Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes

23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323 (2026)

Award of custody.

✓ current as of May 2026

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§ 5323. Award of custody.

(a) Types of award.--After considering the factors set forth in section 5328 (relating to factors to consider when awarding custody), the court may award any of the following types of custody if it is in the best interest of the child:

(1) Shared physical custody.

(2) Primary physical custody.

(3) Partial physical custody.

(4) Sole physical custody.

(5) Supervised physical custody.

(6) Shared legal custody.

(7) Sole legal custody.

(b) Interim award.--The court may issue an interim award of custody to a party who has standing under section 5324 (relating to standing for any form of physical custody or legal custody) or 5325 (relating to standing for partial physical custody and supervised physical custody) in the manner prescribed by the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure governing special relief in custody matters.

(c) Notice.--Any custody order shall include notice of a party's obligations under section 5337 (relating to relocation).

(d) Reasons for award.--The court shall delineate the reasons for its decision on the record in open court or in a written opinion or order.

(e) Safety conditions.--

(1) After considering the factors under sections 5328, 5329 (relating to consideration of criminal conviction), 5329.1 (relating to consideration of child abuse and involvement with protective services) and 5330 (relating to consideration of criminal charge), if the court finds a history of abuse of the child or a household member by a party or a present risk of harm to the child or an abused party and awards any form of custody to a party who committed the abuse or who has a household member who committed the abuse, the court shall include in the custody order:

(i) The safety conditions, restrictions or safeguards as reasonably necessary to protect the child or the abused party.

(ii) The reason for imposing the safety conditions, restrictions or safeguards, including an explanation why the safety conditions, restrictions or safeguards are in the best interest of the child or the abused party.

(iii) The reasons why unsupervised physical custody is in the best interest of the child if the court finds that past abuse was committed by a party.

(2) If supervised contact is ordered, there shall be a review of the risk of harm and need for continued supervision upon petition of the party. The safety conditions, restrictions or safeguards may include any of the following:

(i) Nonprofessional supervised physical custody.

(ii) Professional supervised physical custody.

(iii) Limitations on the time of day that physical custody is permitted or on the number of hours of physical custody and the maximum number of hours of physical custody permitted per day or per week.

(iv) The appointment of a qualified professional specializing in programming relating to the history of abuse or risk of harm to provide batterer's intervention and harm prevention programming. Batterer's intervention and harm prevention programming may include programming designed to rehabilitate the offending individual, including prioritizing a batterer's intervention and harm prevention program, if available, or the impacts of physical, sexual or domestic abuse on the victim. The court may order an evaluation by the appointed qualified professional under this paragraph to determine whether additional programming is necessary.

(v) Limitations on legal custody.

(vi) Any other safety condition, restriction or safeguard as necessary to ensure the safety of the child or to protect a household member.

(e.1) Supervised physical custody.--If a court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that there is an ongoing risk of abuse of the child, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the court shall only allow supervised physical custody between the child and the party who poses the risk of abuse. A court may find that an indicated report for physical or sexual abuse under Chapter 63 (relating to child protective services) is a basis for a finding of abuse under this subsection only after a de novo review of the circumstances leading to the indicated report. When awarding supervised physical custody under this subsection, the court shall favor professional supervised physical custody. The court may award nonprofessional supervised physical custody if:

(1) the court determines that professional supervised physical custody is not available within a reasonable distance of the parties or the court determines that the party requiring supervised physical custody is unable to pay for the professional supervised physical custody; and

(2) the court designates an adult to supervise the custodial visits who has appeared in person before the court, the individual executes an affidavit of accountability and the court makes finding, on the record, that the individual is capable of promoting the safety of the child.

(f) Enforcement.--In awarding custody, the court shall specify the terms and conditions of the award in sufficient detail to enable a party to enforce the court order through law enforcement authorities.

(g) Contempt for noncompliance with any custody order.--

(1) A party who willfully fails to comply with any custody order may, as prescribed by general rule, be adjudged in contempt. Contempt shall be punishable by any one or more of the following:

(i) Imprisonment for a period of not more than six months.

(ii) A fine of not more than $500.

(iii) Probation for a period of not more than six months.

(iv) An order for nonrenewal, suspension or denial of operating privilege under section 4355 (relating to denial or suspension of licenses).

(v) Counsel fees and costs.

(2) An order committing an individual to jail under this section shall specify the condition which, when fulfilled, will result in the release of that individual.

(h) Parties in same residence.--Parties living separate and apart in the same residence may seek relief under this chapter, but any custody order made under such a circumstance shall be effective only upon:

(1) one party physically vacating the residence; or

(2) an order awarding one party exclusive possession of the residence.

(Apr. 15, 2024, P.L.24, No.8, eff. 120 days)

2024 Amendment. Act 8 amended subsec. (e) and added subsec. (e.1). See section 1 of Act 8 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to findings and declarations.

Cross References. Section 5323 is referred to in sections 5329, 5336 of this title; section 4602 of Title 51 (Military Affairs).

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 171 cases (71 in the last 5 years), 2012–2026 · leading case: C.B. v. J.B., 65 A.3d 946 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2013).

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C.B. v. J.B., 65 A.3d 946 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2013). · cites it 4× “23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(a). Section 5323 mandates that, when the trial court awards custody, it “shall delineate the reasons for its decision on the record in open court or in a written opinion or order.”

E.B. v. D.B., 209 A.3d 451 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019). · cites it 2× “" 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(b). In relevant part, the rule governing special relief provides that "[a]t any time after commencement of the action, the court may on application or its own motion grant appropriate interim or special relief.”

J.M. v. K.W., 164 A.3d 1260 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). · cites it 2× “”); 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(b) (“The court may issue an interim award of custody to a party who has standing .”

E.K. v. J.R.A., 237 A.3d 509 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020). “23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(g). The trial court may issue sanctions, including imprisonment for a period of not more than six months, so long as the order specifies the condition by which the party may purge the contempt to be released from jail.”

M.P. v. M.P., 54 A.3d 950 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2012). · cites it 2× “Whether the trial court erred as a matter of law when it failed to delineate the rationale for its Order dated November 15, 2011, pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(d)? Mother’s brief at 4.”

R.L. v. M.A., 209 A.3d 391 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019). “See also 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(a) and (d). However, "there is no required amount of detail for the trial court's explanation; all that is required is that the enumerated factors are considered and that the custody decision is based on those considerations.”

M.B.S. v. W.E., 232 A.3d 922 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020). “10 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(a). This Court has interpreted these statutory provisions to mean that “a trial court must apply the [subsection] 5328(a) factors and issue a written explanation of its decision when it orders any of the seven forms of custody provided for by the Act [at…”

Mikhail v. Kahn, 991 F. Supp. 2d 596 (E.D. Pa. 2014). “; 23 23 Pa. Cons.Stat. Ann. § 5338(a) (“Upon petition, a court may modify a custody order to serve -the best interest of the child.”

S.S. v. T.J., 212 A.3d 1026 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019). “23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(a). Section 5338 of the Act provides that, upon petition, a trial court may modify a custody order if it serves the best interests of the child.”

A.M.S. v. M.R.C., 70 A.3d 830 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2013). “2013) (“This Court has previously interpreted [23 Pa. C.S. § 5323(d) ] as requiring a trial court to state the reasons for its custody decision prior to the filing of an appeal”).”

M.O. v. J.T.R., 85 A.3d 1058 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2014). “Whether the Trial Court committed [an] error of law and/or abused its discretion in failing to delineate the reasons for its decision on the record in open court or in a written opinion pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(d)? III. Whether the Trial Court committed an error of law…”

S.J.S. v. M.J.S., 76 A.3d 541 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2013). “Whether the trial court erred in failing to apply the best interests analysis under 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(a) to each proposed residence in the initial custody determination, and apply the relocation factors as just one corner of that analysis? 2 At trial, the court heard testimony…”

Show all 171 citing cases →

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(1)(v) — 1 case

R.W.M. v. S.M.F. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2016).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(a) — 57 cases

C.B. v. J.B., 65 A.3d 946 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2013). “23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(a). Section 5323 mandates that, when the trial court awards custody, it “shall delineate the reasons for its decision on the record in open court or in a written opinion or order.”

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(a)(1) — 2 cases

M.Y. v. H.Y. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2021).

J.E.C. v. C.C.C. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2015).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(a)(3) — 1 case

H.V. v. J.v.-l. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2021).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(a)(5) — 1 case

J.A.C. v. M.J.C. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(a)(8) — 1 case

J.M. v. J. M. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(b) — 13 cases

E.B. v. D.B., 209 A.3d 451 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019). “" 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(b). In relevant part, the rule governing special relief provides that "[a]t any time after commencement of the action, the court may on application or its own motion grant appropriate interim or special relief.”

J.M. v. K.W., 164 A.3d 1260 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). “”); 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(b) (“The court may issue an interim award of custody to a party who has standing .”

J.M. v. K.W., 164 A.3d 1260 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017).

J.M. v. K.W. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017).

E.B. v. D.B. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(c) — 1 case

In Re: Order Amending Rules 1915.7 & 1915.10 of Pa Rules of Civil Procedure (Pa. 2019).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(d) — 47 cases

M.P. v. M.P., 54 A.3d 950 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2012). “Whether the trial court erred as a matter of law when it failed to delineate the rationale for its Order dated November 15, 2011, pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(d)? Mother’s brief at 4.”

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(e) — 4 cases

J.M. v. B.M. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2021).

In Re: Order Amending Rules 1915.7 & 1915.10 of Pa Rules of Civil Procedure (Pa. 2019).

N.a.-d. v. A.a.-s. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020).

Goldner, K. v. Manigault, L., 2025 Pa. Super. 218 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2025).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(f) — 1 case

S.C. v. V.C. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2015).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(g) — 26 cases

J.M. v. K.W., 164 A.3d 1260 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). “”); 23 Pa.C.S. § 5323(b) (“The court may issue an interim award of custody to a party who has standing .”

J.M. v. K.W., 164 A.3d 1260 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017).

E.K. v. J.R.A., 2020 Pa. Super. 184 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020).

J.R. v. L.T. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2016).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(g)(1) — 15 cases

Schoch, R. v. Perez, L. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2022).

E.J.U. v. A.M.U. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017).

M.G. v. S.J. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2018).

A.Y. v. T.S. & B.P. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020).

H.P.T. v. R.A.R. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(g)(1)(i) — 2 cases

Com. v. Stillwagon, J. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2023).

Fetzer, M. v. Fetzer, J., 2025 Pa. Super. 100 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2025).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(g)(1)(ii) — 2 cases

E.J.U. v. A.M.U. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017).

C.R.H. v. J.S.H. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2021).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(g)(1)(v) — 3 cases

R.W.M. v. S.M.F. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2016).

Moore, J. v. Vidovich, J. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2023).

Sposato, A. v. Sposato, A. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2026).

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5323(g)(2) — 2 cases

Schoch, R. v. Perez, L. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2022).

Batterman, C. v. Santo, S. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2025).

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