Texas Legal Glossary · Family Law

Standard Possession Order (SPO)

Written and reviewed by Shane M. Boasberg, founder of SMB Law, PC · Licensed in Texas since 2003 · Updated October 2026

Definition: The standard possession order is the default Texas visitation schedule in Family Code Chapter 153, presumed reasonable for a child three or older, giving the noncustodial parent first, third, and fifth weekends, Thursday evenings, alternating holidays, and 30 days each summer.

Also called: SPO, expanded standard possession order, visitation schedule

What the standard possession order means in Texas

The standard possession order, or SPO, is the schedule the Texas Legislature wrote into the Family Code so that parents and judges do not start from scratch in every case. Section 153.252 creates a rebuttable presumption that the SPO provides reasonable minimum possession for a parent named possessory conservator or a joint managing conservator without the primary residence right, and that it is in the best interest of a child age three or older.

For parents who live within 100 miles of each other, § 153.312 sets the basic terms: the first, third, and fifth weekends of each month from Friday at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m., Thursday evenings during the school year from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., 30 days in the summer, and alternating spring breaks and holidays. Section 153.313 adjusts the schedule when the parents live more than 100 miles apart, trading Thursdays for extended summer time and every spring break.

How it works in practice

The expanded standard possession order under § 153.317 lets the possessory parent elect alternate beginning and ending times: weekends starting when school lets out on Friday and ending when school resumes on Monday, and Thursdays running overnight until school resumes Friday. That election adds overnights. Under § 153.3171, when the parents live within 50 miles of each other, the expanded times apply by default unless the court finds they are not in the child’s best interest or the possessory parent declines them.

For children under three, § 153.254 directs the court to craft a schedule based on the child’s needs, caregiving history, and each parent’s availability, often stepping up to a full SPO at age three. Holiday provisions in § 153.314 alternate Thanksgiving and split Christmas break at noon on December 28.

Why it matters in your case

The SPO is the baseline against which every other schedule is measured. A parent asking for less than the SPO for the other parent must show why. A parent asking for more, such as a week on, week off arrangement, is negotiating above the floor, and courts often approve agreed schedules that depart from it. Because the SPO has fixed statutory language, the order says exactly when possession begins and ends, which matters if an enforcement action is ever needed.

This entry explains Texas law in general terms and is not legal advice for any specific situation. Statutes and case law change; the date above reflects the last review.