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State Statutes Search Results: Texas
Summaries of state statutes (and full text of laws, in some cases) are provided below. To find information for another state or statute, return to the State Statutes Search.
Grounds for Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights
To better understand this issue and to view it across States, see the Grounds for Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights: Summary of State Laws (Printable version - PDF 792 KB) publication.
Circumstances That Are Grounds for Termination of Parental Rights
Fam. Code §§ 161.001; 161.002; 161.003; 161.007
The parent has abandoned the child.
The parent is unable to discharge his or her parental duties due to:
Mental illness, emotional illness, or mental deficiency
Use of a controlled substance
Incarceration for not less than 2 years
The parent knowingly placed or allowed the child to remain in conditions or surroundings or with persons who engaged in conduct that endangered the physical or emotional well-being of the child.
Reasonable efforts to rehabilitate the parent have failed.
The parent has been convicted of being criminally responsible for the death or serious injury of a child or any of the following crimes against a child:
Murder or capital murder
Indecency with a child, assault, sexual assault, aggravated assault, or aggravated sexual assault
Injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual
Abandoning or endangering a child
Prohibited sexual conduct, sexual performance by a child, or possession or promotion of child pornography
The parent is the father of a child conceived as a result of a sexual offense.
The parent has failed to support the child in accordance with the parent’s ability for 1 year.
The parent abandoned the mother of the child during her pregnancy and failed to provide adequate support or medical care for the mother, and failed to support the child since birth.
An alleged father has failed to register with the paternity registry or to respond to notice.
The parent has been the major cause of:
The child’s failure to be enrolled in school as required by law
The child’s absence from home without the consent of the parents or guardian for a substantial length of time or without the intent to return
The parent has been the cause of the child being born addicted to alcohol or a controlled substance.
The parent voluntarily delivered the child to a designated emergency infant care provider.
The parent has failed to maintain regular visitation, contact, or communication with the child.
Parental rights to another child of the parent have been involuntarily terminated.
Circumstances That Are Exceptions to Termination of Parental Rights
Not addressed in statutes reviewed.