This chapter does not govern a proceeding pertaining to the authorization of emergency medical care for a child.
822.03.Proceedings governed by other law.
Ch. 822: Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act · Last amended 2005 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 822.03 excludes a proceeding to authorize a child’s emergency medical care from chapter 822, leaving that kind of case to whatever other law otherwise applies.
Full Text of Section 822.03
Plain-English Summary
Section 822.03 is a narrow carve-out. Chapter 822 covers custody jurisdiction and enforcement broadly, but it does not govern a proceeding that pertains to authorizing emergency medical care for a child.
The reason fits the chapter’s purpose. Chapter 822 exists to prevent competing states from fighting over which court decides a child’s custody. A proceeding to authorize urgent medical treatment is not that kind of contest; it is decided under whatever legal standard applies to medical authorization, and it does not need the home-state and jurisdiction analysis that sections 822.21 and following set up for custody disputes.
Section 822.03 sits alongside two related boundary-setting provisions in subchapter I. Section 822.04 addresses how the chapter applies to proceedings involving an Indian child, and section 822.05 addresses how it applies internationally. Together, these three sections mark where chapter 822’s jurisdiction and enforcement rules stop and other law takes over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does chapter 822 apply to a proceeding to authorize emergency medical care for a child?
No. Section 822.03 states that chapter 822 does not govern a proceeding that pertains to authorizing emergency medical care for a child.
Why doesn’t a court authorizing emergency medical care need to apply chapter 822’s jurisdiction rules?
Chapter 822’s rules are built to resolve competition between states over who decides a child’s custody. A proceeding to authorize urgent medical treatment does not raise that kind of interstate competition, so section 822.03 leaves it outside the chapter.
What specifically does section 822.03 exclude from chapter 822?
Only proceedings that pertain to authorizing emergency medical care for a child. It does not exclude custody proceedings generally.
If a custody dispute happens to overlap with a medical emergency, does the custody dispute itself lose chapter 822’s protection?
No. Section 822.03 excludes only the proceeding to authorize the emergency medical care itself; a custody proceeding remains governed by chapter 822 even if it arises around the same events.
Where else does chapter 822 set similar limits on its own reach?
Section 822.04 addresses proceedings involving an Indian child and the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, and section 822.05 addresses the chapter’s application internationally. Both sections, like section 822.03, mark boundaries on when chapter 822 applies.
Amendment History
History: 2005 a. 130.
Source & verification. Section text and official notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, published by the
Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau). Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
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