Where is a Richardson divorce case filed?

In Dallas County. Texas Family Code § 6.301 requires that at the time of filing, one spouse have been a domiciliary of Texas for the preceding six months and a resident of the county of filing for the preceding 90 days. The Dallas County courthouse is located at George L. Allen Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75202. Cases can fall in either Dallas County or Collin County depending on which side of the line the residence sits on.

Do I have to live in Richardson to file there?

You have to meet the county residency requirement for Dallas County, not for the city itself. Under Texas Family Code § 6.301 that means 90 days of residency in the county before filing, in addition to six months of domicile in Texas. Neighbouring cities in the same county satisfy it equally.

How does the Richardson ISD calendar affect my possession schedule?

Substantially. A standard possession order keys holiday and summer periods to when school recesses and resumes rather than to fixed dates, so the district calendar determines the actual exchange days. Naming Richardson ISD in the order avoids arguments in years when the district's calendar differs from a neighbouring district's.

Dallas County

Richardson Family Law Attorney

Divorce, custody, child support and property division for Richardson families — from a firm whose attorney is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Schedule a Consultation Contact the Firm Call 214-373-6556

Family Law in Richardson

Richardson is a mature, high-income suburb straddling the Dallas and Collin county line, with a large telecom and technology employer base. For purposes that matters in a specific way: a Richardson case is filed in Dallas County, heard by Dallas County judges, and governed by Dallas County's local rules and standing orders. Cases can fall in either Dallas County or Collin County depending on which side of the line the residence sits on.

The courthouse is at George L. Allen Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75202. Families here are usually served by Richardson ISD, which is the practical anchor for school-calendar questions in a possession schedule — exchanges, spring break, and the start and end of the summer period all key off the district calendar rather than a generic date.

Filing in Dallas County. Texas requires that one spouse have lived in the county of filing for the 90 days before the petition (Tex. Fam. Code § 6.301), on top of six months' residency in the state. A recent move between Dallas County and a neighbouring county can reset that 90-day clock even though nothing about the marriage changed.

How We Help Richardson Families

Divorce in Richardson

Texas is a no-fault state, but it is not a simple one. What your divorce costs, how long it takes and what you walk away with are decided by rules that most people meet for the first time on the worst month of their life.

Child Custody in Richardson

Texas does not use the word custody. It uses conservatorship, possession and access — three separate questions that people collapse into one, and that courts decide separately.

Child Support in Richardson

Child support in Texas starts as arithmetic and turns into an argument about one number: what counts as your net resources.

Property Division in Richardson

Dividing a Texas marital estate is two jobs in sequence: decide what is in the estate, then decide who gets it. Most of the money is won or lost in the first one.

About the Firm

Lisa G. Garza has practiced Texas family law for more than 30 years and is board certified in the specialty. The firm keeps offices on the Dallas North Tollway and in McKinney, and represents families throughout Dallas County and the wider metroplex.