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Legal Information: Rhode Island

Custody

Laws current as of July 19, 2024

If a custody order is already in place, how can I get it changed?

If you have a final custody order, you can usually file to change (modify) it only if something important has happened since the order was issued. This is called a “significant change in circumstances.” The judge may agree to change the custody order if s/he believes that the change is in the best interest of the child based on these new circumstances. 

Under Rhode Island law, if a domestic violence incident happens after the custody order is made, this is considered a change in circumstances. Then the judge would have to decide if it’s in the child’s best interests to change the order.1  

1 R.I. Gen. Laws § 15-5-16(g)(5)

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