A. 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.

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Terms Used In Virginia Code 20-146.13

  • 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 any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230

B. 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.

2001, c. 305; 2016, c. 179.