The Katy ISD Affidavit of Bona Fide Residence is a notarized form that lets you enroll your child when no lease, deed, or utility bill is in your name, usually because your family is living in someone else’s home inside the district. The homeowner or renter signs one form (Exhibit H), you sign a parallel form as the parent (Exhibit I), both get notarized, and you submit them with that person’s proof of residency to your zoned campus or through Katy ISD’s online registration portal.1Katy Independent School District. Acceptable Documents for Enrollment
When You Need the Affidavit
Standard Katy ISD enrollment asks for a utility bill, lease, or mortgage document in the enrolling parent’s name.2Katy Independent School District. Registration – General Requirements The affidavit route exists for families who can’t produce any of those because they’re living with someone else. Common examples:
- You and your child have moved in with a grandparent, sibling, or other relative.
- You share a home with a friend or partner whose name alone is on the lease or deed.
- You’re between homes and staying temporarily with someone inside the district’s boundaries.
The person whose name is on the lease or deed is called the “non-parent” on the form. Both the non-parent and the parent must file their respective affidavits. Submitting only one holds up the registration.
The Two Forms You’ll Complete
Both forms are available on the Katy ISD registration website or from any campus registrar’s office. Each is a single page.
Exhibit H: Affidavit of Bona Fide Residence
The non-parent fills this one out. It asks for their full legal name, phone number, and the street address of the home. Below that, they list the students being enrolled by last name, first name, middle name, grade, and campus. Up to three students fit on one form.3Katy Independent School District. Affidavit of Bona Fide Residence A checkbox indicates which residency document (utility bill, lease, or purchase contract) is attached. The non-parent then signs and dates the form in front of a notary.
Exhibit I: Parent’s/Guardian’s Assurance of Bona Fide Residence
You, the parent, complete this companion form. It confirms the same facts from your side: that your family genuinely lives at the address and that the home is your actual residence, not an arrangement set up solely to attend a particular school. You sign in front of a notary as well. If either form is unnotarized, the district will reject it.
If you haven’t confirmed which campus your address is assigned to, use the “Find My School” tool on the Katy ISD site before you fill in the campus field, since you’ll submit the packet to the registrar at that zoned school.4Katy Independent School District. Find My School
What to Bring Before the Notary Visit
Gather everything first. Both signers will need to appear personally before a notary, and the notary will check photo ID, so bring a current driver’s license or passport.
From the Non-Parent
One of the following, proving the non-parent’s own tie to the address:
- A recent utility bill for electric, water, or gas service showing the non-parent’s name and the street address. Disconnected, expired, phone, and cable bills are not accepted.5Katy Independent School District. Registration Home
- A house or apartment lease in the non-parent’s name. If a lease is submitted in place of a utility bill at enrollment, a utility bill in the non-parent’s name must follow within 30 days.3Katy Independent School District. Affidavit of Bona Fide Residence
- An earnest money or purchase contract with a mortgage approval letter or proof of cash payment from the builder or realtor.
From the Parent
Your own government-issued photo ID. The district’s acceptable-documents policy notes it may also ask for a driver’s license showing the correct address or a voter registration card as additional verification.1Katy Independent School District. Acceptable Documents for Enrollment
Getting the Forms Notarized
Each signer must appear in person before a notary, present ID, swear that the statements in the form are true, and sign while the notary watches. Texas Government Code § 406.024 caps notary fees at $10 for the first signature and $1 for each additional signature.6Texas Secretary of State. Notary Public Educational Information With two forms to notarize, plan on roughly $11 to $20 total. Banks, UPS Store locations, and some public libraries around Katy offer notary service. Call ahead to confirm availability.
Submitting the Packet
Katy ISD accepts enrollment materials through its online registration portal, and the district asks families to gather every document before starting the upload so nothing stalls the application.5Katy Independent School District. Registration Home Your packet should include:
- The notarized Exhibit H
- The notarized Exhibit I
- The non-parent’s utility bill, lease, or purchase documentation
- Any additional identification the district requests
You can also deliver the packet in person to the registrar at your zoned campus. If you go in person, bring originals rather than copies so the registrar can verify the notary seals. Once everything is received, the registrar reviews the packet and enters the information into the district system. If something is missing, you’ll be contacted to fix it before enrollment is finalized.
You’ll Have to Renew Each Year
The affidavit is not one and done. As long as your enrollment relies on documents in someone else’s name, both forms must be completed and reviewed before the start of each school year.1Katy Independent School District. Acceptable Documents for Enrollment That means a fresh notarized Exhibit H, a fresh notarized Exhibit I, and a current utility bill or other qualifying residency document every year. Missing the renewal can put a hold on your child’s registration.
If your situation changes mid-year and you sign your own lease or buy a home in the district, you can switch to standard residency documents at the next annual update instead of renewing the affidavit.
If the District Checks Residency Later
Approval doesn’t close the file. When a campus has reason to suspect a student no longer lives at the listed address, the principal or a designee can ask for updated proof and request a residency check from Katy ISD police.1Katy Independent School District. Acceptable Documents for Enrollment If the parent fails to produce updated documents, or if the check confirms the student lives outside the attendance zone, the principal may revoke enrollment through a formal warning notice.
Checks are triggered by specific concerns rather than conducted randomly. If you’re contacted, respond promptly and send whatever is requested. Ignoring the request is treated the same as failing verification.
Penalties for False Information
Katy ISD’s registration page warns that falsifying residency information is a criminal offense under Texas Penal Code § 37.10.2Katy Independent School District. Registration – General Requirements Under that statute, tampering with a government record used to establish a student’s residency for school enrollment is a Class C misdemeanor.7State of Texas. Texas Penal Code PENAL 37.10 A Class C misdemeanor carries a fine but no jail time. If the tampering is done with intent to defraud or harm another person, the general provision of the same statute raises it to a state jail felony, punishable by 180 days to two years of confinement.
The immediate practical consequence is loss of the enrollment. Both signers face potential liability because each swore under oath that the information was true.
One Alternative to Know About
Texas Education Code § 25.001 lets a student who lives outside the district enroll if a grandparent resides inside the district and provides a substantial amount of after-school care for the student, as determined by the board.8State of Texas. Texas Education Code 25.001 – Admission If that fits your family, ask the campus registrar whether the grandparent-care provision applies before you start the affidavit process, because the documentation is handled differently.