Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act

This act gives courts the authority to enter judgments that declare the rights, status, and other legal relations of the parties, with such declarations carrying the force and effect of a final judgment and being open to appellate review. Any person whose interests are affected by a contract or other legal instrument or relationship may seek a declaration, as may fiduciary representatives and those beneficially interested in the matter, though the court retains discretion to decline where a declaration would not resolve the controversy. It also supplies the surrounding procedure — joinder of interested parties, including the affected municipality when a local ordinance or franchise is at issue, trial of disputed factual issues, costs, and a petition for further relief once a declaration has been entered — and directs that its terms be construed to keep the law uniform among the states that adopt it.

Editorial summary generated from the text of this act. It is not part of the statute — read the sections below for the operative language.