Pennsylvania Family Law

THE STATEMENTS BELOW ARE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION AND ARE WRITTEN IN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE AND NOT NECESSARILY ACCORDING TO A STRICT LEGAL INTERPRETATION.

There are no default divorces in Pennsylvania. A party must be served and consent to the divorce or a court must hold a hearing/trial and enter a Decree.
Divorces are required to be filed in a county in which one party resides.

In addition to Spousal Support, there is also Alimony Pendente Lite in which expense pertaining to the divorce are the issue and not fault of either party.

Filing fees and costs vary by county.

CALL FOR LOW COSTS BY COUNTY

(UNCONTESTED DIVORCE ONLY)

Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence , Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, York

For Example:

Berks County: $600.00 total

FEES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Custody can be changed at any time if a court desires to do so. There is no waiting period after a Custody Decree.
Pennsylvania Courts will not normally separate brothers and sisters or half-brothers and half-sisters without a very good reason.
There is grandparent visitation in limited circumstances.

Generally, a Support Order cannot be changed unless 3 years have passed since the last Support Order or there is a major change in circumstances (generally 15 % change in income).

Generally, there is no problem with either party dating once they have separated.
The mere fact that two parties separate and apart is not a legal separation.

Alimony may be for a lifetime or for a limited period of time depending upon the circumstances and age of the parties (there are numerous other factors in determining alimony).

There is no automatic 50/50 division of property in Pennsylvania because of a divorce.
The parties can agree to this; however, the courts consider numerous other factors.
Pennsylvania is NOT a community property state.

The above statements are for general information purposes are not to considered legal advice and no one should act upon the above statements without first discussing their particular circumstances with an attorney who is experienced in Pennsylvania family law.

Site last updated Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 11:30:34 AM