Supervised visitation rules in Michigan are set by MCL 722.27a, which lets a judge attach specific conditions to a parent’s time with a child, and by the Michigan Parenting Time Guideline, which spells out how a supervised visit must actually be conducted. If you are the parent being supervised, you face strict behavioral rules during visits, likely fees for a professional monitor, contempt penalties for breaking the order, and a defined path to earn unsupervised time back.
Conduct Rules You Must Follow During a Visit
The Michigan Parenting Time Guideline, published by the Friend of the Court Bureau, sets the behavioral standard for supervised visits. These rules apply most strictly at agency-run visitation centers, and courts routinely incorporate the same requirements into orders involving private supervisors.
- No drugs or alcohol at the visit, and no showing up under the influence. A positive or missed drug screen can suspend your parenting time until you produce consecutive clean results.1Michigan Courts. Michigan Parenting Time Guideline – Supervised and Therapeutic Parenting Time
- The supervisor must be able to see and hear everything. No whispering, no passed notes, no stepping out of earshot.1Michigan Courts. Michigan Parenting Time Guideline – Supervised and Therapeutic Parenting Time
- No disparaging the other parent, their relationships, or their activities. Do not use the child to carry messages or documents.
- No discussion of court proceedings, parental disagreements, or other adult problems with the child unless the supervisor has approved it and is facilitating.
- In cases involving sexual abuse, all physical contact must be initiated by the child. Gifts must be cleared with the supervisor in advance.
- No unapproved guests at the center or in direct view of the visit.
- Phone and electronics use during visits must be prearranged and monitored.1Michigan Courts. Michigan Parenting Time Guideline – Supervised and Therapeutic Parenting Time
Punctuality is part of the order, not a courtesy. MCL 722.27a lets a judge mandate exact arrival and return times, and consistently showing up late or missing visits creates a documented record that will be used against you later.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.27a – Parenting Time
Beyond behavior, the statute lets the court add other conditions: who else is allowed to be present, how transportation is divided, and in flight-risk situations, a bond guaranteeing compliance. There is also a catch-all for any other reasonable condition, so terms can be tailored to the facts of your case.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.27a – Parenting Time
Who Supervises and Where Visits Happen
Michigan uses three levels of supervision, and the court picks the one that matches the level of risk it identified.
Agency or Professional Supervision
This is the most structured option. Professional supervisors, working through dedicated visitation centers or as trained independent providers, observe the entire visit, document what happens, and intervene immediately if a rule is broken. Michigan’s Access and Visitation Program provides court-ordered supervised parenting time services in some counties.3Michigan Courts. Access and Visitation Program Your county’s Friend of the Court office can provide a list of approved providers and centers.1Michigan Courts. Michigan Parenting Time Guideline – Supervised and Therapeutic Parenting Time
Third-Party (Non-Professional) Supervision
When risk is lower, a court may approve a family member, friend, or other trusted person. The Parenting Time Guideline is clear that the point of third-party supervision is protection, not therapy. The approved supervisor has to be someone the court considers neutral, reliable, and capable of intervening if problems arise, and the order may require that visits happen at a specific location, such as the supervisor’s home.1Michigan Courts. Michigan Parenting Time Guideline – Supervised and Therapeutic Parenting Time
Therapeutic Supervision
Therapeutic supervision combines visitation with clinical treatment. A mental health professional oversees the visits and works actively with the parent and child to address relationship damage or trauma. Courts order this when the goal is not just safety but rebuilding a parent-child bond that has been harmed by abuse, neglect, or long separation. The Guideline notes that agency supervision may be paired with therapy or parenting-skills training to prepare a parent for eventual unsupervised time.
Who Pays for Supervised Visits
Professional supervision is not free, and cost allocation is one of the practical issues parents miss until the first bill arrives. Agency centers and private monitors charge fees that vary by county and provider. Some Wayne County programs, for example, charge each parent an intake fee and then add a per-session co-pay on the parent whose time is being supervised, with additional sessions costing more. When the court uses a private agency, the order typically specifies what percentage each parent pays.
Michigan’s Access and Visitation Program subsidizes some supervised parenting time services, but whether a subsidized slot is available depends on your county.4Administration for Children and Families. Access and Visitation (AV) If you can’t afford the fees, raise it with the court. A judge can adjust the cost split or point you to lower-cost options. What you cannot do is let the cost problem turn into missed visits; that creates a far worse record than asking for help.
What Happens if You Violate the Order
Violating a parenting time order is treated seriously. Under MCL 552.644, if either parent violates the order without good cause, the court must find that parent in contempt. The available penalties include:
- Fines up to $100 per violation.
- County jail, with or without work-release privileges.
- Makeup parenting time if a custodial parent wrongfully denied visits.
- Suspension of a driver’s, occupational, or recreational license, conditioned on the parent’s failure to comply with makeup and ongoing parenting time.
- Placement under Friend of the Court supervision, with mandatory parenting classes, substance abuse counseling, employment programs, or other counseling.
- Modification of the parenting time arrangement entirely if the child’s best interests require it.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 552.644 – Parenting Time Violation
These consequences run in both directions. A supervised parent who shows up intoxicated, breaks the conduct rules, or skips visits risks losing parenting time altogether. A custodial parent who blocks or interferes with court-ordered supervised visits faces the same contempt powers, including makeup time awards and possible changes to the custody arrangement. Neither parent is above the order.
Getting Back to Unsupervised Visits
Supervised parenting time is usually not meant to be permanent. The Parenting Time Guideline says a supervised order should have two aims: protect the child, and move toward unsupervised time when appropriate. Orders should spell out specific goals the parent must achieve to make that transition.1Michigan Courts. Michigan Parenting Time Guideline – Supervised and Therapeutic Parenting Time
The Guideline describes three common ways orders structure that progression:
- Automatic milestones: unsupervised time starts once the parent completes certain requirements, such as finishing a treatment program or accumulating a set number of clean drug screens.
- Scheduled reviews: the order builds in dates when the court will reassess.
- Party-initiated review: the order stays in place until one parent files a motion asking the court to reconsider.
A typical graduated plan starts with agency-supervised visits at a center, moves to third-party supervision at a relative’s home, then to short unsupervised visits in a public setting, and finally to regular unsupervised parenting time. The Guideline recommends that third-party supervision generally come with a plan for full restoration of unsupervised time within a certain period or under specified conditions.
The practical point: if your order has no built-in step-up plan, you will need to file a motion to modify it, which requires showing proper cause or a change of circumstances since the original order.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 722.27 – Child Custody Disputes; Powers of Court Either way, document everything. Program completion certificates, clean drug test results, and supervisor reports showing consistent positive conduct are what persuade a court to loosen restrictions. “I completed a 12-week substance abuse program on [date] and have submitted 10 consecutive negative drug screens” lands with a judge; “I’ve been doing better” does not.