(1)  A court of this state has temporary emergency jurisdiction if the child is present in this state and the child has been abandoned or it is necessary in an emergency to protect the child because the child, or a sibling or parent of the child, is subjected to or threatened with mistreatment or abuse.

Terms Used In Utah Code 78B-13-204

  • Abandoned: means left without provision for reasonable and necessary care or supervision. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • Child: means an individual under 18 years of age and not married. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • Child custody determination: means a judgment, decree, or other order of a court providing for the legal custody, physical custody, or parent-time with respect to a child. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • Child custody proceeding: means a proceeding in which legal custody, physical custody, or parent-time with respect to a child is an issue. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • Court: means an entity authorized under the law of a state to establish, enforce, or modify a child custody determination. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • Home state: means the state in which a child lived with a parent or a person acting as a parent for at least six consecutive months immediately before the commencement of a child custody proceeding. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: includes government, governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Utah Code 78B-13-102
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
(2)  If there is no previous child custody determination that is entitled to be enforced under this chapter, and if no child custody proceeding has been commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under Sections 78B-13-201 through 78B-13-203, a child custody determination made under this section remains in effect until an order is obtained from a court of a state having jurisdiction under Sections 78B-13-201 through 78B-13-203. If a child custody proceeding has not been or is not commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under Sections 78B-13-201 through 78B-13-203, a child custody determination made under this section becomes a final determination, if:

(a)  it so provides; and

(b)  this state becomes the home state of the child.

(3)  If there is a previous child custody determination that is entitled to be enforced under this chapter, or a child custody proceeding has been commenced in a court of a state having jurisdiction under Sections 78B-13-201 through 78B-13-203, any order issued by a court of this state under this section shall specify in the order a period of time which the court considers adequate to allow the person seeking an order to obtain an order from the state having jurisdiction under Sections 78B-13-201 through 78B-13-203. The order issued in this state remains in effect until an order is obtained from the other state within the period specified or the period expires.

(4)  A court of this state that has been asked to make a child custody determination under this section, upon being informed that a child custody proceeding has been commenced, or a child custody determination has been made, by a court of a state having jurisdiction under Sections 78B-13-201 through 78B-13-203, shall immediately communicate with the other court. A court of this state that is exercising jurisdiction pursuant to Sections 78B-13-201 through 78B-13-203, upon being informed that a child custody proceeding has been commenced, or a child custody determination has been made by a court of another state under a statute similar to this section shall immediately communicate with the court of that state. The purpose of the communication is to resolve the emergency, protect the safety of the parties and the child, and determine a period for the duration of the temporary order.

Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 3, 2008 General Session