You can download the Texas Standard Possession Order PDF free from TexasLawHelp.org, and many county district clerk websites publish their own fillable versions. Before you fill anything in, confirm the form reflects the 2021 statutory changes: any version that only references the 100-mile distinction is outdated and can cause problems at your hearing.
Where to Download the Form
TexasLawHelp.org hosts a Standard Possession Order that tracks the current statutory language, including provisions for cases filed on or after September 1, 2021. County district clerks post their own versions as well. The Williamson County District Clerk, for example, offers a form with checkboxes for both standard and expanded schedules.
The Texas Attorney General’s office does not host the SPO form itself, but its Parenting Time Guide lays out the schedule in plain English, broken down by distance between households. It is a useful companion if you want to understand what each checkbox on the PDF actually commits you to.
Make Sure the Form Is Current
In 2021 the Legislature added Section 153.3171, which applies to all cases filed on or after September 1, 2021. The provision requires courts to apply expanded possession automatically when the noncustodial parent lives within 50 miles of the child. A current SPO form will give you a distance option for 50 miles or less; an older form that only distinguishes between “within 100 miles” and “more than 100 miles” is missing the box that now drives the whole schedule. If the PDF you downloaded has only two distance options, find a newer one before filling it out.
Who the Form Is Written For
Texas law presumes the Standard Possession Order is reasonable minimum parenting time and in the child’s best interest. A judge can deviate, but the parent asking for something different carries the burden of showing why the default does not work.
One boundary matters before you start typing: the SPO is designed for children who are at least three years old. For younger children, courts typically craft a tailored schedule around a toddler’s routine and developmental needs. If your child is under three, do not expect the standard form to apply without modification.
What You Need Before You Open the PDF
Gather the full legal names of both parents and every child covered by the order, along with each child’s date of birth. You also need to know which parent is the Petitioner (the person who filed the case) and which is the Respondent. Having exact addresses on hand matters too, because you will use them to answer the distance question and to specify exchange locations.
The Distance Box Is the Most Important Choice
The PDF typically asks you to check one of three boxes: parents living 50 miles or less apart, between 50 and 100 miles apart, or more than 100 miles apart. That single selection controls the pickup and drop-off times, the length of weekends, whether Thursday visits are two hours or overnight, and how summer and spring break work.
50 Miles or Less: Automatic Expanded Possession
For cases filed after September 1, 2021, checking this box triggers expanded possession automatically. You do not have to request it separately, and the custodial parent cannot block it without a specific court finding.
Expanded possession changes several exchange times:
- Weekend possession during the school year begins when school lets out on Friday and ends when school resumes the following Monday, rather than a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. window.
- Thursday visits begin at school dismissal on Thursday and end when school starts Friday morning, giving the noncustodial parent an overnight instead of a two-hour evening.
- If a student holiday or teacher workday falls on the Friday before or Monday after a possession weekend, the weekend automatically extends to include that extra day.
The practical difference is real. A standard 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekend covers roughly 48 hours; a school-tied weekend can stretch to nearly 72. The Thursday overnight alone adds about 14 more hours per school week compared to a two-hour evening visit.
A noncustodial parent within 50 miles can opt out of any or all expanded times by filing a written statement with the court or making an oral statement on the record. The court can also decline to apply expanded times if it finds them unworkable given distance, traffic, or other circumstances, or if the noncustodial parent did not consistently exercise parenting responsibilities before the case was filed.
Between 50 and 100 Miles: Standard Times by Default
If you check this box, the standard 6:00 p.m. exchange times apply by default, but you can elect expanded times voluntarily. The baseline schedule at this distance includes:
- Weekend possession on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 p.m. Sunday.
- Thursday visits during the school year from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., unless the court finds it is not in the child’s best interest.
- Thirty days of summer possession, which can be split into two blocks of at least seven consecutive days if the noncustodial parent sends written notice by April 1. Without that notice, summer possession defaults to July 1 through July 31.
- Spring break in even-numbered years for the noncustodial parent, from 6:00 p.m. on the day school lets out until 6:00 p.m. the day before school resumes.
The “first, third, and fifth Friday” language sometimes confuses parents. The calendar counts every Friday in the month, starting from the first. Most months have four or five, so you typically get two weekends per month and occasionally three.
More Than 100 Miles Apart
When the distance exceeds 100 miles, the noncustodial parent chooses one of two weekend options: the same first-third-fifth Friday rotation, or one weekend per month of their choosing. Picking the one-weekend option requires 14 days’ written or phone notice before each designated weekend, and the election must be made in writing within 90 days of the parents beginning to live more than 100 miles apart.
The bigger differences show up in vacation time:
- Spring break goes to the noncustodial parent every year, not just even-numbered years.
- Summer possession stretches to 42 days. Without an April 1 written notice specifying preferred dates, the default runs from June 15 through July 27.
During the noncustodial parent’s extended summer block, the custodial parent can claim one weekend (or two, if the block exceeds 30 days) by sending written notice by April 15. The custodial parent handles pickup and drop-off for those mid-summer weekends.
Holiday and School Break Checkboxes
Holiday possession overrides whatever regular weekend or Thursday visit would otherwise apply. For each holiday, you assign one parent even-numbered years and the other odd-numbered years:
- Thanksgiving goes to the noncustodial parent in odd-numbered years, from school dismissal through 6:00 p.m. the following Sunday.
- Christmas in even-numbered years: the noncustodial parent has the first half of winter break, from school dismissal through noon on December 28.
- Christmas in odd-numbered years: the noncustodial parent has the second half, from noon on December 28 through 6:00 p.m. the day before school resumes.
- Spring break rotates in even-numbered years for the noncustodial parent when parents live within 100 miles, and goes to the noncustodial parent every year when parents live more than 100 miles apart.
The form also addresses the child’s birthday, Father’s Day, and Mother’s Day. Each parent has possession on their own designated day regardless of whose regular weekend it falls on. Getting these checkbox selections right is where most post-order conflict starts, so take your time with them.
Exchange Locations and Travel Language
The form includes fields for exact exchange times and locations. Be as specific as possible. “At the child’s school” or “at the front entrance of [specific address]” prevents later arguments. Vague phrases like “a mutually agreed location” invite the exact disagreement the order is meant to prevent.
If your situation involves international travel, address it directly in the order or in a separate agreement. Both parents must sign a passport application for children under 16, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection recommends that any parent traveling internationally with a child carry written permission from the other parent when the court order does not explicitly authorize foreign travel.
Filing the Completed Form
Once both parents sign the completed PDF, the document goes to the district clerk in the county where the case is pending. Texas requires attorneys to file electronically through eFileTexas.gov. If you are representing yourself, e-filing is encouraged but not mandatory; you can still file paper documents in person at the clerk’s office.
Filing fees vary by county. As a rough benchmark, an initial custody filing in a major Texas county runs around $365, while a motion to modify an existing order costs closer to $95. Your county clerk’s website lists the current fee schedule. Many courts require signatures to be notarized before the clerk will accept the filing, so plan a notary visit before your filing date.
A judge must review and sign the order before it carries the force of law. Once signed, the clerk issues a file-stamped copy for each parent. Keep that copy accessible. Schools, doctors’ offices, and law enforcement may ask to see it, and the stamped version is the only one that proves the order is enforceable.
One Thing the Form Does Not Do
The SPO does not determine which parent claims the child as a dependent for federal tax purposes. IRS rules generally give the dependency claim to the parent who has the child more than half the year, and shifting the claim to the other parent requires the custodial parent to sign IRS Form 8332. If your order is silent on the issue and you want the noncustodial parent to claim the child, handle it through Form 8332 rather than assuming the possession order controls.