Tex. Fam. Code § 152.201 · Subchapter C. JURISDICTION
INITIAL CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 152.204, a court of this state has jurisdiction to make an initial child custody determination only if:
(1) this state is the home state of the child on the date of the commencement of the proceeding, or was the home state of the child within six months before the commencement of the proceeding and the child is absent from this state but a parent or person acting as a parent continues to live in this state;
(2) a court of another state does not have jurisdiction under Subdivision (1), or a court of the home state of the child has declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that this state is the more appropriate forum under Section 152.207 or 152.208, and:
(A) the child and the child's parents, or the child and at least one parent or a person acting as a parent, have a significant connection with this state other than mere physical presence; and
(B) substantial evidence is available in this state concerning the child's care, protection, training, and personal relationships;
(3) all courts having jurisdiction under Subdivision (1) or (2) have declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that a court of this state is the more appropriate forum to determine the custody of the child under Section 152.207 or 152.208; or
(4) no court of any other state would have jurisdiction under the criteria specified in Subdivision (1), (2), or (3).
(b) Subsection (a) is the exclusive jurisdictional basis for making a child custody determination by a court of this state.
(c) Physical presence of, or personal jurisdiction over, a party or a child is not necessary or sufficient to make a child custody determination.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 34, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/FA/htm/FA.152.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 028d111e476c2cf2c2fa87390f077b3773cc02964b2f34ec1541c7334888abfd
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 5 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Fam. Code § 152.201. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Family Code
- Tex. Fam. Code § 152.202EXCLUSIVE CONTINUING JURISDICTION.Printed as Section 152.201 | Section 152.201 or 152.203
- Tex. Fam. Code § 152.203JURISDICTION TO MODIFY DETERMINATION.Printed as Section 152.201(a)(1)
- Tex. Fam. Code § 152.204TEMPORARY EMERGENCY JURISDICTION.Printed as Sections 152.201 through 152.203
- Tex. Fam. Code § 152.208JURISDICTION DECLINED BY REASON OF CONDUCT.Printed as Sections 152.201 through 152.203
- Tex. Fam. Code § 160.758CONTINUING, EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION.Printed as Section 152.201
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.