Looking for Pennsylvania ‘s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find Pennsylvania ‘s state court forms and instructions and local court websites? Here’s where to start. For a wide range of other articles on family law in Pennsylvania, see the Resources by State section on this site.
Marriage Rules in Pennsylvania
Requirements: No blood test required. You must be of the age of consent, not be too closely related to your intended spouse, not be married to anyone else, and have sufficient mental capacity, meaning you understand what you are doing when you marry. You can marry immediately after your marriage license is issued, and your license is good for 60 days. For more details, check your county clerk’s office.
Common law marriage: Yes. Common law marriages created before January 1, 2005 are recognized when the couple intended to be married, lived together for a significant period of time, and held themselves out as a married couple.
Community property: No.
Same-sex marriage: No.
Pennsylvania Divorce Rules
Grounds for divorce: Fault or no-fault grounds are allowed, or you can base your divorce on the fact that you’ve been separated from your spouse for at least two years.
Residency requirement: At least one spouse must be a resident of Pennsylvania for six months before filing for divorce.
How property is divided: Equitable division.
Child Custody Rules in Pennsylvania
Child custody guidelines: Pennsylvania courts begin with a presumption that it’s best for a child to have frequent and continuing contact with both parents after a divorce. If possible, judges want to support joint custody arrangements.
Pennsylvania Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: Pennsylvania requires all parents to support their children. The amount of child support depends primarily on each parent’s income and other resources and how much time each parent spends with the children.
Child support calculators to determine state guidelines: www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/pennsylvania.
State child support enforcement agency: Bureau of Child Support Enforcement, www.humanservices.state.pa.us/csws/home_controller.aspx .
Pennsylvania Courts and Family Law Resources
Pennsylvania court information and family law forms: www.pacourts.us.
Family services section of Pennsylvania website: www.pachildren.state.pa.us.
