Jurisdiction of parties and subject matter The court obtains jurisdiction in every case to make a decree or other determination by the ex... · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 203. Jurisdiction of parties and subject matter
The court obtains jurisdiction in every case to make a decree or other determination by the existence of the jurisdictional facts prescribed by statute.
The jurisdiction of the court is exercised by the commencement of a proceeding in the court. All proceedings are special proceedings and are commenced by filing a petition. Personal jurisdiction of parties is obtained by service of process upon the parties or by submission to the jurisdiction of the court by waiver of issuance and service of process, appearance of an adult competent party in person or by attorney or by pleading.
Surrogate’s Court obtains authority to decide a case when the statutory jurisdictional facts exist. ★ A proceeding is a special proceeding begun by filing a petition; the court obtains personal jurisdiction by service of process, a waiver of issuance and service, an adult competent party’s appearance personally or by counsel, or a pleading.
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Surrogate's Court in Plain English; Volume 2 — The Surrogate's Court Procedure Act; Volume 5 — Your Career: Surrogate's Court in Plain English.