Board Certified in Family Law
Grand Prairie Divorce Lawyer: Dallas, Tarrant or Ellis County?
Grand Prairie is in Dallas, Tarrant and Ellis counties. Before anything else, you need to know which one you live in.
Your Address Picks Your Courthouse
A Grand Prairie case can land in very different places. In Dallas County, family cases go to the family district courts at 600 Commerce Street in Dallas. In Tarrant County, they go to the Family Law Center at 200 East Weatherford Street in Fort Worth. Ellis County's seat is Waxahachie.
Each county has its own courts, its own local rules and, often, its own standing orders. The same family in two different parts of the same city can face different procedures. Check your property record or voter registration rather than assuming from the city name.
If You Moved Across a County Line
Texas Family Code § 6.301 requires that one spouse has lived in Texas for the preceding six months and in the county of filing for the preceding 90 days. In a city like this, a short move can change your county. If you crossed the line last month, you may not qualify in the new county yet, but your spouse may still qualify where you used to live together.
This can also create a timing question. If each spouse qualifies in a different county, where the case is filed may matter, so it is worth getting advice before anyone files.
After the Decree: A Child Can Move the Case
The court that issues a child-related final order generally keeps authority over later changes. But counties do not stay fixed in families' lives. Under Texas Family Code § 155.201, when a modification or enforcement case is filed and a party timely asks, the court must transfer it to another Texas county where the child has lived for six months or longer.
Deadlines apply to that request, so if a modification is filed against you and your child now lives elsewhere, do not wait to raise it.
School Districts Do Not Follow City Lines
More than one school district serves parts of Grand Prairie, and a possession schedule keyed to the wrong calendar causes avoidable disputes. Texas possession orders commonly tie exchanges to when school is dismissed or resumes, so name the district your child actually attends, and consider what should happen if that changes.
Lisa G. Garza is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The firm represents families across North Texas.
Common Questions
What county do I file in if I live in Grand Prairie?
It depends on your address, because the city is in Dallas, Tarrant and Ellis counties. Texas Family Code section 6.301 also requires 90 days of residency in the county of filing by one spouse.
Can a custody case move to a new county?
Yes. Under Texas Family Code section 155.201, on a timely motion the court must transfer a modification or enforcement case to a Texas county where the child has lived for six months or longer.
Which courthouse handles the Tarrant County side?
The Tarrant County Family Law Center at 200 East Weatherford Street in Fort Worth.