Tex. Family Code § 263.407
This is the official text of Tex. Family Code § 263.407, part of Texas’s Family Code — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, and adoption.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 263.407. FINAL ORDER APPOINTING DEPARTMENT AS MANAGING CONSERVATOR OF CERTAIN ABANDONED CHILDREN; TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS.
Official statutory text
(a) There is a rebuttable presumption that a parent who delivers a child to a designated emergency infant care provider in accordance with Subchapter D, Chapter 262:
(1) is the child's biological parent;
(2) intends to relinquish parental rights and consents to the termination of parental rights with regard to the child; and
(3) intends to waive the right to notice of the suit terminating the parent-child relationship.
(a-1) A party that seeks to rebut a presumption in Subsection (a) may do so at any time before the parent-child relationship is terminated with regard to the child.
(b) If a person claims to be the parent of a child taken into possession under Subchapter D, Chapter 262, before the court renders a final order terminating the parental rights of the child's parents, the court shall order genetic testing for parentage determination unless parentage has previously been established. The court shall hold the petition for termination of the parent-child relationship in abeyance for a period not to exceed 60 days pending the results of the genetic testing.
(c) Before the court may render an order terminating parental rights with regard to a child taken into the department's custody under Section 262.303, the department must:
(1) verify with the National Crime Information Center and state and local law enforcement agencies that the child is not a missing child; and
(2) obtain a certificate of the search of the paternity registry under Subchapter E, Chapter 160, not earlier than the date the department estimates to be the 30th day after the child's date of birth.
(1) is the child's biological parent;
(2) intends to relinquish parental rights and consents to the termination of parental rights with regard to the child; and
(3) intends to waive the right to notice of the suit terminating the parent-child relationship.
(a-1) A party that seeks to rebut a presumption in Subsection (a) may do so at any time before the parent-child relationship is terminated with regard to the child.
(b) If a person claims to be the parent of a child taken into possession under Subchapter D, Chapter 262, before the court renders a final order terminating the parental rights of the child's parents, the court shall order genetic testing for parentage determination unless parentage has previously been established. The court shall hold the petition for termination of the parent-child relationship in abeyance for a period not to exceed 60 days pending the results of the genetic testing.
(c) Before the court may render an order terminating parental rights with regard to a child taken into the department's custody under Section 262.303, the department must:
(1) verify with the National Crime Information Center and state and local law enforcement agencies that the child is not a missing child; and
(2) obtain a certificate of the search of the paternity registry under Subchapter E, Chapter 160, not earlier than the date the department estimates to be the 30th day after the child's date of birth.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a family matter in Texas?
See all Texas Family lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.