Paternity means fatherhood. When an unmarried woman has a child, paternity should be established to provide the child with the same legal rights as a child born to a married woman.

To obtain a court order, the Department of Child Support Services must first establish paternity. The court will not order child support or determine custody or visitation until paternity has been legally established.

For paternity to be established, sometimes the custodial and noncustodial parent must appear in court.

Parents may come to DCSS and agree (stipulate) to a child’s paternity. They can arrange for child support payments at the same time. DCSS can explain how this can be done without the parents having to go to court.

For more information, see Answers to Your Questions about Paternity Establishment attached below. For information about receiving a Summons & Complaint, see "When You Are Served with a Summons & Complaint & Proposed Judgment"  attached below. See also "Paternity" in the California Child Support Handbook in the related link below.

• California Child Support Handbook

• Answers to Your Questions about Paternity Establishment
• When You Are Served With a Summons & Complaint