Go to Family Docket Court

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Learn the basics about family courts and laws in Alberta before you go to Family Docket Court.

Then, there are a few other things you should know before going.

Who does and doesn’t need to go

You must go to Family Docket Court if all the following are true:

• You need help from the court to resolve a family law issue.
• You live in Edmonton or Calgary.
• You want to deal with or are already dealing with family issues in the Court of King’s Bench.
• Your issue does not fall under one of the exemptions described below.

You can bypass Family Docket Court if one of the following situations applies to you:

1. You are applying for a protection order, with or without noticewithout notice A court appearance where the applicant does not have to serve court documents or give notice about the court date beforehand to the respondent. to the respondentrespondent The person who responds to the applicant’s request for an order.. Learn more on the What to do about family violence page.
2. Your issue falls under the simple desk applicationdesk application Applying for a court order by submitting your documents at the courthouse for a justice to review on their own. You do not speak to the justice. The court contacts you once the justice grants your order, if they need more information or if the justice refuses to grant your order. process. A desk applicationdesk application Applying for a court order by submitting your documents at the courthouse for a justice to review on their own. You do not speak to the justice. The court contacts you once the justice grants your order, if they need more information or if the justice refuses to grant your order. is where you only file documents with the court, and a justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. reviews the documents on their own and grants an order without anyone appearing in court. You can also use this process for consent orders. Follow the Court’s process for simple desk applications.
3. You are applying for an order about an urgent issue without noticewithout notice A court appearance where the applicant does not have to serve court documents or give notice about the court date beforehand to the respondent. to the other partyparty An individual or business involved in a court case.. Get legal support.
4. You get permission from a justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. to skip Family Docket Court. Figure out how to get a court order on the Get or respond to a court order page.

What the justice can do in Family Docket Court

At Family Docket Court, the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. decides what the next best step is for your situation. The justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. cannot make orders about issues such as parenting time or child support unless you and the other person consent (both agree) to the terms of the order.

Four mandatory pre-court requirements

Before you can apply to go to Family Docket Court, you must complete four mandatory requirements or request to waive or defer them if you have a good reason. Learn more on the Get or respond to a court order page – see the section called “If you’re applying in Edmonton or Calgary”.

Apply to go to Family Docket Court

The applicantapplicant The person who applies for a court order. is the person who completes the Notice to Attend Family Docket Court. The respondentrespondent The person who responds to the applicant’s request for an order. is the person who receives the Notice to Attend Family Docket Court.

What to do at Family Docket Court

Applicants and respondents should follow the steps below to prepare for Family Docket Court.

1. Prepare your speech ahead of time

Family Docket Court is a busy place with many other people also needing help with their family law issues. The justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. may hear up to 20 issues per day.

The justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. only has a few minutes to hear from you and the other person. It is a good idea to prepare ahead of time what you want to say. This way, you can be clear and concise when it’s your turn to talk to the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta..

Be sure to give the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. only enough information to decide which process you should use next. Say what you are asking the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. to do and give a very brief background of your situation. For example, tell the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. how long your relationship was, if you have children and their ages, and what you and the other person cannot agree on. Do not share why the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. should decide in your favour as the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. will not make decisions about your issue unless you both consent to it. For example, the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. can direct you to the Child Support Resolution program but will not decide in Family Docket Court what the amount of child support will be.

The applicantapplicant The person who applies for a court order. speaks, followed by the respondentrespondent The person who responds to the applicant’s request for an order.. The justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. may ask one or both of you questions before they make a decision.

2. Show up on time

Find helpful tips for when to show up for court, both in person and virtually, on the Before you go to court page.

If you choose to attend court online or by phone, follow the instructions for connecting to the virtual courtroom on the Alberta Courts’ website.

3. Ask for a consent order if you and the other person agree on something

You and the other person may agree on the next step to take or how to resolve all or part of your family issues. Prepare your consent order beforehand and bring it to Family Docket Court for the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. to review. If the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. agrees with what is in the order, they will sign it.

4. Do whatever the justice orders you to do

The justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. will hear from both the applicantapplicant The person who applies for a court order. and respondentrespondent The person who responds to the applicant’s request for an order. before deciding what the best next step is. The justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. records their decision in a Family Docket Court Endorsement form, which is a court order.

The justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. can order you to do many things, including:

• take the Parenting After Separation course by a certain date
• try to resolve the dispute outside court, such as using mediation, Family Resolution Counsel or Early Intervention Case Conferences
• use the Child Support Resolution Program
• use a formal court process, such as Judicial Dispute Resolution or Case Conference
• appear in court, such as ChambersChambers Courtrooms that are open to the public with many people present where a justice can hear many cases and grant court orders. The people in a case have 20 minutes or less to speak with the justice and ask for a court order. or Special ChambersSpecial Chambers Courtrooms that are open to the public where the people in a case have more than 20 minutes to talk to the justice. Special Chambers is not the same as a trial because the justice can grant an interim order to move the case along, not make a final decision.
• apply for an order using the simple desk applicationdesk application Applying for a court order by submitting your documents at the courthouse for a justice to review on their own. You do not speak to the justice. The court contacts you once the justice grants your order, if they need more information or if the justice refuses to grant your order. process

The court will email you and the other person a copy of the completed Family Docket Court Endorsement form within one or two business days afterwards. Follow the instructions in the form. You may not be able to take further steps in court until you do what the justicejustice The title for judges in both the Alberta Court of Justice and the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta. ordered you to do.

You may have to go back to Family Docket Court if the assigned option does not resolve the issue.