Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA)

About UCCJEAs

The UCCJEA is a uniform state law used by Washington State, as well as all other states for the exercise of jurisdiction over child custody cases and provides for the registration and enforcement of out-of-state custody orders, including custody orders from another country. It is a body of law that is the same in every state. The reason that the law is the same in all states is so that where two states think they should have jurisdiction over a child(ren), the statute provides clear standards for determining which state will have jurisdiction. This improves consistency of child custody in the U.S. should two parents not be able to decide which state should be making decisions.

When someone wants to obtain legal custody of a child in Washington State, they must file a “petition” to get custody. Every petition contains a section which states why Washington Courts should have jurisdiction over the child. When completing the petition, you must tell the court exactly why you think the court has jurisdiction over your child. This tells the court how the UCCJEA applies to your child and how a Washington Superior Court has the jurisdiction to hear your case.

In Thurston County, the judges decide these matters.

If there is a dispute on which state is the "home" state of the child(ren), each state will have their own court hearing to decide if they should have jurisdiction. A judge from each state will usually have a judicial conference to decide which state should have jurisdiction.