Category: Divorce League City

New Law in Texas: Birth Certificates Now Required in Custody and Family Court Cases

9/25/2025

Starting September 1, 2025, a new law--Texas House Bill 1973—will change the way parents and families file cases involving children in Texas courts. This law amends Texas Family Code § 102.008, which governs the filing of a Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (SAPCR).

If you are beginning a case about custody, visitation, child support, or other parent–child issues, you will now be required to submit a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate at the time you file.

This new requirement is important for anyone considering family litigation in Texas, so let’s break it down.

What the New Law Requires

Certified Birth Certificate Must Be Filed
- When you file a SAPCR, you must include a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate.
- This document must be filed under seal and kept separate from the other court papers.
- This means it will not be part of the public case file and will be protected from public view.
Alternative Proof Allowed if Needed
- If a certified copy is not available or if the certificate doesn’t list both parents, the judge may ask for other proof of parentage, such as hospital records or an acknowledgment of paternity.
- These documents will also be kept confidential.
Exceptions for State Cases
- If the case is brought by the Texas Attorney General’s Office (such as a child support enforcement case), this requirement does not apply.

Why Did Texas Make This Change?
The Legislature passed HB 1973 to make sure courts have accurate, official proof of a child’s identity and parentage from the very beginning of a case.
This has several benefits for families:

Accuracy: Ensures there’s no confusion about the child who is the subject of the case.
Efficiency: Reduces disputes later in the process about names, dates of birth, or parentage.
Privacy: By requiring the document to be filed under seal, it protects children’s sensitive information from appearing in public court records.

What This Means for Families Going to Court
If you plan to file a custody, visitation, or support case after September 1, 2025, you should:

Obtain a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate before filing.
Work with your attorney to make sure it is filed correctly--under seal and separately from your petition.
Be prepared that the court may ask for the document before your case can move forward.

If you don’t have a certified copy yet, don’t panic—there are clear ways to get one.

How to Get a Certified Birth Certificate in Texas
In Texas, certified copies are issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) or by local county clerk/city registrar offices. Here are your main options:

Order Online
- Visit the official Texas.gov Vital Records portal.
- This is usually the fastest option. You will need to prove your identity and your relationship to the child.
In Person at a Local Office
- Many county clerk and city registrar offices can issue certified copies for births in Texas.
- In some locations, you can get the certificate the same day you apply.
- The fee is usually around $23 per copy.
By Mail
- You can submit a request by mail using a DSHS form.
- Standard processing may take 6–8 weeks, while expedited requests can take about 3–4 weeks.

Who Can Order a Certificate?
Only certain people are allowed to order a certified copy:

The person named on the birth certificate, if an adult.
A parent or immediate family member.
A legal guardian or legal representative (such as an attorney with proper authorization).

If the Child Was Born Outside TexasYou will need to request a certified copy from the state or country where the child was born. Each state has its own process, and the CDC Vital Records directory lists where to apply.

What Happens if You Don’t Have It When You File?
The new law allows a judge to ask another party to provide the birth certificate during the case. However, waiting can cause delays. The best practice is to get the certified copy in hand before filing so your case is not slowed down.

Takeaway for ParentsIf you are planning to file a custody, visitation, or child support case in Texas, be aware that starting September 1, 2025, you will need a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate.
Our firm can help guide you through:

Obtaining the birth certificate if you don’t already have one,
Making sure it is filed properly under seal, and
Protecting your family’s privacy throughout the process.

At The Palmer Law Firm, we stay ahead of changes like HB 1973 so our clients don’t have to worry about surprises. If you are considering filing a case involving your child, call us at 832-819-3529 or visit us at 550 N. Egret Bay Blvd, League City, TX to schedule a consultation.

New Requirement for Final Decree of Divorce in Texas

7/23/2021

If you are finalizing your divorce soon, you'll want to pay attention! HB 3772 has passed and has changed the law on final decrees of divorce in Texas.

Starting September 1, 2021 there is an additional requirement that must be included in your final decree. All final decrees in the State of Texas must now include the date of marriage.

Texas Family Code 6.712 states:
(a) In a suit for dissolution of a marriage in which the court grants a divorce, the court shall state the date of the marriage in the decree of divorce.

However, this requirement is not required in the case of divorces of informal marriages ("common law marriages"). The new law provides:

(b) this section does not apply to a suit for dissolution of a marriage described by section 2.401(a)(2).

If you are experiencing a League City Divorce or need to consult with a League City attorney for any other family law related matter, feel free to reach out to us.

-Sean

Will The Pandemic "Bankrupt" Your Marriage?

7/27/2020

There is a lot of speculation among experts about whether divorce rates will increase after the pandemic is over and once the courts open up and become fully functional. Many couples choose to avoid dealing with their marriage problems but with recent social distancing, are being forced to interact and engage with each other in different ways now that they are stuck at home together. They're having to engage each other without the prior distractions of work away from home and socializing away from home. For good or ill, couples are having to deal with each other now more than ever.

If there has been a lack of meaningful time in marriage relationships, there are fewer and fewer excuses to avoid your partner. In some cases this may be just the right medicine needed for a troubled marriage. In others cases, the pandemic may be the straw that breaks the camel's back. In many cases stay-at-home orders are further destabilizing at-risk marriages.

COVID Divorces Are Already Trending UP

We are all dealing with much higher stress levels due to the strains of financial, physical, and emotional impacts of the pandemic. There is a growing body of evidence to show that spending more time together in close quarters, can increase the chance of divorce. In other countries who reacted to the first wave of COVID-19 with weeks of strict lockdowns, a spike of record high numbers of divorce filings were the result. And although it is debated whether we are now in a second wave of COVID-19 or if we are only seeing one prolonged wave, there is no doubt that domestic situations that are already at risk of divorce, are only going to get worse as the lockdown continues. Here in League City, Texas during the pandemic, we are seeing more people asking for information about getting a Galveston county divorce or a Harris county divorce. But the question for each couple will be whether they have reached an emotional point of no-return.

Your Emotional Bank Account

Some therapists refer to a couple's relationship like a bank account in which emotional deposits are made and emotional withdrawals are taken. If the couple are depositing loving thoughts, then their emotional bank account is high and they have good feelings towards each other and a healthy marriage. However if they are not meeting each other's needs, or are making bad relationship choices, then with each argument or disappointment, they are making an emotional withdrawal from the bank account.

Many people are facing literal financial ruin as the pandemic eats away at their savings and resources. For the majority of these people, they were already living paycheck-to-paycheck with very little savings for emergency situations. Now that the pandemic has stopped or slowed their paycheck, they are experiencing financial ruin. This is very similar to the effect of the pandemic on their marriage relationships.

The Pandemic Is Forcing the Issue

Even during the best of times, many couples live in quiet misery in loveless marriages. They do so because of social or financial pressures they feel they will have to endure if they get a divorce. They live joyless lives in a broken marriage with little or no savings in their emotional bank accounts. Many are simply biding their time until some event happens when they think the situation will be right, such as when the children leave the home, or when they retire. But they have been able to endure this unhappy existence up to now due to distancing themselves from the other spouse and filling their time with distractions such as going off to work or social interactions with other people. This so far has relieved the tensions of interacting with the other spouse. Now however under the quarantine, the tension is constant and unrelenting. They cannot get away, and there are few distractions.

You Have Choices

If you are in a marriage relationship where the emotional bank account is running very low, then you must decide if the marriage is worth the investment it will take to revive it. Then you must convince your spouse to make the same investment. If you both want your relationship to remain emotionally solvent, you must take immediate and aggressive action. Just like a couple in financial trouble, you should seek the help of a professional advisor. A counselor (marriage, family, and/or individual) should be consulted and you should follow their advice. And you must make daily deposits into that emotional bank account.

However, some accounts are hopelessly overdrawn. When the emotional debts far exceed any hope to getting out of it , then you need admit that your best option for the future is to make a clean break and a fresh start. Financial debt relief is called "bankruptcy" but emotional debt relief is called "divorce". Many couples have reached this stage whether they will acknowledge it or not. If that is the case, then inevitably one or the other spouse will be seeking divorce now or in the future.

For those people, the pandemic alone is probably not the reason for divorce, but it has exasperated the situation or at the very least created an environment where avoiding the problem is not longer bearable . Most people thinking about divorce during this outbreak were already severely overdrawn on their emotional accounts before the pandemic. They are now finding themselves at a point where no amount of deposits will make a difference.

If you have reached this point and are now simply bidding your time until the pandemic ends before seeking a legal divorce, then you should think again. If you feel that you are forced to endure the current situation, then you are probably wrong. There is no telling how long the pandemic will continue and there are likely to be viable alternatives you have not thought of. If the situation has become intolerable you should seek advice from a professional for your League City divorce to help you generate ideas and options- even while the pandemic is going on.

New Law in Texas: Birth Certificates Now Required in Custody and Family Court Cases

New Requirement for Final Decree of Divorce in Texas

Will The Pandemic "Bankrupt" Your Marriage?

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