Visitation & Parenting Time in Tennessee
In Tennessee, 'visitation' is parenting time within a court-approved parenting plan. The permanent parenting plan (T.C.A. § 36-6-404) includes a residential schedule setting when the child is with each parent; the parent with under half the time is the Alternate Residential Parent. Courts can impose supervised or restricted parenting time where there's evidence of risk to the child (T.C.A. § 36-6-406).
By Find Local Law Editorial Team · Last reviewed: May 25, 2026
Researched and drafted with AI assistance and verified against primary sources (statutes, Judicial Council forms, and official court websites). This is general information, not legal advice.
This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to a Tennessee attorney about your parenting schedule.
In Tennessee, what people call “visitation” is handled as parenting time inside a parenting plan — not as a separate legal track.
Parenting time within the plan
The permanent parenting plan (T.C.A. § 36-6-404) includes a residential schedule that sets out when the child is with each parent. The parent with the child more than half the time is the Primary Residential Parent; the other is the Alternate Residential Parent (ARP), and that parent’s scheduled time is the modern equivalent of “visitation.”
The court sets the schedule based on the child’s best interest (the factors in T.C.A. § 36-6-106) and the practical circumstances of the family — work schedules, the child’s age and school, and distance between homes.
When parenting time can be limited
Parenting time isn’t always unrestricted. Under T.C.A. § 36-6-406, a court can restrict a parent’s time or require supervised visitation where there’s evidence of abuse, neglect, or other conduct that would put the child at risk. These restrictions are tailored to protect the child while preserving the parent-child relationship where safe.
Changing the schedule
Parenting schedules can be modified later if circumstances change and a change serves the child’s best interest. To get matched with a local Tennessee family-law attorney, connect with a lawyer.
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Start your free intakeFrequently asked questions
- Does Tennessee still call it 'visitation'?
- Legally, it's 'parenting time' within a parenting plan's residential schedule. The parent the child lives with less than half the time — the Alternate Residential Parent — has the scheduled parenting time (T.C.A. § 36-6-404).
- Can a parent's time be supervised or limited?
- Yes. Under T.C.A. § 36-6-406, a court can restrict or require supervision of parenting time where there's evidence of abuse, neglect, or other conduct that puts the child at risk.
- Who sets the visitation schedule?
- The court approves it as part of the permanent parenting plan, applying the child's best interest (T.C.A. § 36-6-106) and the residential-schedule rules.
Sources
Related guides
- Adoption in Tennessee Tennessee adoption law is in Title 36, Chapter 1. Before an adoption can be finalized, the existing parental rights must be surrendered or terminated (T.C.A. § 36-1-113), and a home study/court report is generally part of the process. Common types include stepparent, relative, agency, and private adoptions.
- Establishing Paternity in Tennessee For unmarried parents in Tennessee, legal parentage is established under the parentage statutes (T.C.A. § 36-2-301 et seq.) — either by a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity or by a court petition with genetic testing. A genetic test showing 95% or greater probability creates a presumption of parentage (T.C.A. § 24-7-112). Establishing paternity is the gateway to custody, parenting time, and child support.
- Family Law Mediation in Tennessee Tennessee courts are directed to order mediation in many contested divorces (T.C.A. § 36-4-131), with exceptions including domestic violence, inability to afford it, or an already-signed agreement. Family mediators are commonly Rule 31 listed mediators under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31. Mediation lets parents and spouses craft their own resolution instead of leaving it to a judge.
- Grandparents' Visitation Rights in Tennessee Tennessee's grandparent visitation statute (T.C.A. § 36-6-306) is deliberately narrow. A grandparent can petition only in specific situations — such as a parent's death, the parents' divorce or separation, or a severed long-standing relationship — and the court must find a danger of substantial harm to the child. The limits reflect the constitutional rights of fit parents under Troxel v. Granville (2000).
- Postnuptial Agreements in Tennessee Tennessee enforces postnuptial agreements under case law — principally Bratton v. Bratton (Tenn. 2004) — rather than a dedicated statute. To be enforceable, a postnup needs adequate consideration flowing to both spouses, knowing and voluntary execution, and no fraud, coercion, or duress. The consideration requirement is what makes postnups harder to uphold than prenups.
- Prenuptial Agreements in Tennessee Tennessee enforces prenuptial (antenuptial) agreements under T.C.A. § 36-3-501 if they were entered into freely, knowledgeably, and in good faith, and without duress or undue influence. A prenup can define how property and support are handled if the marriage ends, but a court can refuse to enforce one that was signed under unfair circumstances.