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The order that attaches to every divorce petition and every SAPCR petition filed in Bexar County and takes effect on filing as a temporary restraining order renewed every fourteen days until a temporary injunction or, if uncontested within fourteen days, continues as a temporary injunction until final order: no removing children from Texas, changing schools or residence, hiding children, disturbing their peace, disparaging the other party's family, discussing the litigation with them, using illegal controlled substances within 12 hours of possession, or (in an original divorce) romantic overnight guests during possession (10 p.m.–7 a.m.); no vulgar or threatening communications, harassing calls or mail diversion; in divorces, preservation of property and funds (no transfers, new debt, withdrawals, retirement borrowing, endorsing the other's name, cancelling cards, taking the other's vehicle, reducing tax withholding, cutting utilities, intercepting communications or excluding the other party from their residence), preservation of records, and no changes to insurance; expenditures authorized for usual business, attorney's fees and reasonable living expenses; protective orders prevail; parties encouraged to mediate; bond waived; and parents of minor children must attend the Helping Children Cope with Divorce family stabilization program within 60 days of filing.
Applies in every divorce suit and every suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed in the civil district courts of Bexar County; Local Rule 4.P.1 requires the petitioner to attach it to the original petition and every copy. Fourteen judges signed the 2018 order and several no longer sit, so no judge join. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
SPECIAL ORDER NO. ____. IN RE: STANDING ORDER REGARDING CHILDREN, PROPERTY, AND CONDUCT OF PARTIES IN DIVORCE AND SUITS AFFECTING THE PARENT CHILD RELATIONSHIP — IN THE CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS, BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS. STANDING ORDER REGARDING CHILD(REN), PROPERTY AND CONDUCT OF PARTIES IN DIVORCE AND SUITS AFFECTING THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP I. INTRODUCTION. No party to this lawsuit has requested this order. Rather, this order is a standing order of the Bexar County Civil District Courts that applies in every divorce suit and every suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed in Bexar County. This Order is not intended to affect or circumvent prior orders entered regarding conservatorship of children, including the right to determine the primary residence of a child and all prior orders remain in effect until further order of the Court. The Civil District Courts of Bexar county have adopted this order because the parties and their child(ren) should be protected and their property preserved while the lawsuit is pending before the Court. II. NO DISRUPTION OF CHILD(REN). Both parties are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts concerning any child(ren) who are subjects of this case: 2.1 Removing the child(ren) from the State of Texas, acting directly or in concert with others, without the written agreement of both parties or an order of this Court. 2.2 Disrupting or withdrawing the child(ren) from the school or day-care facility where the child(ren) are presently enrolled, without the written agreement of both parents or an order of this Court. 2.3 Hiding or secreting the child(ren) from the other parent or changing the child(ren)'s current residence, without the written agreement of both parents or an order of this Court. 2.4 Disturbing the peace of the child(ren). 2.5 Making disparaging remarks about each other or the other person's family members, to include but not be limited to the child(ren)'s grandparents, aunts, uncles, or stepparents. 2.6 Discussing with the child(ren), or with any other person in the presence of the child(ren), any litigation related to the child(ren) or the other party. 2.7 Consuming any illegal Controlled Substance (as that term is defined in the Texas Controlled Substance Act), 12 hours prior to and during possession of the child(ren). 2.8 If this is an original divorce action, allowing anyone with whom the party is romantically involved, to remain over night in the home while in possession of the child(ren). Overnight is defined from 10:00 p.m. that evening until 7:00 a.m. the next morning. III. CONDUCT OF THE PARTIES DURING THE CASE. Both parties, their agents, servants, and/or employees, are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts: 3.1 Using vulgar, profane, obscene, or indecent language, or a coarse or offensive manner, to communicate with the other party, whether in person, by telephone, or in writing. 3.2 Threatening the other party in person, by telephone, or in writing to take unlawful action against any person. 3.3 Placing one or more telephone calls, at an unreasonable hour, in an offensive or repetitious manner, without a legitimate purpose of communication, or anonymously. 3.4 Opening or diverting mail addressed to the other party. IV. PRESERVATION OF PROPERTY AND USE OF FUNDS DURING DIVORCE CASE. If this is a divorce case, both parties to the marriage, their agents, servants, and/or employees, are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following: 4.1 Destroying, removing, encumbering, transferring, or otherwise harming or reducing the value of the property of one or both of the parties. 4.2 Misrepresenting or refusing to disclose to the other party or the Court, on proper request, the existence, amount, or location of any property of one or both of the parties. 4.3 Damaging or destroying the tangible property of one or both of the parties, including any document that represents or embodies anything of value. 4.4 Tampering with the tangible property of one or both of the parties, including any document that represents or embodies anything of value, and causing pecuniary loss to the other party. 4.5 Selling, transferring, assigning, mortgaging, encumbering, or in any other manner alienating any of the property of either party, whether personal property or real estate property, and whether separate or community, except as specifically authorized by this order. 4.6 Incurring any indebtedness, other than legal expenses in connection with this suit, except as specifically authorized by this order. 4.7 Making withdrawals from any checking or savings account in any financial institution for any purpose, except as specifically authorized by this order. 4.8 Spending any sum of cash in either party's possession or subject to either party's control for any purpose, except as specifically authorized by this order. 4.9 Withdrawing or borrowing in any manner for any purpose from any retirement, profit-sharing, pension, death, or other employee benefit plan or employee savings plan or from any individual retirement account or Keogh account, except as specifically authorized by this order. 4.10 Signing or endorsing the other party's name on any negotiable instrument, check, or draft, such as tax refunds, insurance payments, and dividends or attempting to negotiate any negotiable instrument payable to the other party without the personal signature of the other party. 4.11 Taking any action to terminate or limit credit or charge cards in the name of the other party. 4.12 Entering, operating, or exercising control over the motor vehicle in the possession of the other party 4.13 Discontinuing or reducing the withholding for federal income taxes on wages or salary while this suit is pending. 4.14 Terminating or in any manner affecting the service of water, electricity, gas, telephone, cable television, or other contractual services, such as security, pest control, landscaping, or yard maintenance at the other party's residence or in any manner attempting to withdraw any deposits for service in connection with such service. 4.15 Intercepting or recording the other party's electronic communications. 4.16 Excluding the other party from the use and enjoyment of the other party's residence. V. PERSONAL AND BUSINESS RECORDS IN DIVORCE CASE. If this is a divorce case, both parties to the marriage, their agents, servants, and/or employees, are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts: 5.1 Concealing or destroying any family records, property records, financial records, business records or any records of income, debts, or other obligations. 5.2 Falsifying any writing or record relating to the property of either party. "Records" include e-mail or other digital or electronic data, whether stored on a computer hard drive, diskette or other electronic storage device. VI. INSURANCE IN DIVORCE CASE. If this is a divorce case, both parties to the marriage, their agents, servants, and/or employees, are ORDERED to refrain from doing the following acts: 6.1 Withdrawing or borrowing in any manner all or any part of the cash surrender value of life insurance policies on the life of either party, except as specifically authorized by this order. 6.2 Changing or in any manner altering the beneficiary designation on any life insurance on the life of either party or the parties' child(ren). 6.3 Canceling, altering, or in any manner affecting any casualty, automobile, or health insurance policies insuring the parties' property of persons including the parties' minor child(ren). SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATION IN DIVORCE CASE. If this is a divorce case, both parties to the marriage are specifically authorized to do the following: 7.1 To engage in acts reasonable and necessary to the conduct of that party's usual business and occupation. 7.2 To make expenditures and incur indebtedness for reasonable attorney's fees and expenses in connection with this suit. 7.3 To make expenditures and incur indebtedness for reasonable and necessary living expenses for food, clothing, shelter, transportation and medical care. 7.4 To make withdrawals from accounts in financial institutions only for the purposes authorized by this order. SERVICE AND APPLICATION OF THIS ORDER. 8.1 The Petitioner shall attach a copy of this order to the original petition and to each copy of the petition. 8.2 This order is effective upon the filing of the original petition and shall remain in full force and effect as a temporary restraining order for fourteen days after the date of the filing of the original petition and is renewed for subsequent periods of every fourteen days thereafter until a temporary injunction is ordered. If no party contests this order by presenting evidence at a hearing on or before fourteen days after the date of the filing of the original petition, this order shall continue in full force and effect as a temporary injunction until further order of the court. This entire order will terminate and will no longer be effective once the court signs a final order. IX. EFFECT OF OTHER ORDERS. If any part of this order is different from any part of a protective order that has already been entered or is later entered, the protective order provisions prevail. Any part of this order not changed by some later order remains in full force and effect until the court signs a final decree. X. PARTIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO MEDIATE. The parties are encouraged to settle their disputes amicably without court intervention. The parties are encouraged to use alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation or collaborative law, to resolve the conflicts that may arise in this lawsuit. XI. BOND WAIVED. It is ORDERED that the requirement of a bond is waived. XII. FAMILY STABILIZATION. Parents of minor child(ren) are required to attend a family stabilization program (Helping Children Cope with Divorce) within 60 days of the filing of the Petition for Divorce or the Suit Affecting the Parent Child Relationship. Waivers may be granted only by order of the court. Proof of completion of the program must be provided to the court upon meeting this requirement. SIGNED August 27, 2018. Michael Mery, 37th District Court; Cathleen Stryker, 224th District Court; Stephani Walsh, 45th District Court; Peter Sakai, 225th District Court; Antonia Arteaga, 57th District Court; Richard Price, 285th District Court; David Canales, 73rd District Court; Sol Casseb, III, 288th District Court; Norma Gonzales, 131st District Court; Karen Pozza, 407th District Court; Renee Yanta, 150th District Court; Angelica Jimenez, 408th District Court; Laura Salinas, 166th District Court; Rosie Alvarado, 438th District Court. [Recorded as Bexar County District Clerk document 70805, 08/28/2018, Vol. 4986 Pg. 1652; the registered copy is stamped "Document scanned as filed."]
SPECIAL ORDER NO. ____. IN RE: STANDING ORDER REGARDING CHILDREN, PROPERTY, AND CONDUCT OF PARTIES IN DIVORCE AND SUITS AFFECTING THE PARENT CHILD RELATIONSHIP — IN THE CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS, BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS. STANDING ORDER REGARDING CHILD(REN), PROPERTY AND CONDUCT OF PARTIES IN DIVORCE AND SUITS AFFECTING THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP I. INTRODUCTION. No party to this lawsuit has requested t
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-08 from the TOPICs custody file (six pages; OCR text layer read in full and the two signature pages read through the vision lane, which supplied the August 27, 2018 date and the fourteen signers — the text layer's signature block is unreadable). Clerk's stamp characters interleaved in the text layer were dropped; the order's section numbering (Roman numerals through VI, then unnumbered "Specific Authorization" and "Service and Application" headings, then IX–XII) is transcribed as registered. The 2026 Local Rules (Rule 4.P.1) still require this order on every petition.
A standing order of the 97th Judicial District Court sealing the files in cases in which Child Protective Services or the Department of Family and Protective Services appears as petitioner, in the counties comprising the 97th Judicial District.
Dallas County Standing Order Regarding Children, Pets, Property and Conduct of the Parties (Family District Courts General Orders, current edition F2026/05, revised Jan. 31, 2026 — a re-adoption of the same operative text by the current bench: Hon. Kim Brown (254th), Vonda Bailey (255th), Sandre Streete (256th), Ashley Wysocki (301st), Sandra Jackson (302nd), LaDeitra Adkins (303rd), and Andrea D. Plumlee (330th)), as registered in the statewide TOPICs local-rules registry (posted 01/11/2023). The order "applies in every divorce suit and every suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed in Dallas County" automatically, without request: child-disruption prohibitions, pet protection, party-conduct restraints, divorce-case property/records/insurance freezes with specific authorizations, mandatory petition attachment, and its TRO-to-temporary-injunction lifecycle.