic abuse has occurred in the parents' relationship; any physical, mental, or chemical health issue of a parent that affects the child's safety or developmental needs; the history and nature of each parent's participation in providing care for the child; the willingness and ability of each parent to provide ongoing care and to cooperate in raising the child; the effect on the child of changes to the proposed arrangement; the effect of the proposed arrangement on the ongoing relationships between the child and each parent; the benefit to the child in maximizing parenting time with both parents; and the disposition of each parent to encourage and permit frequent and continuing contact with the other parent. The court may not use one parent's sex as a factor.
How the custody process works in Minnesota
Minnesota custody cases are filed in District Court. The 2015 overhaul replaced 'custody' with 'parenting time' and 'decision-making responsibility' for new cases filed after 2016. Parents must attend a parenting education program — the AAML Parenting in Divorce or similar approved course — within 30 days of the first hearing if minor children are involved. Courts commonly require mediation through court-connected programs or Social Early Neutral Evaluation (SENE) before trial in contested cases.
Key Minnesota custody statutes
- Minn. Stat. § 518.17
- Minn. Stat. § 518.175
- Minn. Stat. § 518.1705
How Civly helps Minnesota parents
One week, both houses, one version
Paste the school email or a calendar link and the events build themselves. Color-coded custody schedule from your own parenting plan. Share a read-only link with grandparents, attorneys, or mediators.
Say it how it comes out. Send the calm version.
Type or speak 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.
Snap the receipt, skip the math
Snap a receipt or forward an email. AI extracts the amount. Your co-parent approves or disputes. Everything documented, timestamped, and exportable for your attorney.
Records your attorney can work with
Every message is timestamped, and exports as a certified PDF with a SHA-256 hash and a code anyone can check at civly.com/verify. How to present it in Minnesota's District Court system is your attorney's call, and whether a record is admitted is always the court's decision.
Pricing comparison
Civly
$79/year
or $7.99/month
- AI message rewriting
- Custody calendar
- Expense tracking
- Timestamped PDF exports
- Certified exports with verification codes
OurFamilyWizard Essentials
$149.99/year
Their cheapest tier that includes Writing Assistant. Cheaper OFW tiers exist without it. Per parent, list price August 2026.
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.
Cities in Minnesota
Civly serves co-parents across Minnesota. Find local court info and resources for your city.
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 Minnesota. 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.