Application to Modify Access & Possession Rights
CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTANCE OF A MODIFICATION CASE BY THE DOMESTIC RELATIONS OFFICE

The El Paso County Domestic Relations Office may modify court orders for access and possession (parenting time) through the “Friend of the Court” Program as “Friend of the Court,” the DRO does NOT represent the applicant or the respondent, it represents the interest of the court.

Each party to the case has the right to hire an attorney to represent him or her in any court action that may be taken by the DRO.

The DRO reserves the right to accept or deny the modification of any case.

To apply for services through the Friend of the Court Program, the following criteria must be met:

1) The order to be modified was issued by an El Paso Court, or was transferred to El Paso if it was originally issued by a Court outside of El Paso.

2) There is no pending litigation.

3) There are no substantiated findings with a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation.

4) A FINAL access and possession order is in place for at least one year (included in: divorce decrees, modification orders, paternity decrees and orders establishing the parent-child relationship, but not temporary orders).

5) A copy of the most recent court order must be attached to this application (one can be obtained from the El Paso County Courthouse District Clerk, 500 E. San Antonio, Rm. 103, El Paso, Texas 79901).

6) Applicant must be current in payment of the annual service fee and any other DRO fees.

7) The applicant MUST:

a. Participate in mediation if deemed appropriate by the Domestic Relations Office.
b. Must attend Court-Order Orientation.
c. Agree to participate in all activities recommended by the El Paso County DRO staff.

NOTICE: To be eligible for this service, the parties’ combined annual income should be $75,000 or less a year.

If warranted, referral to Cooperative Parenting Class, supervised exchanges or visitation may be recommended.

The DRO reserves the right to make the ultimate determination as to the filing of litigation to modify an access and possession order. 

CASES WITH PROTECTIVE ORDERS WILL BE REVIEWED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Email *
Next
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. Report Abuse - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy