Texas Family Code Title 5, Chapter 161 - Termination Of The Parent-child Relationship

SUBCHAPTER A GROUNDS

• Texas Section 161.001 - Involuntary Termination Of Parent-child Relationship
  (a) In this section, "born addicted to alcohol or a controlled substance" means a child: (1) who is born to a mother who during the...
• Texas Section 161.002 - Termination Of The Rights Of An Alleged Biological Father
  (a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the procedural and substantive standards for termination of parental rights apply to the termination of the rights...
• Texas Section 161.003 - Involuntary Termination: Inability To Care For Child
  (a) The court may order termination of the parent-child relationship in a suit filed by the Department of Family and Protective Services if the court...
• Texas Section 161.004 - Termination Of Parental Rights After Denial Of Prior Petition To Terminate
  (a) The court may terminate the parent-child relationship after rendition of an order that previously denied termination of the parent-child relationship if: (1) the petition...
• Texas Section 161.005 - Termination When Parent Is Petitioner
  (a) A parent may file a suit for termination of the petitioner's parent-child relationship. Except as provided by Subsection (h), the court may order termination...
• Texas Section 161.006 - Termination After Abortion
  (a) A petition requesting termination of the parent-child relationship with respect to a parent who is not the petitioner may be granted if the child...

SUBCHAPTER B PROCEDURES

• Texas Section 161.007 - Termination When Pregnancy Results From Criminal Act
  (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the court shall order the termination of the parent-child relationship of a parent and a child if the...
• Texas Section 161.101 - Petition Allegations
  A petition for the termination of the parent-child relationship is sufficient without the necessity of specifying the underlying facts if the petition alleges in the...
• Texas Section 161.102 - Filing Suit For Termination Before Birth
  (a) A suit for termination may be filed before the birth of the child. (b) If the suit is filed before the birth of the...
• Texas Section 161.103 - Affidavit Of Voluntary Relinquishment Of Parental Rights
  (a) An affidavit for voluntary relinquishment of parental rights must be: (1) signed after the birth of the child, but not before 48 hours after...
• Texas Section 161.1031 - Medical History Report
  (a) A parent who signs an affidavit of voluntary relinquishment of parental rights under Section 161.103 regarding a biological child must also prepare a medical...
• Texas Section 161.1035 - Revocability Of Certain Affidavits
  An affidavit of relinquishment of parental rights that fails to state that the relinquishment or waiver is irrevocable for a stated time is: (1) revocable...
• Texas Section 161.104 - Rights Of Designated Managing Conservator Pending Court Appointment
  A person, licensed child-placing agency, or the Department of Family and Protective Services designated managing conservator of a child in an irrevocable or unrevoked affidavit...
• Texas Section 161.106 - Affidavit Of Waiver Of Interest In Child
  (a) A man may sign an affidavit disclaiming any interest in a child and waiving notice or the service of citation in any suit filed...
• Texas Section 161.107 - Missing Parent Or Relative
  (a) In this section: (1) "Parent" means a parent, as defined by Section 160.102, whose parent-child relationship with a child has not been terminated. The...
• Texas Section 161.108 - Release Of Child From Hospital Or Birthing Center
  (a) Before or at the time an affidavit of relinquishment of parental rights under Section 161.103 is executed, the mother of a newborn child may...

SUBCHAPTER C HEARING AND ORDER

• Texas Section 161.109 - Requirement Of Paternity Registry Certificate
  (a) If a parent-child relationship does not exist between the child and any man, a certificate from the vital statistics unit signed by the registrar...
• Texas Section 161.2011 - Continuance; Access To Child
  (a) A parent whose rights are subject to termination in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship and against whom criminal charges are filed that directly...
• Texas Section 161.202 - Preferential Setting
  In a termination suit, after a hearing, the court shall grant a motion for a preferential setting for a final hearing on the merits filed...
• Texas Section 161.2021 - Medical History Report
  (a) In a termination suit, the court shall order each parent before the court to provide information regarding the medical history of the parent and...
• Texas Section 161.203 - Dismissal Of Petition
  A suit to terminate may not be dismissed nor may a nonsuit be taken unless the dismissal or nonsuit is approved by the court. The...
• Texas Section 161.204 - Termination Based On Affidavit Of Waiver Of Interest
  In a suit for termination, the court may render an order terminating the parent-child relationship between a child and a man who has signed an...
• Texas Section 161.205 - Order Denying Termination
  If the court does not order termination of the parent-child relationship, the court shall: (1) deny the petition; or (2) render any order in the...
• Texas Section 161.206 - Order Terminating Parental Rights
  (a) If the court finds by clear and convincing evidence grounds for termination of the parent-child relationship, it shall render an order terminating the parent-child...
• Texas Section 161.2061 - Terms Regarding Limited Post-termination Contact
  (a) If the court finds it to be in the best interest of the child, the court may provide in an order terminating the parent-child...
• Texas Section 161.2062 - Provision For Limited Contact Between Biological Parent And Child
  (a) An order terminating the parent-child relationship may not require that a subsequent adoption order include terms regarding limited post-termination contact between the child and...
• Texas Section 161.207 - Appointment Of Managing Conservator On Termination
  (a) If the court terminates the parent-child relationship with respect to both parents or to the only living parent, the court shall appoint a suitable,...
• Texas Section 161.208 - Appointment Of Department Of Family And Protective Services As Managing Conservator
  If a parent of the child has not been personally served in a suit in which the Department of Family and Protective Services seeks termination,...
• Texas Section 161.209 - Copy Of Order Of Termination
  A copy of an order of termination rendered under Section 161.206 is not required to be mailed to parties as provided by Rules 119a and...
• Texas Section 161.210 - Sealing Of File
  The court, on the motion of a party or on the court's own motion, may order the sealing of the file, the minutes of the...
• Texas Section 161.211 - Direct Or Collateral Attack On Termination Order
  (a) Notwithstanding Rule 329, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, the validity of an order terminating the parental rights of a person who has been personally...

Last modified: September 28, 2016