Child Custody and Time-Sharing in Union County, Florida

Union County child custody cases are filed at the Union County Clerk of Court and go to the Eighth Judicial Circuit's Family Division. Florida law uses the terms parental responsibility and time-sharing instead of the older word custody. The family courthouse is the Union County Courthouse, at 55 West Main Street, Room 103, Lake Butler, FL 32054. That includes parents based in Raiford, not just Lake Butler itself.

Fla. Stat. 61.13 splits custody into two separate concepts: parental responsibility, who makes major decisions, and time-sharing, the actual schedule. Every case with minor children needs a parenting plan on Form 12.995(a), or the safety-focused 12.995(b) where domestic violence or substance abuse is at issue, or the long-distance 12.995(c) where the parents live far apart.

Both parents must also complete a parenting course under Fla. Stat. 61.21 before a judge will finalize a case involving minor children. DCF maintains the statewide list of approved providers. Any petition involving a minor child must include a UCCJEA affidavit, Form 12.902(d), which discloses the child's residence history so the court can confirm it has jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. Contested parenting-plan disagreements typically go through mediation first, under Fla. Stat. 61.183, before reaching a judge.

The statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (myflcourtaccess.com) is mandatory for attorneys; people representing themselves can use the portal or file paper documents with the clerk. The Eighth Judicial Circuit's family self-help program offers free procedural assistance to self-represented parents (https://circuit8.org/self-help/). Staff will check that paperwork is complete but, by law, cannot give legal advice.

Where custody cases are heard in Union County, FL

Custody and time-sharing matters in Union County, FL are handled by the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Union County, with the county seat in Lake Butler. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local family court programs change over time and can differ between branches, use the Florida court clerk directory to confirm the current details for your case:

Find the Union County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

How custody is decided in Florida

Florida uses the same statewide rules in every county, including Union County, FL. Florida law no longer uses the words "custody" and "visitation" in the statute; instead, Florida Statutes chapter 61 uses "parental responsibility" (who makes major decisions for the child) and "time-sharing" (the schedule of when the child is with each parent). Parental responsibility can be shared or, in limited cases, granted solely to one parent. Judges decide time-sharing based on the best interest of the child, considering the factors listed in the statute, and Florida law does not favor a parent based on gender.

You raise parental responsibility and time-sharing inside a dissolution of marriage case, or, if the parents were never married, by first filing to establish paternity. The core steps are:

1. Open or use an existing case: a petition for dissolution of marriage, or a paternity case for unmarried parents.
2. File a proposed Parenting Plan (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.995(a)) covering parental responsibility and a time-sharing schedule.
3. Serve the other parent and file proof of service.
4. Complete a parenting course if your circuit requires one for cases with minor children (Fla. Stat. 61.21).
5. Attend mediation if your circuit requires it before a contested hearing, then attend the hearing if you have not agreed. The court enters a Final Judgment with the Parenting Plan attached.

Florida does not use a fixed statewide waiting period for custody orders the way it does for some other filings; timing depends on your circuit's calendar and whether the case is contested. Parents who agree on a Parenting Plan can submit it for the judge's signature without a contested hearing, which is almost always the faster and less costly path in Union County, FL.

Local notes for Union County, FL

Union County family mediation runs through contract mediators from the circuit's Family Contract Mediators list. Combined household income under $50,000 is billed at $60 per person per session; income from $50,000 to $99,999 is billed at $120 per person per session. Indigent parties are exempt once the Clerk approves an indigency finding. Fla. Stat. 44.108 ties the mediation fee to combined household income, and parties who cannot afford it can apply to the clerk for an indigency-based exemption.

Union County's clerk has not published one clear dollar figure for a family law filing fee online. No fee-schedule page exists anywhere on unionclerk.com's site map, and the Family Law and FAQ pages describe simplified divorce eligibility but list no dollar amount. For form help, contact the Eighth Judicial Circuit Self-Help Center, Family and Civil Justice Center Room 413 in Gainesville, (352) 548-3781, which serves Union along with Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, and Levy. Staff there review paperwork for completeness and point you to the right forms, but cannot, by law, fill anything out or advise you on specific answers.

A judge may, but is not required to, appoint a guardian ad litem in a contested parental responsibility case under Fla. Stat. 61.401. The Eighth Circuit's Guardian ad Litem Program office, which primarily handles dependency (abuse and neglect) cases, can be reached at 352-374-3656. The exact time-sharing/custody filing fee for Union County is not posted on unionclerk.com; call the clerk's office to confirm it before filing.

Official custody resources in Union County, FL

Union County Courthouse handles custody filings, located at 55 West Main Street, Room 103, Lake Butler 32054.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal; mandatory for attorneys, optional for self-represented parties who may file on paper.

Eighth Judicial Circuit Family Self-Help (https://circuit8.org/self-help/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Eighth Judicial Circuit Self-Help Center, Family and Civil Justice Center Room 413 in Gainesville, (352) 548-3781, serving Union along with Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, and Levy

• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Union County Family Self-Help
• Fla. Stat. 61.13 - Parenting Plans and Time-Sharing

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Union County, FL Child Custody FAQs