It’s part of life that families sometimes have to move.
Whether it is for a better job opportunity or a family situation, those in the greater Houston area have a reasonable chance of having to move to another state or to another part of Texas at least once in their lives.
Of course, with both Texas and the Galveston-Houston area being large, even a regional move or a move to another part of the metro area can be tens or even hundreds of miles.
Moving is hard enough for any family, but it raises special issues for those parents who are raising children apart from those children’s other legal parent.
Texas does not have detailed one-size-fits-all rules governing child custody changes when a parent needs to move. Like other custody matters, courts in Texas will decide whether a parent should be allowed to move with his or her child consistent with the child’s best interests.
However, there are still some important items parents planning to move need to be aware of about custody, which is legally referred to as conservatorship under Texas law.
For one, many parents will have what is called a joint managing conservatorship with the other parent. A joint managing conservatorship requires parents either to agree with each other about major decisions involving the child or to seek out a court order.
Where a child will live and go to school is one such major decision.
Parents also should read their court orders carefully for other reasons. For instance, many orders will require the parent with legal possession of the child most of the time to notify the other parent of a pending move.
Both parents have an obligation to follow these sorts of instructions.