In child custody disputes in which the parents and children have significant contacts with more than one state—such as having homes in multiple states and spending significant amounts of time in multiple states—there may be a question of which state’s courts have jurisdiction over the child custody dispute (the authority to hear and decide the dispute). The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is a law adopted by most states (all but Massachusetts) that determines which state’s courts have jurisdiction to hear and decide a child custody dispute in such a situation.

In Oklahoma, as in most other states, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) governs jurisdiction in child custody disputes involving more than one state. Under the UCCJEA, the child's 'home state'—defined as the state where the child has lived with a parent or a person acting as a parent for at least six consecutive months immediately before the commencement of the child custody proceeding—generally has jurisdiction. If the child is less than six months old, the home state is where the child has lived since birth. The Act also allows for jurisdiction in a state with significant connections to the child and at least one parent if substantial evidence concerning the child's care, protection, training, and personal relationships is available in that state. If no state qualifies as the home state, or if the home state declines jurisdiction because another state is a more appropriate forum, a different state may assume jurisdiction. The UCCJEA also provides for enforcement of child custody orders from other states and requires states to cooperate with each other in such matters. Oklahoma courts will apply these standards to determine whether they have jurisdiction to hear a child custody case when multiple states are involved.