Locating a Parent

Learn more about applying for child support.

How to Help Us Locate a Parent

The Oregon Child Support Program has many tools to find where a parent lives or works. However, it is still important that you share information with us. If you have a child support order in place, you are required by law to share new information within 10 days.

If you have information to provide, please contact your local child support office or the office that handles your child support case, in person, by phone, or by mail. Provide your name and Social Security number or other documentation so we can confirm your identity. If you share information anonymously, we may not be able to use it if we cannot verify it using another source. Some examples of information that may be helpful to us include:

  • Full name and other names that may be used
  • Last known address or phone number
  • Last known employer name, address, and phone number, and the type of work the other parent does or did
  • Social Security number
  • Birth date
  • If the parent:
    • has any children by another person, and where they live
    • belongs to a union, social club, sports club, or other membership
    • is in the military, and where he or she is stationed
    • has ever been arrested
    • has a driver’s, occupational, or recreational license (such as hunting, boating, fishing)

If the other parent moves to a different state to avoid paying child support, there may be other enforcement options available that you can discuss with your case manager. For more information about how states work together, see Interstate Child Support Cases.


Other Locating Services

Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS)

The FPLS is a national system operated by the federal Office of Child Support Services to assist in locating noncustodial parents, putative fathers, and custodial parties to:

  • establish paternity.
  • establish, modify, or enforce child support orders.
  • make or enforce child custody or parenting time (visitation) determinations.
  • enforce federal or state laws regarding unlawful taking or restraint of a child.

Learn more at the FPLS website ».

Who can use this service?

The following rules explain who is authorized to request and receive information from the FPLS through the Oregon State Parent Locator Service:

How do I make a request?

To make a request, please fill out a Request for Information from the Federal Parent Locator Service form (PDF) » and return it to the address provided in the instructions.

Oregon Child Support Program FPLS Contact

McKenzi Riddell, Case Intake Manager
Division of Child Support
Oregon Department of Justice
Email: mckenzi.riddell@doj.oregon.gov