Co-parenting in Virginia, 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 Circuit Court / Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, where VA custody matters are heard, it's already there. You won't be building it at 10 p.m.
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Circuit Court / Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court
handles custody in VA
Va. Code § 20-124.3
custody statute
Virginia custody law
Virginia courts consider the best interests of the child and evaluate each parent's role in the child's upbringing to determine custody.
What Virginia courts consider in custody decisions
Virginia courts evaluate 10 statutory factors including the age and physical/mental condition of the child and each parent, the role each parent has played and will play in the child's upbringing and care, the child's relationship with each parent giving due consideration to positive involvement, the propensity of each parent to actively support the child's contact with the other parent, the child's needs including relationships with siblings and extended family, and any history of family abuse as defined in § 16.1-228. Virginia has no statutory minimum age for considering a child's custody preferences.
How the custody process works in Virginia
Virginia custody cases may be filed in either Circuit Court or Juvenile and Domestic Relations (JDR) District Court. JDR courts handle initial custody petitions between unmarried parents and emergency protective orders, while Circuit Court handles custody during divorce. Either party may appeal a JDR decision to Circuit Court for a de novo hearing. The judge must communicate the basis of the custody decision and set forth findings on the relevant statutory factors either orally or in writing.
Key Virginia custody statutes
- Va. Code § 20-124.3
- Va. Code § 20-124.2
- Va. Code § 16.1-278.15
How Civly helps Virginia 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 Virginia's Circuit Court / Juvenile and Domestic Relations 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 Virginia
Civly serves co-parents across Virginia. 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 Virginia. 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.