The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is a United States law that provides uniform rules for determining which state has jurisdiction to make child custody decisions and how to enforce those decisions. The UCCJEA was designed to prevent parents from forum shopping,
The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is a Uniform Act drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 1997. The UCCJEA has since been adopted by 49 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As of 2026, the only state that has not adopted the UCCJEA is Massachusetts. The Massachusetts state senate passed the UCCJEA in July 2025, but the Massachusetts state house of representatives did not pass it by the end of the year.