Intake When a Client Has Cross-State Ties or Moves Mid-Case
Before you collect a single asset or income figure, confirm the matter can be filed where you think it can. Each state sets a residency threshold the client must meet, and some also require time in the specific county or judicial district, so screen for it on the first call. If the client moves to a different state mid-case, treat it as a fresh screen rather than assuming the case travels with them. California asks for 6 months in the state plus 90 days in the county, and Texas uses the same shape. Connecticut wants 12 months and files by judicial district. Utah requires 90 days in the county. Colorado asks for 91 days in the state with no county requirement, and Nevada asks for 6 weeks with no county requirement.
The residency screen decides where a divorce can even be filed, and it is the question a standard intake tends to skip. Here is how to screen for cross-state ties and clients who move mid-case across the six states we support.
Why residency is the first thing to screen
A standard intake jumps to the marriage date, the kids, and the assets. Those matter, but none of them tell you whether the matter can be filed where the client assumes it can. Residency does. Every state we support sets a minimum time the client must have lived there before a court will take the case, and some add a separate requirement for the county or district. If the client does not clear that threshold, the forms you prepare go nowhere. Screen for it on the first call. It takes two questions and saves a rebuild later.
The residency thresholds as data points
Here is the shape of the screen by state. California requires 6 months in the state plus 90 days in the county. Texas uses the same structure, 6 months in the state and 90 days in the county. Connecticut requires 12 months and files by judicial district rather than by county, so you confirm the district that covers the client's town. Utah requires 90 days in the county. Colorado requires 91 days in the state and has no county requirement. Nevada requires 6 weeks and also has no county requirement. The two-part states, California and Texas, are where cross-state clients trip most often, because a person can clear the state clock and still fall short on the county clock.
The two questions that surface cross-state ties
Ask where the client has physically lived for the past year, and ask when they last moved. Those two answers expose almost every cross-state problem. A client who moved in from another state three months ago has not met the 6-month or 12-month clocks in California, Texas, or Connecticut, even if they intend to stay. A client who moved across county lines inside the same state may clear the state clock but miss the 90-day county clock in California, Texas, or Utah. Recent moves, a job in one state and a home in another, military stationing, and a spouse who already left the state are the patterns to listen for.
When a client moves mid-case
A move during an active matter does not automatically change anything, but it can. If the client moves to a different county inside the same state, the case usually stays where it was filed; the existing filing already established the court. If the client moves to a different state, treat it as a new screen rather than an assumption that the case travels with them. The clocks restart against the new state's threshold. Flag the move in the file, confirm the current filing is unaffected, and only then decide whether anything downstream needs to change. Do not let a mid-case move quietly invalidate work already underway.
Confirm the county or district, not just the state
In the four states with a local requirement or a local filing unit, the state answer is not enough. California, Texas, and Utah each require time in the county. Connecticut does not use counties at all; it files by judicial district, so you map the client's town to the correct district before anything else. Colorado and Nevada have no county requirement, so the state clock is the whole screen. Getting the local unit right early means the prepared package carries the correct venue from the start instead of being corrected after a clerk rejects it.
What this means for the prepared package
Once residency is confirmed, the rest of intake proceeds normally and the forms can be prepared from the client's own documents. Paxora fills the divorce court forms for the confirmed state and county or district; it does not file them and does not decide venue for you. Your residency screen is what tells the system which jurisdiction to prepare for. If that input is wrong, the output is wrong, so the screen is worth the two minutes it costs. Keep a short note in the file recording the state clock, the county or district clock, and the date each was met, so a later reviewer can see the basis for venue at a glance.
Common questions
- Which states require time in the county, not just the state?
- California, Texas, and Utah each require 90 days in the county. California and Texas pair that county requirement with a 6-month state requirement, while Utah's residency is tracked at the county level. Colorado (91 days in the state) and Nevada (6 weeks in the state) have no county requirement. Connecticut does not use counties; it requires 12 months and files by judicial district, so you confirm the district covering the client's town.
- A client moved to a new state during the case. Does the case follow them?
- Not automatically. A move to a different county inside the same state usually leaves the case where it was filed, because the original filing already established the court. A move to a different state should be treated as a fresh screen rather than an assumption that the matter travels. Confirm the current filing is unaffected, note the move in the file, and reassess before changing anything downstream.
- What two intake questions catch most cross-state problems?
- Ask where the client has physically lived for the past year, and ask when they last moved. Those answers reveal whether the client clears the state residency clock and the county or district clock for the state in question. Recent in-state moves, recent out-of-state moves, split living arrangements, military stationing, and a spouse who already left the state are the patterns that most often fail the screen.
- Does Paxora decide where the matter gets filed?
- No. Paxora prepares and fills the divorce court forms for the state and county or district you confirm. It does not file them and does not determine venue. Your residency screen is the input that tells the prepared package which jurisdiction to use, which is why confirming residency first matters.
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