To start a Tulalip co-parenting case, file a signed petition and pay the filing fee. Obtain a summons and properly serve the other party. Then file proof of service. The Co-Parenting Code generally directs the court to hold the first Tulalip co-parenting hearing within 90 days after that filing. At the hearing, the court can address temporary orders, agreements, disputed issues, default, and the schedule for the rest of the case.
A Tulalip co-parenting hearing usually organizes the case. It isn’t the final trial. Be ready to explain what the child needs now and what the parties have agreed to. Identify what remains disputed and what temporary orders you want.
Step 1: Confirm that Tulalip Tribal Court has jurisdiction
Before preparing forms, identify the basis for the court’s authority. Under TTC § 4.20.310, the court may hear a case when an Indian child lives or has a domicile on the Tulalip Reservation. The court may also have jurisdiction when the child is a Tulalip member or eligible for membership, regardless of residence. A parent’s enrollment in the Tulalip Tribes may provide another basis.
The petition must state the jurisdictional basis. It should also disclose earlier proceedings involving the child. Another court may have entered a parenting order, or another case may remain pending. If so, don’t treat the Tulalip filing as a blank slate.
Step 2: Get the current forms from the clerk and confirm the fee
Use Tulalip forms, not Washington Superior Court pattern forms. Tulalip has its own code and terminology. A state form may cite the wrong law, request the wrong findings, or omit information the Tribal Court requires.
The court is currently updating its form set. The Tulalip Tribal Court’s Court Forms page directs people who need forms to contact the Court Clerk’s Office. Call (360) 716-4773 or email Co*********@***************sn.gov. Get the current family-law packet directly from the clerk before preparing the filing.
The Tulalip Tribal Court’s current Filing Fees page lists $150 for “Child Custody.” Fees can change. Check the live fee page and confirm the amount and accepted payment methods with the clerk before filing.
Step 3: Prepare the petition and proposed co-parenting plan
TTC § 4.20.340 requires detailed identifying and jurisdictional information. The petition should identify the parties, their ages and addresses, Tribal affiliations, enrollment information, and marital or domestic status. It must address legal parentage and the child’s current and prior residences. It must also identify other proceedings involving the child and state the requested relief.
The petitioner must also submit a proposed co-parenting plan. Don’t leave the important parts blank and expect the judge to build the family’s schedule at the first hearing. Address regular parenting time, holidays, exchanges, transportation, communication, and major decisions. Include school and medical information, travel, cultural and community activities, and any necessary safety terms.
Private information belongs in the court’s confidential-information form rather than in a publicly available pleading. Check the current form instructions before putting birth dates, addresses, enrollment numbers, or other sensitive identifiers into a petition.
Step 4: File the case and obtain the summons
Under TTC § 2.10.020, a person starts a civil case by filing the petition with the Court Clerk and paying the fee. Once the filing properly starts the case, the court issues a summons.
Keep a filed copy of every document, along with the case number and filing date. Check the papers before leaving the clerk’s office or completing an electronic submission. A missing signature, incomplete confidential-information form, or missing proposed plan can delay the case.
If the case requests both a parenting plan and child support, the current civil rules impose another deadline. The parties have three days after filing to contact the Tulalip Child Support Program. They must request services or provide updated enforcement information. Put that deadline on the calendar immediately.
Step 5: Serve the other party correctly
Filing starts the case with the court. Service gives formal notice to the other party. You need both.
Serve the summons and petition together. Under TTC § 2.10.030, a competent adult who isn’t a party to the case may complete service. The server may personally deliver the papers to the responding party. In qualifying circumstances, the server may leave them at the person’s usual home with a suitable resident.
Service outside Tribal territory has additional requirements. If ordinary personal service doesn’t work, don’t improvise. The code permits alternative service only through its stated procedures, including a court order when appropriate. Service by publication has its own declaration, mailing, newspaper, timing, and content requirements.
The server must promptly complete proof of service. Filing that proof starts the first-hearing timeline. A delay in filing it can delay the case, even when the other party received the documents.
How long does the responding party have to answer?
The response period depends on where service occurs. A party served within the Tribes’ territorial jurisdiction has 20 days to respond. Service outside Tribal territory but within Washington allows 30 days. Service outside Washington allows 60 days.
The summons should state the applicable deadline. A response is not optional simply because the responding party expects to reach an agreement. If the responding party files no response, the petitioner may ask for default. The court may still require evidence and findings before granting final relief.
Step 6: Provide the child’s birth certificate
The Co-Parenting Code requires a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate. Attach it to the petition or provide it no later than 10 days before the first hearing. If the parents dispute legal parentage, the court may need to address that issue before entering a complete parenting order. The same concern may arise when the certificate does not identify both legal parents.
Order the certified copy early. A photocopy kept at home may not satisfy a requirement for a certified copy.
Step 7: Complete the required parenting seminar
The current Tulalip Civil Rules § 3.14 generally direct both parents to complete an approved parenting seminar. The court may also direct a nonparent to attend. The participant has 60 days after service of the petition or initiating motion. A certificate of attendance shows completion.
The parties don’t have to attend together. The rules permit a waiver or alternative in cases involving domestic violence or abuse. They also allow a waiver for other good cause. A party who needs a waiver should request it rather than simply not attending.
Failure to complete the seminar can have serious procedural consequences. The court may prevent a noncompliant party from confirming trial or presenting a final parenting order. It may also restrict relief, impose terms, find contempt, enter default, or strike pleadings.
When will the first Tulalip co-parenting hearing occur?
The Co-Parenting Code generally requires an initial hearing no later than 90 days after proof of service. The court may continue the hearing for good cause.
Proof of service, not just the filing date, starts the 90-day period. Waiting to serve the other party or file the proof may push the hearing back.
If all parties have signed an agreed plan, the court may be able to consider it without a contested hearing. The judge must still be able to find that the agreement serves the child’s interests.
What will the judge address at the Tulalip co-parenting hearing?
Under TTC § 4.20.360, the court decides whether the parenting seminar applies and whether the parties completed it. The court can also decide whether to waive it. At the Tulalip co-parenting hearing, the judge can consider temporary orders, agreements, disputed issues, and default. The judge can also set deadlines for dispute resolution, pretrial work, and future hearings.
The judge may adopt agreements, narrow the disputed issues, enter temporary orders, and set deadlines for settlement work or trial.
Can the court enter temporary or emergency orders before trial?
Yes. The code allows temporary co-parenting orders while the case is pending. A motion should identify the immediate problem and the specific relief requested. It should also explain why the proposal serves the child until the court makes a final decision.
An emergency request is different. Under TTC § 4.20.450, an emergency ex parte order requires immediate and irreparable harm. The court hears only one side before entering an ex parte order. For that reason, the request needs specific facts and supporting evidence. An emergency order generally lasts only 14 judicial days unless the code’s good-cause provision applies. The court must hold a hearing before the order expires.
Not every urgent disagreement is an emergency. A routine conflict about an exchange, school choice, or communication may require a temporary-order motion. It may not justify an ex parte request. Overstating an emergency can damage credibility.
What should a parent bring to the Tulalip co-parenting hearing?
For the Tulalip co-parenting hearing, bring the filed petition, summons, response, and proof of service. Add the proposed co-parenting plan, any written agreement, and every current court order. Bring the certified birth certificate or proof of timely filing. Include the parenting-seminar certificate or a filed waiver request.
The judge will also need a clear picture of the child’s current schedule. Bring a short caregiving calendar and the relevant work, school, daycare, and transportation schedules. When requesting temporary relief, include the few documents that support it and a proposed temporary order. A one-page summary of the agreements, disputed issues, and requested next steps will help keep the hearing focused.
Do not bring thousands of unsorted messages and expect the court to find the important exchange. Select the communications that prove a relevant fact. Put them in date order and explain why each one matters.
File motion materials early enough for the court and the other party to review them. Under TTC § 2.10.100(2), a party relying on an affidavit or documentary evidence must file and serve the motion at least 14 days before the hearing. The responding party must serve any written response no later than three days before the hearing. Another rule or court order may set a different deadline.
What should a parent be ready to explain?
A clear first-hearing presentation answers five questions. Why does Tulalip Tribal Court have jurisdiction? What is the child’s current schedule, and who is providing care? What temporary schedule and decision-making terms does each parent request? Which issues have the parties resolved, and which remain disputed? What evidence, services, mediation, or future hearing will the case require?
The judge needs those answers, not the entire history of the parents’ relationship. The first hearing should produce a safe, workable structure and move the case toward a decision.
What happens after the first hearing?
After the hearing, the court may send the parties to an appropriate dispute-resolution process or require more documents. When authorized and necessary, it may appoint a guardian ad litem. It may also set pretrial deadlines or schedule a fact-finding hearing.
The parents should leave knowing which orders apply, what they must complete, and when the next deadline occurs. Read the written order. Do not rely only on memory of what the court said.
What should be done before filing?
Confirm jurisdiction under the current Co-Parenting Code and ask the clerk for the current forms and fee. Identify every existing case and order involving the child. Prepare the petition, the proposed co-parenting plan, and the confidential-information form before filing.
After filing the case, calendar the three-day Child Support Program contact rule when it applies. Arrange service and file proof promptly. The response deadline depends on where service occurred, so use the correct rule. Obtain the certified birth certificate. Complete the parenting seminar or request a waiver. Finally, prepare a focused temporary proposal for the Tulalip co-parenting hearing.
Current as of August 2026. The Tulalip Tribal Court says it is currently updating its court forms. Tribal codes, court rules, forms, and fees can change. Obtain the current forms from the Tulalip Tribal Court Clerk and confirm the fee, seminar requirements, and filing procedure.
Part of our Tulalip Tribal Court family-law series: Can Tulalip Tribal Court Hear My Divorce? and How Tulalip Tribal Court Decides Co-Parenting Cases
Law Offices of Daniel Ehrlich, Everett. Family law in Snohomish, Island, King, and Skagit Counties. (425) 954-5578.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Every case is different. A lawyer should review the current code and the facts of your case before you rely on this information.
