Texas Possession Schedules and the Standard Possession Order

If conservatorship is about who decides, possession and access is about who has the child and when. This is the schedule, the actual calendar of overnights, weekends, holidays, and summers that governs daily life after a custody case. Texas provides a default schedule, the Standard Possession Order, but it is a floor and a framework, not a straitjacket. Understanding how the standard schedule works, and where it can flex, is what lets parents build an arrangement that fits their child.

The 100-mile line changes the whole schedule

Whether parents live within 100 miles of each other is the single biggest factor in the possession schedule. Inside that radius you get frequent, shorter periods; beyond it, the schedule shifts to longer but less frequent blocks built around travel.

The Standard Possession Order

The Standard Possession Order, or SPO, is the default schedule the Texas Family Code provides, and it is presumed to be in the best interest of a child age three or older. In its familiar form, for parents living within 100 miles of each other, it gives the parent without the primary residence possession on the first, third, and fifth weekends of each month, a period of time on a designated weeknight during the school year, alternating major holidays, and an extended stretch in the summer. It is meant to be a reasonable baseline, not the ceiling of what a parent can have.

The Expanded SPO: More Time Within the Standard

Texas builds in an expanded version of the standard schedule that meaningfully increases time. By electing expanded periods, a parent can have weekend possession begin when school is dismissed on Friday and end when school resumes on Monday, and the weeknight visit can extend overnight. These elections convert daytime visits into overnights and add hours that add up across the year. In many cases the parent is entitled to make these elections, so it is worth understanding them before agreeing to the bare-bones version.

Equal and Near-Equal (50/50) Schedules

Equal or near-equal possession has become far more common in Texas, and several workable structures exist, such as week-on/week-off or 2-2-3 rotations. A 50/50 schedule is not automatic and is not right for every family: it depends on the parents living close enough to share a school, their ability to communicate and cooperate, and the temperament and needs of the child. Where those conditions are met and it serves the child’s best interest, an equal schedule is very achievable; where they are not, forcing one can do more harm than good.

Common Texas Possession Schedules — Common possession schedules in Texas, simplified. There are also standard schedules for holidays and several alternatives for handling the summer vacation.

When Parents Live More Than 100 Miles Apart

Once parents live more than 100 miles apart, the standard schedule changes shape. Frequent weekends become impractical, so the schedule trades frequency for duration: the distant parent may receive one weekend per month, a longer summer period, and most or all of certain holidays and school breaks. Because distance so dramatically reshapes access, any move that creates it is heavily scrutinized, which is the subject of the geographic restrictions and relocation page.

Custom Schedules and Safety-Based Limits

Parents are free to agree to a schedule that departs from the standard order when it better fits work, school, and the child’s activities, and courts will often adopt a sensible agreed schedule. At the other end, where a parent’s conduct raises safety concerns, the court can depart downward, ordering supervised possession, exchanges in protected settings, or other safeguards. The schedule is ultimately a best-interest tool, and the best-interest analysis is what justifies moving above or below the standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Standard Possession Order is the default possession schedule in Texas, designed for parents who live within 100 miles of each other. In its common form it gives the non-primary parent possession on the first, third, and fifth weekends of each month, a weeknight during the school year, and extended time in the summer and on alternating holidays. It is a starting point that can be adjusted.

The expanded Standard Possession Order extends the regular weekend and weeknight periods, for example by starting at the time school lets out and ending when school resumes, which adds overnights and meaningful time. In many cases a parent can elect the expanded version. It is a way to maximize time within the standard framework rather than a separate custom schedule.

Yes. Texas law now makes equal or near-equal possession schedules more common where they fit the family and serve the child’s best interest, particularly when parents live close together and can cooperate. A 50/50 schedule is not automatic, and it depends heavily on logistics, the child’s needs, and the parents’ ability to communicate.

Distance changes everything. When parents live more than 100 miles apart, the schedule shifts to longer but less frequent periods, such as one weekend a month, extended summer time, and most of the holidays, to make travel workable. Relocation that creates distance is one of the most contested issues, covered on the geographic restrictions page.

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This page provides general information about Texas law and is not legal advice for your specific situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.