In this article, our Des Moines paternity attorneys explain Iowa Paternity Law. When a child is born to a married couple, the husband is automatically considered the legal father, and the rights of the mother and father are clear.  If a child is born to an unmarried couple, there are three ways to establish paternity in the state of Iowa.  The first option is for the couple to fill out a “paternity affidavit” form, which is commonly provided by the hospital in which the child is born.  Another option is to have paternity established via a paternity order issued by the Iowa Department of Human Services (Office of Child Support Recovery Services, or CSRA) or a judge of the circuit court.  The final option is for the couple to get married, but this must occur before the arrival of the baby for paternity to be legally established with no further action required.

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In this video, our Des Moines paternity attorneys explain how in Iowa, if a father’s name is not on a birth certificate, they will usually not have custodial rights of a parent, absent other action. The exception is if the mother and father are married at the time of birth. If the mother and father are married, Iowa law assumes the husband is the father.

In this video, our Des Moines paternity attorneys explain how Iowa Law requires that the court consider the best interests of the child and order​ a custody​ arrangement​ that will allow the child to maintain consistent physical and emotional contact with both parents whenever possible to encourage parents to share the rights and responsibilities of raising the child, so long as doing so will not cause physical or significant emotional harm to the children, other children, or either parent.  Custody is broken down into three parts: “joint legal custody,” “sole legal custody,” “physical placement.”