The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction And Enforcement Act or "UCCJEA" (in New York State, Domestic Relations Law, Article 5-A, §§ 75 - 78-a) is a Uniform Act, drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 1997, intended "to provide an effective mechanism to obtain and enforce orders of custody and visitation across state lines and to do so in a manner that ensures that the safety of the children is paramount and that victims of domestic violence and child abuse are protected."

The UCCJEA has since been adopted by 46 U.S. States, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As of May 10, 2007 the only states that had not adopted the UCCJEA are: Missouri, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Vermont. (Bills were introduced in 2007 in Missouri and South Carolina.) Puerto Rico has also not adopted the Act. The drafters' table of current citations to the enactments of adopting states is located here.

This site sets forth the text of the Act as enacted in New York, and provides some enhancements. Here, you can either engage in a guided interview to help you determine what State has jurisdiction over your custody matter, or browse the text of the Act and use its provisions to help you determine the issue yourself. If you select the interview, you will be able to jump to the statutes at any time, browse, and return to the interview where you left off.

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