Home state is the core UCCJEA jurisdictional concept, 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 filing of the custody proceeding.

Home state jurisdiction is the primary basis for a court to exercise jurisdiction over a child custody matter. A state that is the child's home state has priority over other states that might also have some connection to the child.

When a child has recently moved from one state to another both states may potentially claim home state jurisdiction. The Griffith v. Bennett case from the Arizona Court of Appeals in May 2026 confirmed that Arizona courts must make the required home state determination before proceeding with custody matters.