One word separated Louisiana parents living under a permissive custody framework from one that carries the weight of a legal mandate. When Act 605 took effect on August 1, 2026, it changed a single verb in La. R.S. 9:335(A)(2)(b): physical custody in joint custody cases should be shared equally became physical custody shall be shared equally. That shift isn’t cosmetic. It moves equal timesharing from a preference courts could consider to a presumption courts must start from.
For parents in the Lake Charles area, that change landed directly at the 14th Judicial District Court in Calcasieu Parish, where all family law cases are handled. Whether a custody case was newly filed or already pending, hearings on or after August 1, 2026 fall under the new standard. At Sudduth & Associates, LLC, we’ve been helping Calcasieu Parish families navigate custody matters since 2013, and we offer same-day appointments and bilingual consultations for those who need to understand how this law applies to their situation.
The One Word That Changed Louisiana Custody Law
House Bill 1239, authored by Representative Kyle Green Jr. of Marrero, passed the Louisiana Legislature unanimously and became Act 605 without Governor Jeff Landry’s signature. The bill amended La. R.S. 9:335(A)(2)(b), which governs how courts implement joint custody orders. Before the amendment, the statute said physical custody “should be shared equally.” Act 605 replaced “should” with “shall.”
That change shifts where a court begins its analysis. In any joint custody case, the starting point is now equal physical timesharing. A parent who wants a different arrangement carries the burden of showing the court either that equal timesharing isn’t feasible or that it isn’t in the child’s best interest. The court can still order an unequal schedule, but it has to get there by departing from a presumed baseline rather than by choosing freely among options.
What Act 605 Does Not Change
Several things that matter to parents didn’t change, and a few widespread assumptions about this law deserve a clear correction.
Existing orders aren’t automatically affected. Act 605 doesn’t reach back and modify orders already in place. A parent living under a custody arrangement entered before August 1, 2026, can’t walk into the 14th Judicial District Court and demand equal time simply because the law changed. To reopen an existing case, a parent must still demonstrate a material change in circumstances. Something significant that has changed since the last order was entered must justify revisiting the arrangement. The law changing isn’t, by itself, that material change.
The enrolled version of Act 605 is narrower than early drafts. Some secondary coverage implies the law reshaped Louisiana custody law more broadly. It didn’t. The enrolled act amended only La. R.S. 9:335(A)(2)(b), the physical custody implementation statute. It left the Civil Code articles governing custody and the child support statutes untouched.
The best interest analysis remains in full force. Civil Code Article 134 still controls how courts evaluate what arrangement serves the child. Judges weigh 14 factors under Article 134, ranging from each parent’s caregiving capacity to the potential for abuse, which the statute identifies as the primary consideration. Domestic violence protections under La. R.S. 9:364 and La. R.S. 9:341 are fully intact. A history of domestic violence or abuse is still grounds for the court to depart from equal timesharing, and no reading of Act 605 changes that.
How an Equal Custody Order Could Affect Child Support
This is the question most coverage skips entirely, and it’s the one many Lake Charles parents most need answered.
Louisiana uses two different child support worksheets depending on how much time each parent has with the child. The standard worksheet applies when one parent has primary physical custody. The shared custody worksheet under La. R.S. 9:315.9 applies when each parent has the child for an approximately equal amount of time. The shared custody formula works differently: it multiplies the basic child support obligation by 1.5 and then divides responsibility between the parents in proportion to their respective incomes and actual timesharing percentages.
Act 605 changed the timesharing presumption, not the support formula. Moving toward an equal custody schedule doesn’t automatically trigger a new child support calculation. Support is generally modified only when a parent files a separate request and shows a material change in circumstances. That said, parents who shift from a primary-and-secondary arrangement to true equal timesharing will likely find the shared custody worksheet produces a meaningfully different number than the standard one. Understanding both the custody and financial picture together, rather than in isolation, is essential when evaluating what this law means for a specific family.
What This Means for Cases in Calcasieu Parish
The 14th Judicial District Court has original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters in Calcasieu Parish, including all family law cases. It is composed of nine elected judges assigned to Divisions A through J, along with a Magistrate Judge, and is based in Lake Charles.
For parents filing new cases after August 1, 2026, the court will begin from an equal timesharing baseline when the parties are ordered into joint custody. That doesn’t mean every new case ends with a 50/50 schedule. It means the party asking for something other than equal time needs to bring specific evidence to support that request. Whether that evidence relates to a parent’s work schedule, a child’s school needs, distance between households, or something more serious will shape the court’s analysis.
For parents whose cases were already pending when the law changed, Act 605 still applies to hearings held on or after August 1, 2026. That can affect a case mid-stream, which is why parents navigating ongoing proceedings should understand where the new presumption fits into their existing procedural posture.
The Presumption Is a Starting Point, Not a Guarantee
Equal timesharing is now where Louisiana courts begin in joint custody cases, not where they’re required to end. Feasibility and the child’s best interest still decide the outcome. A parent who can show the court why equal time doesn’t serve their child’s specific needs, schedule, or safety has a path to a different arrangement. A parent who wants equal time needs to understand that the presumption supports that goal but doesn’t eliminate the need for a properly structured custody order.
The right answer depends on the facts of the individual case. What any existing order says, what the child support numbers look like under each timesharing scenario, and how the 14th Judicial District Court has handled comparable situations all factor into the analysis. Sudduth & Associates, LLC can review both the custody and support dimensions of your situation together. Reach out to our team at (337) 282-9003 to schedule a consultation.