§ 833 Definition of "dispositional hearing"

A dispositional hearing is the part of a family court case where the judge decides what happens next. This happens after the judge has already looked at the facts of the case. Now the judge must decide on the actual outcome, like what type of order to put in place.

Think of it as the "what now" step. The court has already figured out what happened. This hearing is about deciding the next steps, such as support payments, custody arrangements, or other orders the law allows in this type of case.

For people involved in the case, this hearing matters a lot. It's where the judge sets rules that will affect daily life going forward, like who pays what, who has custody, or what conditions someone must follow.