Tex. Fam. Code § 51.02 · Chapter 51. GENERAL PROVISIONS
DEFINITIONS.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
In this title:
(1) "Aggravated controlled substance felony" means an offense under Subchapter D, Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, that is punishable by:
(A) a minimum term of confinement that is longer than the minimum term of confinement for a felony of the first degree; or
(B) a maximum fine that is greater than the maximum fine for a felony of the first degree.
(2) "Child" means a person who is:
(A) ten years of age or older and under 17 years of age; or
(B) seventeen years of age or older and under 18 years of age who is alleged or found to have engaged in delinquent conduct or conduct indicating a need for supervision as a result of acts committed before becoming 17 years of age.
(3) "Custodian" means the adult with whom the child resides.
(3-a) "Dual status child" means a child who has been referred to the juvenile justice system and is:
(A) in the temporary or permanent managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services;
(B) the subject of a case for which family-based safety services have been offered or provided by the department;
(C) an alleged victim of abuse or neglect in an open child protective investigation; or
(D) a victim in a case in which, after an investigation, the department concluded there was reason to believe the child was abused or neglected.
(4) "Guardian" means the person who, under court order, is the guardian of the person of the child or the public or private agency with whom the child has been placed by a court.
(5) "Judge" or "juvenile court judge" means the judge of a juvenile court.
(6) "Juvenile court" means a court designated under Section 51.04 of this code to exercise jurisdiction over proceedings under this title.
(7) "Law-enforcement officer" means a peace officer as defined by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure.
(8) "Nonoffender" means a child who:
(A) is subject to jurisdiction of a court under abuse, dependency, or neglect statutes under Title 5 for reasons other than legally prohibited conduct of the child; or
(B) has been taken into custody and is being held solely for deportation out of the United States.
(8-a) "Nonsecure correctional facility" means a facility described by Section 51.126.
(9) "Parent" means the mother or the father of a child, but does not include a parent whose parental rights have been terminated.
(10) "Party" means the state, a child who is the subject of proceedings under this subtitle, or the child's parent, spouse, guardian, or guardian ad litem.
(11) "Prosecuting attorney" means the county attorney, district attorney, or other attorney who regularly serves in a prosecutory capacity in a juvenile court.
(12) "Referral to juvenile court" means the referral of a child or a child's case to the office or official, including an intake officer or probation officer, designated by the juvenile board to process children within the juvenile justice system.
(13) "Secure correctional facility" means any public or private residential facility, including an alcohol or other drug treatment facility, that:
(A) includes construction fixtures designed to physically restrict the movements and activities of juveniles or other individuals held in lawful custody in the facility; and
(B) is used for the placement of any juvenile who has been adjudicated as having committed an offense, any nonoffender, or any other individual convicted of a criminal offense.
(14) "Secure detention facility" means any public or private residential facility that:
(A) includes construction fixtures designed to physically restrict the movements and activities of juveniles or other individuals held in lawful custody in the facility; and
(B) is used for the temporary placement of any juvenile who is accused of having committed an offense, any nonoffender, or any other individual accused of having committed a criminal offense.
(15) "Status offender" means a child who is accused, adjudicated, or convicted for conduct that would not, under state law, be a crime if committed by an adult, including:
(A) running away from home under Section 51.03(b)(2);
(B) a fineable only offense under Section 51.03(b)(1) transferred to the juvenile court under Section 51.08(b), but only if the conduct constituting the offense would not have been criminal if engaged in by an adult;
(C) a violation of standards of student conduct as described by Section 51.03(b)(4);
(D) a violation of a provision of the Alcoholic Beverage Code applicable to minors only; or
(E) a violation of any other fineable only offense under Section 8.07(a)(4) or (5), Penal Code, but only if the conduct constituting the offense would not have been criminal if engaged in by an adult.
(16) "Traffic offense" means:
(A) a violation of a penal statute cognizable under Chapter 729, Transportation Code, except for conduct for which the person convicted may be sentenced to imprisonment or confinement in jail; or
(B) a violation of a motor vehicle traffic ordinance of an incorporated city or town in this state.
(17) "Valid court order" means a court order entered under Section 54.04 concerning a child adjudicated to have engaged in conduct indicating a need for supervision as a status offender.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 1460, ch. 544, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1973. Amended by Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 2152, ch. 693, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1975; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 262, Sec. 3, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 6.06, 30.182, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 822, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1013, Sec. 13, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1086, Sec. 41, 47, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 821, Sec. 2.02, eff. June 14, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1297, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 283, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 949 (H.B. 1575), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1187 (H.B. 3689), Sec. 4.004, eff. June 19, 2009.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1299 (H.B. 2862), Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 935 (H.B. 2398), Sec. 17, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 934 (H.B. 3774), Sec. 4.02, eff. September 1, 2021.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 425 (H.B. 1819), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2023.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504), Sec. 2.046, eff. January 1, 2025.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/FA/htm/FA.51.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 cd0ad75ea2f176ac4df418270ec7d4802740d6cc4a865ee4cd9fecbd20642db2
- 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.
Code of Criminal Procedure
Family Code
- Tex. Fam. Code § 51.03DELINQUENT CONDUCT; CONDUCT INDICATING A NEED FOR SUPERVISION.Printed as Section 51.03(b)(1) | Section 51.03(b)(2) | Section 51.03(b)(4)
- Tex. Fam. Code § 51.04JURISDICTION.Printed as Section 51.04
- Tex. Fam. Code § 51.08TRANSFER FROM CRIMINAL COURT.Printed as Section 51.08(b)
- Tex. Fam. Code § 51.126NONSECURE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.Printed as Section 51.126
- Tex. Fam. Code § 54.04DISPOSITION HEARING.Printed as Section 54.04
- Tex. Fam. Code tit. 5THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP AND THE SUIT AFFECTING THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPPrinted as Title 5
Health and Safety Code
Cited by 32 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Fam. Code § 51.02. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Alcoholic Beverage Code
Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 14.031PUBLIC INTOXICATION.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18.22TESTING CERTAIN DEFENDANTS OR CONFINED PERSONS FOR COMMUNICABLE DISEASES.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 18A.251DEFINITION.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 24.011SUBPOENAS; CHILD WITNESSES.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 45A.463EXPUNCTION OF CERTAIN RECORDS OF CHILD OR MINOR.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 45A.501DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 67.001DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 67.151REMOVAL OF INFORMATION RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL OTHER THAN CHILD.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
Government Code
Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 62.107NOTICE OF CERTAIN PLACEMENTS IN JUVENILE FACILITIES.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 81.050MANDATORY TESTING OF PERSONS SUSPECTED OF EXPOSING CERTAIN OTHER PERSONS TO REPORTABLE DISEASES, INCLUDING HIV INFECTION.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 841.150EFFECT OF SUBSEQUENT DETENTION, CONFINEMENT, OR COMMITMENT ON ORDER OF CIVIL COMMITMENT.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 841.151NOTICE OF RELEASE OF SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
Human Resources Code
- Tex. Hum. Res. Code § 32.0265NOTICE OF CERTAIN PLACEMENTS IN JUVENILE FACILITIES.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Hum. Res. Code § 152.0010ADVISORY COUNCIL.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Hum. Res. Code § 152.1142HIDALGO COUNTY COURT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Hum. Res. Code § 242.102OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
Penal Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 22.11HARASSMENT BY PERSONS IN CERTAIN FACILITIES; HARASSMENT OF PUBLIC SERVANT.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.06ESCAPE.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.07PERMITTING OR FACILITATING ESCAPE.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.09IMPLEMENTS FOR ESCAPE.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.11PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES AND ITEMS IN CORRECTIONAL OR CIVIL COMMITMENT FACILITY.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.111IMPROPER CONTACT WITH VICTIM.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.114CONTRABAND IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 38.115OPERATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT OVER CORRECTIONAL FACILITY OR DETENTION FACILITY.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
- Tex. Penal Code § 39.04VIOLATIONS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF PERSON IN CUSTODY; IMPROPER SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH PERSON IN CUSTODY OR UNDER SUPERVISION.Printed as Section 51.02, Family Code
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.