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We hold that a court may not rely on any custom, practice, or judicial norm advancing a presumption of primary physical custody of school-age children when evaluating a petition to modify custody.
Father challenges the court’s reliance on “York County Practice” in deciding against a shared custody arrangement. He refers to the court’s comment that courts “in York County have often provided that primary majority custody situations are best suited for children of school age. There are arrangements that can be made if parents reside in the same district and are able to cooperate.” Because the law unequivocally provides for a fact-specific, case-by-case analysis of all factors affecting the child’s best interest in custody proceedings, any presumption of primary physical custody for school-age children is completely unfounded. See A.D., 989 A.2d at 36. Unless the legislature determines otherwise, the law contains no presumption that primary physical custody situations are best suited for school-aged children. See id.
Indeed, this Court explicitly found the trial court abused its discretion when it awarded primary physical custody based on the “court’s personal view that shared custody is seldom (if ever) in the best interests of school-age child[ren].” See M.A.T. v. G.S.T., 989 A.2d 11, 20 (Pa. Super. 2010) (en banc). We thus re-emphasize the impropriety of any custom, practice, or judicial norm advancing a presumption of primary physical custody of school-age children. See id.; A.D., 989 A.2d at 36
Accordingly, we hold that the trial court’s reliance on “York County Practice” that “primary majority custody situations are best suited for children of school age” in denying Father’s petition to modify custody is contrary to well-established caselaw mandating a fact-specific analysis of the children’s best interest in resolving any petition to modify custody.
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