Short answer. Yes, for the specific petitions the Family Code names. Article 249 requires that petitions filed under Articles 223, 225 and 235 — all dealing with parental-authority incidents — be verified, meaning the petitioner swears under oath that the facts alleged are true of their own knowledge or based on authentic records.
What the law says
Petitions filed under Articles 223, 225 and 235 of this Code involving parental authority shall be verified.
Family Code, Article 249 — Verified Petitions on Parental-Authority Incidents. Read the full provision →
What the law says
may petition the proper court of the place where the child resides, for an order providing for disciplinary measures over the child
Family Code, Article 223 — Court-Ordered Disciplinary Measures. Read the full provision →
Which petitions this covers
Article 249 does not put every family-court filing under oath. It names three specific kinds of petitions — those brought under Articles 223, 225 and 235 — and requires each of them to be verified. Article 223 is one of these: it lets a parent, or whoever else is exercising parental authority, ask the proper court for an order imposing disciplinary measures over the child. If your petition falls under one of the named articles, verification is not optional; it is a condition the Code attaches to the filing itself.
What being 'verified' actually requires
A verified petition is one the petitioner signs under oath, attesting that the allegations are true of their own personal knowledge or based on authentic records. It is a stronger commitment than an ordinary signed pleading, because a false statement in a verified petition can expose the signer to liability for perjury on top of whatever happens to the case itself. The requirement exists because these petitions can lead to real consequences for a child — disciplinary orders, changes to who exercises authority over them — so the court wants the person asking for that outcome to stand behind the facts under oath from the outset.
Why the law singles these petitions out
Article 223's disciplinary-measures petition illustrates why verification matters here: it can end with the court depriving or suspending the petitioner's own parental authority if the court finds the petitioner, rather than the child, at fault. A petition with that kind of reach is not treated as routine paperwork. Requiring it to be verified is the Code's way of making sure whoever files it has actually turned their mind to whether the facts support what they are asking the court to do, before the machinery of a disciplinary hearing is set in motion.
If your petition is not verified
Article 249 states the requirement in mandatory terms — the named petitions shall be verified — which is a strong signal that a court can decline to act on one that is not. If you are preparing a petition touching parental authority, check first whether it falls under Article 223, 225 or 235; if it does, have it verified before filing rather than risk the petition being rejected or delayed on a technicality that has nothing to do with the merits of your case.
Related provisions
- Family Code, Article 249 — Verified Petitions on Parental-Authority Incidents
- Family Code, Article 223 — Court-Ordered Disciplinary Measures