SECTIONS 3140 - California Statutes

FAMILY.CODE

SECTION 3140

3140. (a) Subject to subdivisions (b) and (c), before granting or
modifying a custody order in a case in which one or both parents of
the child have not appeared either personally or by counsel, the
court shall require the parent, petitioner, or other party appearing
in the case to submit a certified copy of the child's birth
certificate to the court. The court or its designee shall forward the
certified copy of the birth certificate to the local police or
sheriff's department which shall check with the National Crime
Information Center Missing Person System to ascertain whether the
child has been reported missing or is the victim of an abduction and
shall report the results of the check to the court.
(b) If the custody matter before the court also involves a
petition for the dissolution of marriage or the adjudication of
paternity rights or duties, this section applies only to a case in
which there is no proof of personal service of the petition on the
absent parent.
(c) For good cause shown, the court may waive the requirements of
this section.