Title 23, DOMESTIC RELATIONS

(a) Cooperation of government agencies.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including the provisions of section 731 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, all government agencies shall: (1) At the request of the department, provide infor…

(a) Powers and duties.--Subject to any inconsistent general rules and to the supervision and direction of the court, the domestic relations section shall have the power and duty to: (1) Process all complaints received under Parts VIII (relating to uniform interstate family suppor…

(a) General rule.--The county Title IV-D attorney shall at all times aid in the enforcement of the duty of child support and child and spousal support and shall cooperate with the domestic relations section in the presentation of complaints or in any proceeding designed to obtain…

The department shall have the authority to implement a State income tax refund intercept program pursuant to section 466(a)(3) of the Social Security Act (Public Law 74-271, 42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(3)) when, in the judgment of the department, it is cost effective to do so. (Dec. 16, 1…

(a) Duty of Department of Revenue.--In the case of any person winning more than $2,500 in the Pennsylvania State Lottery, the Department of Revenue shall request the department to make all reasonable efforts to determine if the winner is a delinquent support obligor prior to maki…

(a) General rule.--Overdue support shall be a lien by operation of law against the net proceeds of any monetary award, as defined in subsection (i), owed to an obligor, and distribution of any such award shall be stayed in an amount equal to the child support lien provided for un…

(a) General rule.--Any county, through its domestic relations section, may publish the names of delinquent support obligors who are in arrears 30 days or more in newspapers of general or special circulation in the county. (b) Immunity.--The county, its officials and newspapers sh…

Subject to the provisions of this chapter: (1) Married persons are liable for the support of each other according to their respective abilities to provide support as provided by law. (2) Parents are liable for the support of their children who are unemancipated and 18 years of ag…

(a) Statewide guideline.--Child and spousal support shall be awarded pursuant to a Statewide guideline as established by general rule by the Supreme Court, so that persons similarly situated shall be treated similarly. The guideline shall be based upon the reasonable needs of the…

(a) Emancipated child.--A court shall not order either or both parents to pay for the support of a child if the child is emancipated. (b) Marital status of parents immaterial.--In making an order for the support of a child, no distinction shall be made because of the marital stat…

In addition to periodic support payments, the court may require that an obligor pay a designated percentage of a spouse's reasonable and necessary health care expenses. If health care coverage is available through an obligor or obligee at no cost as a benefit of employment or at …

Unless procedures established by the department for the State disbursement unit provide otherwise, an order of support shall direct payment to be made payable to or payment to be made to the domestic relations section for transmission to the obligee or for transmission directly t…

(a) General rule.--In every proceeding to establish or modify an order which requires the payment of child support, the court shall ascertain the ability of each parent to provide medical support for the children of the parties, and the order shall include a requirement for medic…

(a) General rule.--Where applicable under this section, a court may order either or both parents who are separated, divorced, unmarried or otherwise subject to an existing support obligation to provide equitably for educational costs of their child whether an application for this…

(a) Procedure.--A support action or proceeding under this chapter shall be commenced in the manner prescribed by the Rules of Civil Procedure governing actions of support. (b) Standing.--Any person caring for a child shall have standing to commence or continue an action for suppo…

(a) General rule.--The Supreme Court shall by general rule provide for expedited procedures for the determination of paternity and the determination and enforcement of support. The procedures shall include an office conference; a conference summary to the court by the hearing off…

(a) Determination.--Where the paternity of a child born out of wedlock is disputed, the determination of paternity shall be made by the court in a civil action without a jury. A putative father may not be prohibited from initiating a civil action to establish paternity. The burde…

A person who willfully fails or refuses to appear in response to a duly served order or other process under this chapter may, as prescribed by general rule, be adjudged in contempt. Contempt shall be punishable by any one or more of the following: (1) Imprisonment for a period no…

(a) General rule.--A person who willfully fails to comply with any order under this chapter, except an order subject to section 4344 (relating to contempt for failure of obligor to appear), may, as prescribed by general rule, be adjudged in contempt. Contempt shall be punishable …

2010 Repeal. Section 4346 was repealed November 23, 2010, P.L.1106, No.112, effective in 60 days.

At any stage of the proceedings under this chapter, upon affidavit filed that the obligor is about to leave this Commonwealth or the judicial district or, where in the judgment of the court, the obligor has habitually failed to comply with court orders under this chapter, the cou…

(a) Existing and certain future orders.--All orders of support existing as of the effective date of this provision, as well as all orders of support entered or modified after the effective date of this provision but before June 30, 1990, shall provide for mandatory attachment of …

In order to facilitate frequent and unimpeded contact between children and parents, a judge may consolidate with a support action or proceeding any proceeding commenced for visitation rights, sole or shared custody, temporary or permanent custody or any other matters pertaining t…

An appeal from an order of support entered pursuant to this chapter shall not operate as a supersedeas unless so ordered by the court.

(a) General rule.--If an obligee prevails in a proceeding to establish paternity or to obtain a support order, the court may assess against the obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney fees and necessary travel and other reasonable costs and expenses incurred by the obligee and t…

(a) General rule.--The court making an order of support shall at all times maintain jurisdiction of the matter for the purpose of enforcement of the order and for the purpose of increasing, decreasing, modifying or rescinding the order unless otherwise provided by Part VIII (rela…

(a) Notice of changes affecting support.--An individual who is a party to a support proceeding shall notify the domestic relations section, the department and the other parties in writing or by personal appearance within seven days of any material change in circumstances relevant…

(a) Offense defined.--An individual who willfully fails to comply with a support order of a court of this Commonwealth when the individual has the financial ability to comply with the support order commits an offense. (b) Application.--This section applies to all support cases, w…

(a) General rule.--Except as provided in subsection (d.1), where the domestic relations section or the department has been unable to attach the income of an obligor and the obligor owes support in an amount equal to or greater than three months of the monthly support obligation o…

(a) Entry of order.--Whenever married persons hold real property by the entireties and one spouse secures an order of court against the other spouse for the support of the plaintiff spouse or of a child of both persons or the defendant or for the support of both the plaintiff spo…

(a) General rule.--The plaintiff spouse shall be entitled, out of the proceeds of this sale, to such sums of money as represents the share in the property, based on the proportionate part of the original purchase money furnished by the plaintiff spouse for the purchase of the pro…

(a) Appointment of trustee.--The court shall, at the time of the hearing or thereafter, appoint a trustee who shall receive from the sheriff the proceeds of the sale of the property after the costs have been paid. (b) Disposition of proceeds.--The trustee shall, out of the procee…

(a) General rule.--If the plaintiff spouse becomes the purchaser at the execution sale, the plaintiff shall be entitled to a credit on the purchase price thereof for the sum of money found by the court to represent the plaintiff's share in the property and also for the sums of mo…

(a) General rule.--After the divorce of any spouse who is a tenant by the entireties of real property with the former spouse, the divorced spouse is entitled to all the rights and remedies provided in this subchapter for the collection of any sums of money ordered by a court to b…

This subchapter and other provisions of this chapter do not remove from the plaintiff the rights to any other existing remedies to enforce a support order, including, but not limited to, the right of the plaintiff to institute proceedings against the real or personal property of …

The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: "Assistance." Cash assistance, medical assistance or designated services provided under Article IV of the act of June…

(a) Designation of Title IV-D agency.--The department is the Title IV-D State agency. The department shall create a single and separate organizational unit which shall be responsible for developing and implementing, subject to the approval of the secretary, a federally approved S…

(a) Parent locator service.--The department shall maintain a parent locator service for the purpose of establishing parentage, for establishing, setting the amount of, modifying or enforcing child support, establishing or enforcing visitation or custody orders and locating legall…

(a) Establishment.--The department shall establish and operate a State disbursement unit for collection and disbursement of payments on child support orders consistent with Federal law. The State disbursement unit shall also monitor support orders for enforcement action consisten…

(a) Access to be granted.--The secretary or his designees in writing shall have access to all records, and the department in cooperation with all other agencies of the executive branch shall establish a single, uniform system of information clearance and retrieval. Information co…

(a) Central registry created.--A central registry of records shall be maintained in the department showing, as far as it is known, with respect to any absent parent against whom support is sought, all of the following: (1) The full and true name of such parent together with any k…

(a) Administrative powers.--The department shall have Statewide jurisdiction to issue the following administrative orders to expedite the establishment and enforcement of support on behalf of any assistance recipient or nonrecipient receiving Title IV-D services: (1) To order any…

(a) Seeking support required.--Prior to authorization, every applicant for assistance whose circumstances include the reported absence of a legally responsible relative from the household or the presence of a putative father shall appear before the domestic relations section or o…

In accordance with a child support plan approved by the Federal Government, the department shall have the power and its duty shall be to: (1) Require as a condition of eligibility for assistance that an applicant or recipient: (i) Furnish his or her Social Security account number…

(a) Cooperation required.--It is essential to the effective and responsible utilization of assistance funds that applicants and recipients who are caretakers of a child whose circumstances include the reported absence of a legally responsible relative from the household or presen…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, moneys due from or payable by the Commonwealth, including any agency, instrumentality or authority thereof, due to any individual shall be subject, in like manner and to the same extent as if the Commonwealth were a private person, to l…