{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-146.13.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-146.13.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-146.13.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-146.13.html"}],"law_id":71952,"edition_id":1,"section_id":71952,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.13","catch_line":"Exclusive, continuing jurisdiction","history":"2001, c. 305; 2016, c. 179.","full_text":"A\n\nExcept as otherwise provided in § 20-146.15, a court of the Commonwealth that has made a child custody determination consistent with § 20-146.12 or 20-146.14 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction as long as the child, a parent of the child, or any person acting as a parent of the child continues to live in the Commonwealth.B\n\nA court of the Commonwealth that has made a child custody determination and does not have exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under this section may modify that determination only if it has jurisdiction to make an initial determination under § 20-146.12.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":259276,"text":"Except as otherwise provided in § 20-146.15, a court of the Commonwealth that has made a child custody determination consistent with § 20-146.12 or 20-146.14 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction as long as the child, a parent of the child, or any person acting as a parent of the child continues to live in the Commonwealth.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":259277,"text":"A court of the Commonwealth that has made a child custody determination and does not have exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under this section may modify that determination only if it has jurisdiction to make an initial determination under § 20-146.12.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14515,"edition_id":1,"name":"Jurisdiction","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13273,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:48:28","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:48:28","permalink":{"id":179271,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14515,"identifier":"2","token":"20\/7.1\/2","url":"\/20\/7.1\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13273,"edition_id":1,"name":"Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act","identifier":"7.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:33","permalink":{"id":179223,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13273,"identifier":"7.1","token":"20\/7.1","url":"\/20\/7.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12711,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":178075,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12711,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":56827,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.12","catch_line":"Initial child custody jurisdiction","url":"\/20-146.12\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.12","metadata":false},{"id":71952,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.13","catch_line":"Exclusive, continuing jurisdiction","url":"\/20-146.13\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.13","metadata":false},{"id":64810,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.14","catch_line":"Jurisdiction to modify determination","url":"\/20-146.14\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.14","metadata":false},{"id":55943,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.15","catch_line":"Temporary emergency jurisdiction","url":"\/20-146.15\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.15","metadata":false},{"id":63781,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.16","catch_line":"Notice; opportunity to be heard; joinder","url":"\/20-146.16\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.16","metadata":false},{"id":85749,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.17","catch_line":"Simultaneous proceedings","url":"\/20-146.17\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.17","metadata":false},{"id":85297,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.18","catch_line":"Inconvenient forum","url":"\/20-146.18\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.18","metadata":false},{"id":63634,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.19","catch_line":"Jurisdiction declined by reason of conduct","url":"\/20-146.19\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.19","metadata":false},{"id":86444,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.20","catch_line":"Information to be submitted to court","url":"\/20-146.20\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.20","metadata":false},{"id":84744,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.21","catch_line":"Appearance of parties and child","url":"\/20-146.21\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.21","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":56827,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.12","catch_line":"Initial child custody jurisdiction","url":"\/20-146.12\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.12","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":64810,"structure_id":14515,"section_number":"20-146.14","catch_line":"Jurisdiction to modify determination","url":"\/20-146.14\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.14","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-146.13\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2001. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 305<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2016, chapter 179<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":64810,"section_number":"20-146.14","catch_line":"Jurisdiction to modify determination","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.14\/"},{"id":55943,"section_number":"20-146.15","catch_line":"Temporary emergency jurisdiction","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.15\/"},{"id":63634,"section_number":"20-146.19","catch_line":"Jurisdiction declined by reason of conduct","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.19\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":56827,"section_number":"20-146.12","catch_line":"Initial child custody jurisdiction","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.12\/"},{"id":64810,"section_number":"20-146.14","catch_line":"Jurisdiction to modify determination","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.14\/"},{"id":55943,"section_number":"20-146.15","catch_line":"Temporary emergency jurisdiction","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.15\/"}],"permalink":{"id":179277,"object_type":"law","relational_id":71952,"identifier":"20-146.13","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.13","url":"\/20-146.13\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-146.13\/","token":"20\/7.1\/2\/20-146.13","dublin_core":{"Title":"Exclusive, continuing jurisdiction","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-146.13","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Except as otherwise provided in § 20-146.15<\/a>, a court<\/span> of the Commonwealth that has made a child custody<\/span> determination consistent with § 20-146.12<\/a> or 20-146.14<\/a> has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction<\/span> as long as the child, a parent of the child, or any person acting as a parent of the child continues to live in the Commonwealth. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> A court<\/span> of the Commonwealth that has made a child custody<\/span> determination and does not have exclusive, continuing jurisdiction<\/span> under this section may modify that determination only if it has jurisdiction<\/span> to make an initial determination under § 20-146.12<\/a>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nEXCLUSIVE, CONTINUING JURISDICTION (\u00a7 20-146.13)\n\nA. Except as otherwise provided in § 20-146.15, a court of the Commonwealth\nthat has made a child custody determination consistent with § 20-146.12 or\n20-146.14 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction as long as the child, a parent\nof the child, or any person acting as a parent of the child continues to live in\nthe Commonwealth.\n\nB. A court of the Commonwealth that has made a child custody determination and\ndoes not have exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under this section may modify\nthat determination only if it has jurisdiction to make an initial determination\nunder § 20-146.12.\n\nHISTORY: 2001, c. 305; 2016, c. 179.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}