Title FAM, California Fam. Code

(a) (1) If the parties file a joint petition for dissolution of marriage or for legal separation of the parties and joint summons in accordance with Sections 2330 and 2331, for identification purposes, including, but not limited to, identification on a Judicial Council form, the …

The Judicial Council shall adopt or amend any rules or forms necessary to implement Section 2342.5 on or before January 1, 2026. (Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 190, Sec. 5. (SB 1427) Effective January 1, 2025.)

The court may, upon notice and for good cause shown, or on stipulation of the parties, retain jurisdiction over the date of termination of the marital status, or may order that the marital status be terminated at a future specified date. On the date of termination of the marital …

(a) The death of either party after entry of the judgment does not prevent the judgment from becoming a final judgment under Sections 2339 to 2343, inclusive. (b) Subdivision (a) does not validate a marriage by either party before the judgment becomes final, nor does it constitut…

The court may not render a judgment of the legal separation of the parties without the consent of both parties unless one party has not made a general appearance and the petition is one for legal separation. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 1994.)

(a) If the court determines that a judgment of dissolution of the marriage should be granted, but by mistake, negligence, or inadvertence, the judgment has not been signed, filed, and entered, the court may cause the judgment to be signed, dated, filed, and entered in the proceed…

A judgment of legal separation of the parties does not bar a subsequent judgment of dissolution of the marriage granted pursuant to a petition for dissolution filed by either party. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 1994.)

(a) In addition to the requirements of Section 103200 of the Health and Safety Code, the clerk of the superior court of each county shall report annually to the Judicial Council the number of judgments entered in the county during the preceding calendar year or other 12-month per…

There is a presumption, affecting the burden of proof, that joint custody is in the best interest of a minor child, subject to Section 3011, where the parents have agreed to joint custody or so agree in open court at a hearing for the purpose of determining the custody of the min…

On application of either parent, joint custody may be ordered in the discretion of the court in cases other than those described in Section 3080, subject to Section 3011. For the purpose of assisting the court in making a determination whether joint custody is appropriate under t…

When a request for joint custody is granted or denied, the court, upon the request of any party, shall state in its decision the reasons for granting or denying the request. A statement that joint physical custody is, or is not, in the best interest of the child is not sufficient…

In making an order of joint legal custody, the court shall specify the circumstances under which the consent of both parents is required to be obtained in order to exercise legal control of the child and the consequences of the failure to obtain mutual consent. In all other circu…

In making an order of joint physical custody, the court shall specify the rights of each parent to physical control of the child in sufficient detail to enable a parent deprived of that control to implement laws for relief of child snatching and kidnapping. (Enacted by Stats. 199…

In making an order for custody with respect to both parents, the court may grant joint legal custody without granting joint physical custody. (Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 219, Sec. 116.72. Effective January 1, 1994.)

In making an order of joint physical custody or joint legal custody, the court may specify one parent as the primary caretaker of the child and one home as the primary home of the child, for the purposes of determining eligibility for public assistance. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, C…

An order for joint custody may be modified or terminated upon the petition of one or both parents or on the court’s own motion if it is shown that the best interest of the child requires modification or termination of the order. If either parent opposes the modification or termin…

An order for the custody of a minor child entered by a court in this state or any other state may, subject to the jurisdictional requirements in Sections 3403 and 3414, be modified at any time to an order for joint custody in accordance with this chapter. (Amended by Stats. 1993,…

In counties having a conciliation court, the court or the parties may, at any time, pursuant to local rules of court, consult with the conciliation court for the purpose of assisting the parties to formulate a plan for implementation of the custody order or to resolve a controver…

In applying and construing this Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, consideration shall be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it. (Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 867, Sec. 3. Effective Janua…

If any provision of this part or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this part that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of th…

A motion or other request for relief made in a child custody proceeding or to enforce a child custody determination that was commenced before the effective date of this part is governed by the law in effect at the time the motion or other request was made. (Added by Stats. 1999, …

During the pendency of any proceeding for dissolution of marriage or for legal separation of the parties or under Division 8 (commencing with Section 3000) (custody of children) or in any proceeding where there is at issue the support of a minor child or a child for whom support …

(a) An order for child support entered pursuant to this chapter continues in effect until the order (1) is terminated by the court or (2) terminates by operation of law pursuant to Sections 3900, 3901, 4007, and 4013. (b) Subject to Section 3602, subdivision (a) applies notwithst…

Unless the order specifies otherwise, an order made pursuant to this chapter is not enforceable during any period in which the parties have reconciled and are living together. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 1994.)

An order made pursuant to this chapter may be modified or terminated at any time except as to an amount that accrued before the date of the filing of the notice of motion or order to show cause to modify or terminate. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1…

An order made pursuant to this chapter does not prejudice the rights of the parties or the child with respect to any subsequent order which may be made. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 1994.)

In any proceeding where a court makes or has made an order requiring the payment of spousal support, the court may direct that payment shall be made to the county officer designated by the court for that purpose. The court may include in its order made pursuant to this section an…

(a) In a proceeding where the court has entered an order pursuant to Section 4350, the court may also refer the matter of enforcement of the spousal support order to the local child support agency. The local child support agency may bring those enforcement proceedings it determin…

(a) Insofar as expenses of the county officer designated by the court and expenses of the local child support agency incurred in the enforcement of an order referred by the court under this chapter exceed any service charge imposed under Section 279 of the Welfare and Institution…

This chapter may be cited as the Child Support Delinquency Reporting Law. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 1994.)

(a) The Department of Child Support Services shall administer a statewide automated system for the reporting of court-ordered child support obligations to credit reporting agencies. (b) The department shall design and develop standards for the system in conjunction with represent…

(a) If a support order entitled to recognition under this part has not been issued, a responding tribunal of this state with personal jurisdiction over the parties may issue a support order if: (1) the individual seeking the order resides outside this state; or (2) the support en…

A tribunal of this state authorized to determine parentage of a child may serve as a responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage of a child brought under this part or a law or procedure substantially similar to this part. (Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 493, Sec. 5. (SB…

The presumption that property acquired during marriage is community property does not apply to any property to which legal or equitable title is held by a person at the time of the person’s death if the marriage during which the property was acquired was terminated by dissolution…

Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, whenever any real or personal property, or any interest therein or encumbrance thereon, was acquired before January 1, 1975, by a married woman by an instrument in writing, the following presumptions apply, and are conclusive in f…

(a) Intercountry adoption services described in this chapter shall be exclusively provided by private adoption agencies licensed by the department specifically to provide these services. As a condition of licensure to provide intercountry adoption services, any private full-servi…

As used in this chapter: (a) “Accredited agency” means an agency that has been accredited by an accrediting entity, in accordance with the standards in Subpart F (commencing with Section 96.29) of Part 96 of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to provide adoption service…

The department shall adopt regulations to administer the intercountry adoption program. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 1994.)

For intercountry adoptions that will be finalized in this state, the licensed adoption agency shall provide all of the following services: (a) Assessment of the suitability of the applicant’s home. (b) Placement of the foreign-born child in an approved home. (c) Postplacement sup…

(a) For each intercountry adoption finalized in this state, the licensed adoption agency shall assume all responsibilities for the child including care, custody, and control as if the child had been relinquished for adoption in this state from the time the child left the child’s …

For an intercountry adoption that will be finalized in a foreign country, the licensed adoption agency shall provide all of the following services: (a) Assessment of the suitability of the applicant’s home. (b) Certification to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Servic…

Licensed adoption agencies may work only with domestic and foreign adoption agencies with whom they have written agreements that specify the responsibilities of each. The agreements may not violate any statute or regulation of the United States or of this state. (Enacted by Stats…

Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit the licensed adoption agency from entering into an agreement with the prospective adoptive parents to share or transfer financial responsibility for the child. (Enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, Sec. 10. Operative January 1, 199…

The costs incurred by a licensed adoption agency pursuant to programs established by this chapter shall be funded by fees charged by the agency for services required by this chapter. The agency’s fee schedule is required to be approved by the department initially and whenever it …

(a) A licensed adoption agency shall require each person filing an application for adoption to be fingerprinted and shall secure from an appropriate law enforcement agency any criminal record of that person to determine if the person has ever been convicted of a crime other than …

(a) An agency may not place a child for adoption unless a written report on the child’s medical background and, if available, the medical background of the child’s biological parents so far as ascertainable, has been submitted to the prospective adoptive parents and they have ack…