Interstate Enforcement of California Support Orders (UIFSA)

Jun 19, 2025

You fought hard for that California support order. It may have taken months of negotiations, financial disclosures, and legal fees. Then your ex relocates to another state—maybe Texas or New York—and stops paying the court-ordered child or spousal support. 

So what are your rights? More importantly, what can you do about it?

The answer lies in a powerful legal tool: UIFSA, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.

This article focuses specifically on support orders originally issued by California courts. If your case began in another state, different rules may apply regarding which court has the power to enforce or modify the order.

What Is UIFSA?

The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, known as UIFSA, is a law adopted in all 50 states that ensures child and spousal support orders can be enforced and modified across state lines.

This law ensures that your California support order carries the same weight whether your ex lives in Nevada, Florida, or anywhere else in the country. It ensures another state can’t simply overrule it without meeting UIFSA’s criteria. 

California follows UIFSA to the letter. That means you have a framework in place to legally enforce or protect your order, no matter where your ex lives now.

Before UIFSA: How URESA Created Problems

Before UIFSA, there was URESA: the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act, passed in the 1950s. URESA was designed to help parents enforce support orders across state lines, but it came with a major flaw—multiple states could issue conflicting orders.

This meant parents could engage in what lawyers call “forum shopping,” which is when someone chooses to file their case in the state with the most favorable laws for their situation. Imagine one parent getting a $2,000 monthly support order in California while the other parent simultaneously got an $800 order in Nevada. Both orders would be legally valid, creating confusion for everyone involved.

This system led to overlapping court cases, inconsistent enforcement, and children receiving less support because nobody knew which order to follow. Parents spent thousands of dollars fighting in multiple states while their children waited for the financial support they needed.

UIFSA solved these problems by establishing clear rules about which state has authority and preventing the forum shopping that had plagued families for decades. The result was a coordinated system that puts children and families first.

UIFSA’s Core Promise: One Order, One State, One Authority

UIFSA is based on a simple principle: continuity and control.

If a California court issues a support order, only California has the legal power to modify it—unless certain criteria are met. 

Think of your California order as a passport: issued in one place, but valid wherever it’s presented. So when your ex relocates to Florida, Illinois, or anywhere else, your California order doesn’t vanish. It follows them—and it’s enforceable there.

If there are multiple support orders from different states—an unfortunate leftover from the URESA era—UIFSA requires courts to identify a single “controlling order.” The court will consider factors like the child’s residence, where the parties live, and which court issued the most recent valid order. This ensures that only one order is enforceable at a time.

What Does UIFSA Cover? Understanding the Scope

UIFSA governs two main types of support:

  • Child Support
  • Spousal Support

Establishing Parentage and New Support Orders Under UIFSA

UIFSA also allows a parent to initiate a case to establish parentage and a new support order, even if they live outside California. If California has personal jurisdiction over the respondent (for example, the paying parent has business ties or property in California), a support case can be started here even if the petitioner lives elsewhere.

What it Doesn’t Cover

What it doesn’t cover is custody or visitation.  Those fall under a completely separate law called the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, or UCCJEA. Many parents confuse these two frameworks, but they operate independently. You might have California keeping UIFSA jurisdiction over support while another state has UCCJEA jurisdiction over custody decisions. This split jurisdiction situation is common and perfectly legal.

UIFSA Jurisdiction: Which State Has the Final Say?

Jurisdiction is the legal authority to change your support order. Under UIFSA, California keeps what’s called “continuing exclusive jurisdiction,” but how that works depends on the type of support.

For child support, California keeps jurisdiction as long as one parent or the child still lives in the state, or both parents agree in writing to keep it there. If everyone moves out of state, another state can take over — but only if the legal steps for transferring jurisdiction are followed.

For spousal support, California’s rules are stricter. The state keeps exclusive power to modify its own spousal support orders for the entire duration of the order, even if both parties move. A new state can only take over if both parties agree in writing.

Any state can enforce an order—that means garnishing wages or collecting past-due amounts. But only the issuing state can change it unless the conditions above are met.

Under UIFSA, California can issue an income withholding order that goes directly to the employer in another state—no court registration required. This allows for fast wage garnishment without waiting for judicial approval. It’s one of the most efficient enforcement tools available and is especially effective when the obligor is employed and not self-employed.

Related: Court-Ordered Spousal Support Not Paid: What Can You Do?

UIFSA distinguishes between substantive law and procedural law. The issuing state’s law controls the support amount, duration, and conditions. But the enforcing state’s law governs how support is collected, like whether it uses bank levies, license suspensions, or contempt hearings.

It also allows for testimony by telephone, video conference, or affidavit, which means a nonresident party doesn’t have to physically appear in court. This flexibility is particularly valuable in cases involving international parties or clients with demanding travel schedules.

How UIFSA Enforcement Works in Practice

If your ex relocates and stops paying, you can take your California support order and register it in their new state. That state is legally required to treat your order as its own for enforcement purposes.

The process involves submitting:

  • A certified copy of your California order,
  • A sworn statement of arrears (if any),
  • Proper legal notice to the other party.

Once the order is registered in the other state, the non-paying party typically has 20 to 30 days to contest the registration, depending on local law. Valid defenses may include prior full payment, lack of personal jurisdiction by the issuing court, fraud, or the order being already modified or vacated. These objections must be raised promptly—waiting too long often waives those rights.

UIFSA includes non-disclosure protections for victims of abuse or parents concerned about safety. You can file an affidavit requesting that your address or identifying information be kept confidential from the other party, especially in sensitive or high-conflict cases.

There are two enforcement paths: state agencies like DCSS, and private legal action. Depending on the complexity of your case, you may choose enforcement through DCSS or private legal counsel. Here’s how each approach works in practice.

Option 1: Work with California DCSS (For Child Support)

The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) handles interstate child support enforcement at no cost to parents. Once you open a case, DCSS works with the other state’s child support agency to collect support under your existing California order. This process typically takes 30 to 60 days to initiate, though more complex cases can take longer.

DCSS is effective for routine enforcement such as wage garnishment, bank account seizures, or tax refund intercepts. However, they may have limited resources for more aggressive enforcement tools, especially in high-income or complex financial cases.

Note: DCSS handles child support only. They do not enforce spousal support orders unless a child support case is also active and tied to the same court order.

Option 2: Hire a Private Attorney (Child or Spousal Support)

For either child or spousal support, hiring a private attorney can offer faster and more targeted enforcement. An attorney can directly file an enforcement action in the other state’s court system, potentially speeding things up and using strategies that agencies may not pursue.

This is especially useful in cases involving:

  • Large monthly support obligations
  • Significant unpaid arrears
  • Hidden or complex assets
  • Out-of-state self-employed payors

Though this route comes with legal fees, it can be more effective in high-stakes or urgent situations.

UIFSA allows a wide range of enforcement tools beyond wage garnishment, including tax refund intercepts, liens on property, passport denial, driver’s license suspensions, and even bank account seizures. Each state’s enforcement agency has access to national databases to coordinate these actions across borders.

Common UIFSA Misconceptions and Mistakes

Three common misconceptions can cost families significant money and create unnecessary legal complications.

“If my ex moves out of state, I can’t enforce the order anymore.”

This is a dangerous myth. In fact, UIFSA exists to prevent exactly this problem. It allows you to enforce your California support order in any U.S. state. Parents often give up enforcement too soon, when in reality, they have strong legal tools available.

“Since my ex lives in another state, they can modify the support order there.”

Not true. Under UIFSA, simply living in a new state doesn’t give that state the power to change your existing order. For child support, California keeps the power to modify the order unless both parents move and a transfer is done properly. For spousal support, California keeps exclusive authority unless both parties agree to move the case.

Related: How Child Support Modification Works in California

“Responding to an out-of-state filing can’t hurt.”

It might. If you respond to a modification request in another state and start arguing about how much should be paid, you might accidentally give that state jurisdiction over your California order. In these situations, you may need to challenge the court’s authority before discussing the actual support terms. That’s especially important when high support amounts are involved.

Imagine losing a $5,000 monthly California spousal support order to a state where the cap is $1,500. That’s $42,000 per year in lost support — all because of a missed jurisdictional objection.

International Enforcement: Can UIFSA Help?

While UIFSA is a domestic law, the U.S. has reciprocal agreements with many countries under the Hague Child Support Convention, including standardized forms, coordinated service of process, and uniform timelines. A list of treaty countries is available through the U.S. Office of Child Support Enforcement. If your ex relocates abroad, enforcement depends on where they go.

If the country is part of the Hague Child Support Convention or another treaty:

  • Your California order can be registered and enforced overseas.
  • The process will involve international service of process and may require working with a local attorney.

If the country has no agreement, practical enforcement without a treaty is often extremely limited, but not always impossible.

Related: Child Support Across Borders: California & Mexico Enforcement

When You Need Professional Help

UIFSA is powerful, but it only works in your favor if used correctly. The legal tools are there, but the strategy behind them determines outcomes.

If you’re facing non-payment, threatened modifications, or relocation issues involving a California support order, don’t wait. The wrong step could shift jurisdiction and reduce what you’re owed.

Call Provinziano & Associates at 310-820-3500 to schedule your free case evaluation. Whether your case started in California or involves enforcing a California order across state or international lines, we can help you enforce, protect, and preserve what’s rightfully yours.

Disclaimer: This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Every family law case is unique, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Legal representation with Provinziano & Associates is established only through a signed agreement.

For personalized advice, please contact our team at 310-820-3500 to schedule a case evaluation.