Title 36, Domestic Relations

(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, all applications for professional licenses, driver licenses, occupational licenses, hunting and fishing licenses or recreational licenses, or marriage licenses issued by any agency or any political subdivision of the state on and…

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the social security number of any individual who is subject to a divorce decree, order of support issued by any court, any order of paternity or legitimation, or any voluntary acknowledgment of paternity shall be placed in the record…

Parts 20-29 of this chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.”

(1) As used in parts 20-29 of this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Child” means an individual, whether over or under the age of majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the individual’s parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary…

(a) The chancery, circuit, juvenile, and any courts exercising domestic relations jurisdiction under any enactment of the general assembly, and the department of human services when, pursuant to a state or federal law, the department is acting in its capacity as the Title IV-D ch…

(a) Remedies provided by parts 20-29 of this chapter are cumulative and do not affect the availability of remedies under other law, or the recognition of a foreign support order on the basis of comity. (b) Parts 20-29 of this chapter do not:(1) Provide the exclusive method of est…

(a) A tribunal of this state shall apply parts 21-26 of this chapter and, as applicable, part 27 of this chapter, to a support proceeding involving:(1) A foreign support order;(2) A foreign tribunal; or(3) An obligee, obligor, or child residing in a foreign country. (1) A foreign…

(a) In a proceeding to establish or enforce a support order or to determine parentage of a child, a tribunal of this state may exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident individual or the individual’s guardian or conservator if:(1) The individual is personally served with …

Personal jurisdiction acquired by a tribunal of this state in a proceeding under parts 20-26 of this chapter or other law of this state relating to a support order continues as long as a tribunal of this state has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its order or continui…

Under parts 20-26 of this chapter, a tribunal of this state may serve as an initiating tribunal to forward proceedings to a tribunal of another state, and as a responding tribunal for proceedings initiated in another state or a foreign country.

(a) A tribunal of this state may exercise jurisdiction to establish a support order if the petition or comparable pleading is filed after a pleading is filed in another state or a foreign country only if:(1) The petition or comparable pleading in this state is filed before the ex…

(a) A tribunal of this state that has issued a child support order consistent with the law of this state has and shall exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its child support order if the order is the controlling order and:(1) At the time of the filing of a reques…

(a) A tribunal of this state that has issued a child support order consistent with the law of this state may serve as an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to enforce:(1) The order if the order is the controlling order and has not been modified by a tribun…

(a) If a proceeding is brought under parts 20-29 of this chapter and only one (1) tribunal has issued a child support order, the order of that tribunal controls and must be recognized. (b) If a proceeding is brought under parts 20-29 of this chapter and two (2) or more child supp…

In responding to registrations or petitions for enforcement of two (2) or more child support orders in effect at the same time with regard to the same obligor and different individual obligees, at least one (1) of which was issued by a tribunal of another state or a foreign count…

A tribunal of this state shall credit amounts collected for a particular period pursuant to any child support order against the amounts owed for the same period under any other child support order for support of the same child issued by a tribunal of this state, or another state,…

A tribunal of this state exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in a proceeding under parts 20-29 of this chapter, under other law of this state relating to a support order, or recognizing a foreign support order may receive evidence from outside this state pursuant …

(a) A tribunal of this state issuing a spousal support order consistent with the law of this state has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify the spousal support order throughout the existence of the support obligation. (b) A tribunal of this state may not modify a spousal …

(a) Except as otherwise provided in parts 20-29 of this chapter, this part applies to all proceedings under parts 20-29 of this chapter. (b) An individual petitioner or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under parts 20-29 of this chapter by filing a…

A minor parent, or a guardian or other legal representative of a minor parent, may maintain a proceeding on behalf of or for the benefit of the minor’s child.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in parts 20-29 of this chapter, a responding tribunal of this state shall:(1) Apply the procedural and substantive law generally applicable to similar proceedings originating in this state and may exercise all powers and provide all remedies avail…

(a) Upon the filing of a petition authorized by parts 20-29 of this chapter an initiating tribunal of this state shall forward the petition and its accompanying documents:(1) To the responding tribunal or appropriate support enforcement agency in the responding state; or(2) If th…

(a) When a responding tribunal of this state receives a petition or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to § 36-5-2301(b), it shall cause the petition or pleading to be filed and notify the petitioner where and when it was filed. (b) A responding …

If a petition or comparable pleading is received by an inappropriate tribunal of this state, the tribunal shall forward the pleading and accompanying documents to an appropriate tribunal of this state or another state and notify the petitioner where and when the pleading was sent…

(a) A support enforcement agency of this state, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under parts 20-26 of this chapter. (b) A support enforcement agency of this state that is providing services to the petitioner shall:(1) Take all steps necessary t…

(a) If the attorney general and reporter determines that the support enforcement agency is neglecting or refusing to provide services to an individual, the attorney general and reporter may order the agency to perform its duties under parts 20-29 of this chapter or may provide th…

An individual may employ private counsel to represent the individual in proceedings authorized by parts 20-29 of this chapter.

(a) The department of human services is the state information agency under parts 20-29 of this chapter. (b) The state information agency shall:(1) Compile and maintain a current list, including addresses, of the tribunals in this state which have jurisdiction under parts 20-29 of…

(a) In a proceeding under parts 20-29 of this chapter, a petitioner seeking to establish a support order, to determine parentage of a child, or to register and modify a support order of a tribunal of another state or a foreign country must file a petition. Unless otherwise ordere…

If a party alleges in an affidavit or a pleading under oath that the health, safety, or liberty of a party or child would be jeopardized by disclosure of specific identifying information, that information must be sealed and may not be disclosed to the other party or the public. A…

(a) The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs. (b) If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of this state may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurr…

(a) Participation by a petitioner in a proceeding under parts 20-29 of this chapter before a responding tribunal, whether in person, by private attorney, or through services provided by the support enforcement agency, does not confer personal jurisdiction over the petitioner in a…

A party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined by or pursuant to law may not plead nonparentage as a defense to a proceeding under parts 20-29 of this chapter.

(a) The physical presence of a nonresident party who is an individual in a tribunal of this state is not required for the establishment, enforcement, or modification of a support order or the rendition of a judgment determining parentage of a child. (b) An affidavit, a document s…

A tribunal of this state may communicate with a tribunal outside this state in a record or by telephone, electronic mail, or other means, to obtain information concerning the laws, the legal effect of a judgment, decree, or order of that tribunal, and the status of a proceeding. …

(1) A tribunal of this state may:(1) Request a tribunal outside this state to assist in obtaining discovery; and(2) Upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside this state. (1) Request a tribunal outside…

(a) A support enforcement agency or tribunal of this state shall disburse promptly any amounts received pursuant to a support order, as directed by the order. The agency or tribunal shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of another state or a foreign country a certified …

(a) If a support order entitled to recognition under parts 20-29 of this chapter 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…

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 parts 20-29 of this chapter or a law or procedure substantially similar to parts 20-29 of this chapter.

An income-withholding order issued in another state may be sent by or on behalf of the obligee, or by the support enforcement agency, to the person considered as the obligor’s employer pursuant to part 5 of this chapter without first filing a petition or comparable pleading or re…

(a) Upon receipt of an income-withholding order, the obligor’s employer shall immediately provide a copy of the order to the obligor. (b) The employer shall treat an income-withholding order issued in another state which appears regular on its face as if it had been issued by a t…

If an obligor’s employer receives two (2) or more income-withholding orders with respect to the earnings of the same obligor, the employer satisfies the terms of the orders if the employer complies with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place of employment to establ…

An employer that complies with an income-withholding order issued in another state in accordance with this part is not subject to civil liability to an individual or agency with regard to the employer’s withholding of child support from the obligor’s income.

An employer that willfully fails to comply with an income-withholding order issued in another state and received for enforcement is subject to the same penalties that may be imposed for noncompliance with an order issued by a tribunal of this state.

(a) An obligor may contest the validity or enforcement of an income-withholding order issued in another state and received directly by an employer in this state by registering the order in a tribunal of this state and filing a contest to that order as provided in part 26, or othe…

(a) A party or support enforcement agency seeking to enforce a support order or an income-withholding order, or both, issued in another state or a foreign support order may send the documents required for registering the order to a support enforcement agency of this state. (b) Up…