District of Columbia · Through 2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)

D.C. Code § 16-4602.02: Exclusive, continuing jurisdiction.

(a)
Except as otherwise provided in § 16-4602.04, a court of the District which has made a child-custody determination consistent with §§ 16-4602.01 or 16-4602.03 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction over the determination until:
(1)
A court of the District determines that neither the child, nor the child and one parent, nor the child and any person acting as a parent have a significant connection with the District and that substantial evidence is no longer available in the District concerning the child’s care, protection, training, and personal relationships; or
(2)
A court of the District or a court of another state determines that the child, the child’s parents, and any person acting as a parent do not presently reside in the District.

(b)
A court of the District which has made a child-custody determination and does not have exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under this section may modify that determination only if it has jurisdiction to make an initial determination under § 16-4602.01.

Where this section sits in the code

Title 16. Particular Actions, Proceedings and Matters. [Enacted title]
Chapter 46. Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement.
Subchapter II. Jurisdiction.

(a)

Except as otherwise provided in § 16-4602.04, a court of the District which has made a child-custody determination consistent with §§ 16-4602.01 or 16-4602.03 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction over the determination until:

(1)

A court of the District determines that neither the child, nor the child and one parent, nor the child and any person acting as a parent have a significant connection with the District and that substantial evidence is no longer available in the District concerning the child’s care, protection, training, and personal relationships; or

(2)

A court of the District or a court of another state determines that the child, the child’s parents, and any person acting as a parent do not presently reside in the District.

(b)

A court of the District which has made a child-custody determination and does not have exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under this section may modify that determination only if it has jurisdiction to make an initial determination under § 16-4602.01.

Collected 2026-08-29T05:44:07Z. Source file · JSON

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