Oregon Child Custody Jurisdiction

Oregon has adopted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) for cases where there is a dispute as to child custody jurisdiction between states. In some cases, divorce and family law cases can be transferred in or out of Oregon.

Oregon has codified implementation of the UCCJEA in ORS 109.701 to 109.834. From the introduction to the UCCJEA chapter of the Oregon Juvenile Bench Book:

The UCCJEA enables courts of states and even foreign countries to work together to decide which court should determine a child’s custody when, as often happens, child custody actions are filed in two different states or countries. The UCCJEA establishes rules for determining which states or countries have jurisdiction to decide (and enforce) custody matters. The UCCJEA also establishes procedures by which courts may communicate to make sure that each knows what the other is doing and to enable the courts to make decisions and orders that are consistent with each other. The predecessor to the UCCJEA was the UCCJA, or Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, which was very similar to its successor the UCCJEA.

Cases involving the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), and cases involving disputes as to child custody jurisdiction between states are inherently complex. Simply moving with a child to another state in violation of an existing child custody order could be unlawful and– in some situations– criminal. Contact an attorney for assistance in interstate child custody jurisdiction disputes either before moving or before filing a child custody action in another state.