A long-distance parenting plan in Illinois is a court-approved written agreement under 750 ILCS 5/602.10 that allocates parenting time when parents live far apart, and it must include electronic communication terms such as FaceTime and video calls. Parents file a proposed plan within 120 days, and moves beyond 25 or 50 miles trigger relocation notice rules.
Key Facts: Illinois Long-Distance Parenting Plans (2026)
| Item | Illinois Rule |
|---|---|
| Filing Fee | $250–$388 to file (Cook County $388, DuPage $348); respondent appearance $181–$251 (as of June 2026 — verify with your local clerk) |
| Waiting Period | No fixed post-filing wait for parenting orders; parenting plan due within 120 days of the petition under 750 ILCS 5/602.10 |
| Residency Requirement | 90 days in Illinois before judgment under 750 ILCS 5/401 |
| Grounds | Irretrievable breakdown (no-fault only) under 750 ILCS 5/401 |
| Property Division Type | Equitable distribution (not community property) |
| Governing Statute | Allocation of parental responsibilities, 750 ILCS 5/602.7 and 750 ILCS 5/602.10 |
This guide explains how Illinois courts handle parenting across distance, from drafting a long distance parenting plan Illinois families can enforce to managing relocation, virtual visitation, and travel costs. It reflects the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) as codified in 750 ILCS 5. For a step-by-step path tailored to your situation, build a personalized divorce roadmap before you draft.
What Is a Long-Distance Parenting Plan in Illinois?
A long-distance parenting plan in Illinois is a written, court-approved schedule under 750 ILCS 5/602.10 that governs how a child spends time with each parent when the parents are separated by significant travel distance. Illinois requires every parenting plan to be filed within 120 days of the petition, and the plan must address parenting time, decision-making, transportation, and electronic communication in specific terms.
Illinois replaced the words "custody" and "visitation" in 2016 with two defined concepts: the allocation of parental responsibilities (decision-making) and parenting time. A long-distance plan divides both. When one parent lives out of state or hundreds of miles away, the standard alternating-weekend template does not work, so Illinois courts approve schedules built around school breaks, extended summer blocks, and daily virtual contact. The plan becomes a binding court order once a judge finds it serves the child's best interests. Learn how child custody arrangements are structured before you negotiate specific dates.
Illinois Law Governing Long-Distance Parenting Plans
Two statutes control long-distance parenting in Illinois: 750 ILCS 5/602.7 governs the allocation of parenting time, and 750 ILCS 5/602.10 sets the mandatory contents of every parenting plan. Section 602.7 lists 17 best-interest factors, and Section 602.10 requires parents to file a proposed plan within 120 days of the petition or the court allocates time for them.
Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, a compliant parenting plan must cover at least the child's living arrangements, each parent's decision-making authority over education, health, religion, and extracurriculars, a designated residence for school enrollment, a dispute-resolution method, and provisions for communication (including electronic communication) with the child during the other parent's time. For families separated by distance, the electronic communication clause is not optional boilerplate — it is the mechanism that keeps the out of state parent involved between in-person visits. Illinois courts treat a well-drafted allocation of parental responsibilities plan as the single most important document in a case involving children, because it defines every right the distant parent can enforce later.
When Distance Triggers Relocation Rules Under 750 ILCS 5/609.2
In Illinois, a move becomes a legal "relocation" under 750 ILCS 5/609.2 at 25 miles for parents in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, at 50 miles for parents in every other Illinois county, and at any out-of-state move greater than 25 miles. The relocating parent must give the other parent at least 60 days' written notice before moving.
Relocation is the most common trigger for a long-distance parenting plan. If a parent with the majority of parenting time — or a parent sharing equal time — wants to move beyond these thresholds, 750 ILCS 5/609.2 requires written notice at least 60 days in advance, stating the intended move date, the new address (if known), and the length of the move if temporary. If the other parent signs the notice and the court modifies the plan, the move proceeds. If the other parent objects, the relocating parent must file a motion and prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the move serves the child's best interests. A relocation automatically counts as a substantial change in circumstances under 750 ILCS 5/610.5, opening the door to a full plan modification.
| Parent's County | Move Within Illinois | Out-of-State Move |
|---|---|---|
| Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will | Relocation at 25+ miles | Relocation at 25+ miles |
| All other Illinois counties | Relocation at 50+ miles | Relocation at 25+ miles |
| Notice required | 60 days' written notice | 60 days' written notice |
Virtual Visitation and Electronic Communication in Illinois
Illinois requires every parenting plan to include electronic communication provisions under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, and courts routinely order video calls, phone calls, email, and messaging to keep a remote parent connected. There is no statewide cap on frequency, so a long-distance plan may schedule daily 15–30 minute video calls plus unlimited text-based contact for older children.
Virtual visitation — sometimes called FaceTime custody or virtual parenting time — supplements in-person time; it does not replace it. Illinois judges expect the electronic communication clause to be specific: name the platform (FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, or a co-parenting app), set the days and times, fix the duration, and assign responsibility for making the child available and charging the device. A strong remote parenting clause also addresses time zones, makeup calls when a child is sick, and privacy so calls are not monitored by the other parent. For families where one parent has already moved, virtual visitation is often the difference between weekly contact and monthly contact. Because Illinois law treats consistent contact as central to a child's adjustment, courts view a parent who reliably shows up for scheduled video calls favorably when parenting time is later reviewed.
Building the Long-Distance Parenting Schedule
A long-distance parenting schedule in Illinois typically front-loads in-person time into school breaks: most of summer (often 4–8 weeks), alternating winter and spring breaks, and one or two long weekends per month when travel is feasible. Illinois law under 750 ILCS 5/602.7 lets parents design any schedule the court finds is in the child's best interests, so mileage and school calendars drive the structure, not a fixed template.
Most workable Illinois long-distance plans allocate the out of state parent a large summer block — commonly 5 to 6 weeks — with the local parent keeping regular-year residence for school stability. Holidays alternate on an odd/even-year rotation so each parent gets Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break in turn. Younger children (under 5) usually need shorter, more frequent contact and more video calls, while teenagers can handle longer, less frequent in-person blocks. Estimate how the year divides using our parenting time calculator so both parents see the annual split before signing. Whatever the split, the plan should specify exact pickup dates, exchange locations, and who initiates travel, because vague terms are the leading cause of post-decree enforcement disputes in distance cases.
Travel, Transportation, and Cost Allocation
Illinois parenting plans must address transportation between parents under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, and in long-distance cases the plan should divide travel costs, name the exchange points, and set rules for unaccompanied minors. There is no statutory formula splitting airfare, so parents commonly share travel costs 50/50, allocate them by income share, or assign them to the relocating parent as a condition of an approved move.
Courts expect distance plans to answer the practical questions that short-distance plans ignore: Who books the flights? Which airport or midpoint city is the exchange? Do the parents split airfare equally, or does the higher earner pay a larger percentage? Airlines typically allow unaccompanied minors from age 5, charge an unaccompanied-minor fee of roughly $150 each way in 2026, and require an adult to remain at both airports — so the plan should state the minimum age for solo travel and who waits at each gate. For driving exchanges, plans often set a halfway meeting point and split fuel or divide the drive so each parent handles one leg. When a relocation is contested, an Illinois judge may condition approval on the moving parent absorbing most travel expenses under 750 ILCS 5/609.2. Nailing these details down in writing prevents the recurring, expensive fights that plague under-drafted long-distance orders.
How Illinois Courts Decide Long-Distance Parenting Disputes
Illinois courts decide parenting time using the 17 best-interest factors in 750 ILCS 5/602.7, and for relocation add the 11 relocation-specific factors in 750 ILCS 5/609.2. No single factor controls; the judge weighs the child's needs, each parent's caretaking history over the prior 24 months, and each parent's willingness to support the child's relationship with the other parent.
Key factors that shape long-distance outcomes include the reasons for the move, the reasons for any objection, the child's relationship with each parent, the educational and developmental opportunities at each location, whether a realistic schedule can preserve the non-moving parent's relationship, and the wishes of a mature child. The parent asking to relocate carries the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence under 750 ILCS 5/609.2. Judges look hard at whether the proposed plan genuinely maintains the distant parent's involvement — a credible virtual visitation schedule and generous summer time strengthen a relocation request, while a plan that would reduce the other parent to a few days a year invites denial. Because these cases turn on detailed facts and local court practice, many parents choose to find a divorce attorney experienced in relocation before filing.
Modifying an Existing Illinois Parenting Plan
Illinois allows modification of a parenting plan under 750 ILCS 5/610.5 when a substantial change in circumstances has occurred since the last order and modification serves the child's best interests. A relocation automatically qualifies as a substantial change, and Illinois bars most modifications of parenting-time allocation within the first 2 years unless the child's present environment endangers their physical, mental, moral, or emotional health.
There are important exceptions to the 2-year rule. Parents can agree to a modification at any time and submit it for court approval, and minor schedule adjustments that do not change the essential allocation are permitted without meeting the substantial-change standard. When a parent triggers relocation under 750 ILCS 5/609.2, the resulting modification is heard promptly rather than being blocked by the waiting period. To convert a standard local schedule into a long distance parenting plan Illinois courts will enforce, the moving parent files a petition to modify, serves the 60-day relocation notice where required, and proposes a revised plan covering summer blocks, holiday rotation, virtual visitation, and travel-cost division. Documenting the reason for the change and the child's best interests is essential, because the burden rests on the parent seeking the modification.
Filing Costs, Residency, and Timeline in Illinois
Filing a parentage or dissolution case in Illinois costs $250–$388 depending on the county (Cook County $388, DuPage $348, as of June 2026 — verify with your local clerk), plus a $181–$251 appearance fee for the responding parent. Illinois requires 90 days of residency before a dissolution judgment under 750 ILCS 5/401, and parents must file a proposed parenting plan within 120 days of the petition.
Illinois is a pure no-fault state: the only ground for dissolution is irretrievable breakdown of the marriage under 750 ILCS 5/401. Fee waivers are available for filers who qualify based on income, and the residency requirement can be satisfied by either spouse — both parents do not need to live in Illinois. Timelines vary widely: an agreed long-distance plan can be entered in a few months, while a contested relocation dispute involving a guardian ad litem, a custody evaluation, and a hearing can run 12–24 months. Court fees are only part of the cost; contested relocation cases are among the most expensive family-law matters because they often require expert testimony. Understanding equitable distribution and the full cost picture early helps parents budget for both the property and the parenting sides of the case.