Hunt County Standing Order Regarding Children, Property and Conduct of the Parties

The Hunt County Standing Order Regarding Children, Property and Conduct of the Parties is a standing order of the Hunt County District Courts that applies in every divorce suit and every suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed in Hunt County, without any party asking for it.

The courts adopted it, in the order's own words, so that the parties and their children are protected and their property is preserved while the lawsuit is pending. It is organized in three parts:

• Section 1, No Disruption of Children: prohibits, among other acts, removing the children from Texas, withdrawing them from their school or day-care, hiding them, disparaging the other parent and discussing the litigation with the children.
• Section 2, Conduct of the Parties During the Case: prohibits vulgar or threatening communication, offensive or anonymous phone calls, causing bodily injury, and opening or diverting the other party's mail.
• Section 3, Preservation of Property and Use of Funds During Divorce Case: applies only if the case is a divorce. It restricts destroying, transferring or encumbering property, incurring debt, withdrawing from accounts and similar acts, except as the order specifically authorizes.

The order also lists what counts as personal and tangible property, from cash and bank accounts to vehicles, retirement accounts and expected income tax refunds. It is a court order and not a property tax form.

The parties to a divorce suit or a suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed in Hunt County are bound by the order. It applies automatically; no party has to request it.

• Both parties in any covered suit are bound by Section 1 (children) and Section 2 (conduct).
• Spouses in a divorce case are also bound by Section 3 (property and use of funds). The order says Section 3 applies "if this is a divorce case."
• Original divorce actions carry one extra rule in item 1.7: a party may not allow anyone with whom they are romantically involved to stay overnight in the home while in possession of the child, unless that person lived in the party's household when the divorce was filed. Overnight means 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Excluded: cases initiated by the Attorney General of Texas or the Department of Family Protective and Regulatory Services. The order also states that it does not affect access and possession unless extraordinary relief is requested. It names no representative who may act for a party.

The order takes effect through the filing of a divorce suit or a suit affecting the parent-child relationship in Hunt County, and it governs the parties while the lawsuit is pending before the court. Nothing is filed by the parties to start it, because no party requests it. This version is the one effective 10/1/22. One rule is tied to a date inside the case: item 1.7 looks at who lived in the party's household at the time the divorce was filed. The order prints no other deadline.

The order prints no filing channel, address or portal, because it is not submitted by a party: it is a standing order of the Hunt County District Courts that applies in covered cases without a request. Hunt County publishes the order as a PDF at the official link on this page. If a party needs the court to change something, such as the written agreement or court order that the order requires for removing children from Texas, that request goes to the court handling the case. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; any submission follows the channels the court or the Hunt County Clerk gives you.