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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho House Bill 524 Establishes Graduated Penalties and Law Enforcement Timelines for Child Custody Interference
Last action · January 27, 2026: Reported Printed and Referred to Judiciary, Rules & Administration
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 524 establishes a graduated penalty structure ranging from s to felonies for child custody interference, and requires law enforcement officers to verify a child's location and safety within four hours of receiving a report starting July 1, 2026.
Parents deprived of court-ordered parenting time gain the right to makeup visitation of the same type and duration without modifying existing custody decrees, while repeat violators face escalating criminal penalties and fines up to $5,000.
- Idaho's child custody interference laws govern situations where a minor child is intentionally taken, kept, or withheld without lawful authority from a person or institution holding custody or visitation rights. context
- Legislative committees in Idaho frequently introduce omnibus or targeted revision bills during regular sessions to adjust criminal penalties and administrative requirements. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Parents and legal custodians
Subject to new graduated penalties for custody interference and entitled to mandatory make-up visitation and reimbursement for location expenses.
Law enforcement agencies
Required to check child safety and complete written offense reports within four hours of receiving a custody interference report.
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Named in provisions regarding investigations that may result in denied visitation, while retaining sovereign immunity protections.
Key Facts
- A first or second offense of child custody interference is classified as an infraction punishable by a fine not to exceed $100 for a first offense and $300 for a second offense.
- A third or fourth offense of child custody interference is a misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $1,000 for a third offense and $2,500 for a fourth offense, along with imprisonment not to exceed two days.
- A fifth or subsequent offense of child custody interference is a felony punishable by a fine up to $5,000, imprisonment not to exceed one year, or both.
- Law enforcement officers must verify a child's location and safety and complete a written offense report within four hours of receiving a report of child custody interference.
Show all 7 facts
- Courts must order additional periods of physical custody or visitation to compensate for denial of court-ordered time resulting from unsubstantiated agency investigations or custody interference, unless good cause is shown.
- Compensatory visitation must be of the same type and duration as the denied visitation and occur within two years of the court finding.
- Returning a child within 24 hours of an expiration of visitation serves as an affirmative defense, and violations remain misdemeanors if the child is not taken out of state and is voluntarily returned unharmed before arrest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a child is withheld past a visitation period?
How do parents recover missed visitation time under this bill?
What are the police requirements upon receiving a child custody interference report?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 27, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Judiciary, Rules & Administration
- Jan 26, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Graduated Offense Structure for Custody Interference
The legislation transitions child custody interference from a standard criminal categorization into a tiered system ranging from minor infractions on first offenses up to felonies on fifth and subsequent offenses.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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