This is a very litigated issue. If the parent needs to relocate out of state, it will affect any custody or parenting arrangements, and Massachusetts General Laws govern this.  The minor child whose custody or maintenance has jurisdiction shall not be moved out of Massachusetts without the consent of both parents for divorced parents. There can be consent, and the consent would mean that the non-custodial parent would sign off on this, or else the court would have to permit this to occur.

There are some strict legal standards depending on the custody arrangement, but they will generally still be looking at what is in the child’s best interest. If the parent is looking to move out of state with custody of the child, you would need to file a Modification to remove the child from out of state.