Rule 5.370.Party designation in interstate and intrastate cases

Division 1. Family Rules · Chapter 10. Government Child Support Cases (Title IV-D Support Cases) · Last amended 2007 · Last verified September 10, 2026

In one sentenceRule 5.370 fixes how the parties are captioned when a support action arrives from another county or state.

Full Text of Rule 5.370

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When a support action that has been initiated in another county or another state is filed, transferred, or registered in a superior court of this state under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (Fam. Code, div. 9, pt. 5, ch. 6, commencing with § 4900), the intercounty support enforcement provisions of the Family Code (div. 9, pt. 5, ch. 8, art. 9, commencing with § 5600), or any similar law, the party designations in the caption of the action in the responding court must be as follows:

(1) New actions initiated under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act The party designation in the superior court of this state, responding to new actions initiated under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (Fam. Code, div. 9, pt. 5, ch. 6, commencing with § 4900), must be the party designation that appears on the first page of the Uniform Support Petition (form FL-500/OMB 0970-0085) in the action.

(2) Registered orders under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act or state law The party designation in all support actions registered for enforcement or modification must be the one that appears in the original (earliest) order being registered.

End

Plain-English Summary

An incoming support case already has party designations, and changing them on arrival is how records stop matching. The rule settles it in the responding California court by pointing to the source document.

For a new action initiated under the interstate support act, the caption uses the designations that appear on the first page of the uniform support petition. For an order registered for enforcement or modification, it uses the designations that appear in the original — that is, the earliest — order being registered.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are the parties named when an out-of-state support case is registered here?

By the designations appearing in the original — earliest — order being registered, for orders registered for enforcement or modification.

And for a new interstate action?

By the party designations that appear on the first page of the Uniform Support Petition (form FL-500/OMB 0970-0085) in the action.

Amendment History

Rule 5.370 amended effective January 1, 2007; adopted as rule 1285.14 effective January 1, 2001; previously amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2003.

Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from the Judicial Council of California. Adopted by the Judicial Council of California. Last verified September 10, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: UIFSA party designation Californiainterstate support case captionregistered support order parties