You ask the court to enforce the order by filing a motion for enforcement in the court with continuing jurisdiction over the case. The motion must identify the specific provision that was violated, explain how the violation occurred, state the relief being requested, and contain the signature of the person filing it or that person’s attorney. For violations involving conservatorship, possession, or access, the motion must also identify the date, place, and, when applicable, time of each violation.
The other parent generally must be personally served with a copy of your motion and the notice of hearing at least 10 days before the hearing. A longer timeline applies if your enforcement request is combined with another claim against someone who has not previously participated in the case — for example, when a relative who was never part of your custody case is keeping the child. In that situation the request proceeds more like a new lawsuit, and the hearing cannot be held until roughly three weeks after service.
One remedy you can ask the court for is contempt. If the court finds that a parent violated clear terms of the order without justification, it can impose penalties, including fines and jail time, and will ordinarily order that parent to pay your attorney’s fees and court costs. Contempt generally fits when the violations are deliberate or repeated and the order’s terms are specific enough to enforce; if the terms are vague, the court may need to clarify the order first.
