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KRS 403.822

Initial child custody jurisdiction

Known as the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act

The act spans §§ 403–403 (180 sections).

Applied in 23 court decisions — leading case Mullins v. Picklesimer (2010)

Most recently applied in R.B. v. S.M. (February 2019)

Effective: July 13, 2004 History: Created 2004 Ky

How often courts cite this section

20072010201940
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in KRS 403.828, a court of this state shall have jurisdiction to make an initial child custody determination only if:

(a) This state is the home state of the child on the date of the commencement of the proceeding, or was the home state of the child within six (6) months before the commencement of the proceeding and the child is absent from this state but a parent or person acting as a parent continues to live in this state; or (b) A court of another state does not have jurisdiction under paragraph (a) of this subsection, or a court of the home state of the child has declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that this state is the more appropriate forum under KRS 403.834 or 403.836; and 1. The child and the child's parents, or the child and at least one (1) parent or a person acting as a parent, have a significant connection with this state other than mere physical presence; and 2. Substantial evidence is available in this state concerning the child's care, protection, training, and personal relationships; or (c) All courts having jurisdiction under paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection have declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that a court of this state is the more appropriate forum to determine the custody of the child under KRS 403.834 or 403.836; or (d) No court of any other state would have jurisdiction under the criteria specified in paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this subsection.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section is the exclusive jurisdictional basis for making a child custody determination by a court of this state.

(3) Physical presence of, or personal jurisdiction over, a party or a child is not necessary or sufficient to make a child custody determination.

Official source: Kentucky General Assembly. Reproduced from public-domain Kentucky statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.