The seventeen factors
Section 46b-56 lists seventeen factors โ the child's safety, needs and informed preferences, each parent's ability to meet those needs and to cooperate, the child's bonds, and any abuse, among others.
Because the court can weigh them as it sees fit, a case that addresses the whole list is harder to pick apart.
No presumption between parents
Connecticut recognises no presumption favoring either parent in a dispute between two parents. Gender gives no advantage. A separate rule favors a parent over a non-parent.
So your care history and the child's routine, not gender, are what move the court.
Legal and physical custody
Connecticut separates legal custody (major decisions) from physical custody (where the child lives). Also, each can be joint or sole. "Full custody" often means sole legal and sole physical custody.
Name the combination you want. Sole decision-making and primary residence need different proof.
What the numbers cannot show
The household shares above describe where Connecticut children live, not who holds custody. A child can live mainly with one parent under a joint order.
Use the figures as context only. The seventeen factors and your evidence decide the case.
Building a well-rounded record
Because the court weighs many factors with discretion, breadth helps. Log care, working together, the child's routine and any safety concern, each with dates and sources.
Casewell keeps those entries and files together. So a Connecticut lawyer can present a record that speaks to section 46b-56.
A list the judge does not have to follow
Connecticut's list is longer than most, and looser. Section 46b-56 sets out seventeen factors a court may consider. It says in terms that the court is not limited to them.
It also does not force the court to weigh any particular one. A Connecticut judge can rely on the factors that fit your family and leave the rest.
That cuts both ways. It means a strong point can carry real weight, and it means you cannot assume a factor will be reached just because it appears on the list.
Why informed preferences is worded that way
One factor is more carefully worded than parents expect. The court may consider any relevant and material information obtained from the child, including the informed preferences of the child.
Informed is the word doing the work. A preference formed without knowing what is actually being proposed carries less than one formed with it.
So the useful thing is rarely a child's stated choice. It is the everyday detail showing what each home actually offers. That is what an informed view would rest on.
Before you file in Connecticut
Save any current order, track parenting time for a few weeks, and write the plan you want reviewed.
A Connecticut family-law lawyer can weigh it against the seventeen factors and your judicial district's practice before filing.
Connecticut 50/50 planning checklist
Use this before asking a lawyer or adviser to assess a pattern.
Show the care behind a 50/50 proposal
Use Casewell to record the parenting time that occurred, the care you provided, schedule changes, handovers and the messages explaining them. A focused export can reduce sorting costs and help an expert present a workable shared-care proposal or a repeated pattern of obstruction. Start your Casewell record today.
How many custody factors does Connecticut have?
Seventeen are listed in section 46b-56, and the court may consider others. The statute does not force the judge to weigh any particular factor.
Does a child's preference count in Connecticut?
It can. The statute lets the court consider information obtained from the child, including the child's informed preferences. No age is set, and the judge decides how much weight it carries.
Does Connecticut publish a full-custody success rate?
No. Public data does not give a complete percentage of Connecticut cases in which mothers or fathers receive sole legal and physical custody. Household statistics describe where children live, not court outcomes.
Do these statistics show that mothers get custody more often in Connecticut?
They show the sex of the household householder in a living-arrangement table. They do not show legal custody, parenting-time percentages, the reason for the arrangement, or whether a court was involved.
Can documentation improve my chances of custody?
Yes. Good records can definitely improve your chances. They help you arrive prepared with clear, dated evidence in the right format. They give your lawyer a head start, saving time and fees. They cannot guarantee an outcome, but they can strengthen your case.
What should I record first?
Start with the current arrangement, then record each material change with the date, what was expected, what you observed, the source, the child-related effect, your response, and the outcome. Use Casewell to keep the entry and supporting file together.
Sources
Statistics are 2024 ACS 5-year estimates from Census table B09005. The values are checked against the official Census table-based data file. The table measures children's household living arrangements, not legal custody or court outcomes. The Census table, data file, and secondary machine-readable mirror are linked so the calculation can be reproduced.
- Connecticut General Statutes 46b-56 โ custody orders and best interest factors checked
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year table B09005 for Connecticut checked
- U.S. Census Bureau, official 2024 ACS 5-year table-based B09005 data file checked
- Machine-readable ACS 2024 5-year B09005 values (Census Reporter mirror) checked
- U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 checked