§ 20-2-203 — Jurisdiction for enforcement and modification

Wyoming § 20-2-203

• Jurisdiction: Wyoming
• Title 20: Domestic Relations
• Ch. 2: DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
• Art. 2: CUSTODY AND VISITATION

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(a) A court in this state which enters a custody order
under W.S. 20-2-201 has continuing subject matter jurisdiction
to enforce or modify the decree concerning the care, custody and
visitation of the children as the circumstances of the parents
and needs of the child require, subject to the provisions of the
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. A
service member's temporary duty, deployment or mobilization, as
defined in W.S. 20-2-205, shall not alter any court's continuing
jurisdiction under this section. A court which has jurisdiction
to enforce or modify an order under this section may decline to
exercise its jurisdiction if it finds it is an inconvenient
forum under the circumstances of the case and that the court
which entered the original order is a more appropriate forum and
has jurisdiction as set forth in the Uniform Child Custody
Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.
(b) A court in any county in Wyoming in which the child
has lived with his parents, a parent or a person acting as a
parent for six (6) consecutive months immediately prior to
commencement of the custody proceeding may assert subject matter
jurisdiction and adjudicate any proceedings involving the child.
Periods of temporary absence of any of the named persons shall
be included as part of the six (6) month period.
(c) Any party seeking to enforce or modify a custody order
pursuant to this section shall attach a certified copy of the
custody order to the petition to be enforced or modified. A
certified copy of an order entered by a Wyoming court providing
for the care, custody or visitation of children may be filed in
the office of the clerk of the district court of any county in
this state in which either parent resides if neither parent
resides in the county of original jurisdiction. The district
court for the county in which the order is filed has
jurisdiction to enforce the order, provided:
(i) Upon request of the district court for the county
in which a certified copy of the order has been filed, the court
which originally entered the order shall forward certified
copies of the transcript of the court record and pleadings,
orders, decrees, records of hearings, social studies and other
pertinent documents relating to the original proceeding; and
(ii) The district court for the county in which a
certified copy of the order has been filed shall give due
consideration to the transcript of the record and all other
documents submitted to it in accordance with paragraph (i) of
this subsection.
(d) In any proceeding to enforce or modify an order
concerning the care, custody and visitation of children, any
required notice or pleading shall be served as provided by the
Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure.