Pa. Cons. Stat. » 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. (DOMESTIC RELATIONS) / Chapter 54
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes

23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 5401 (2026)

 Short title of chapter.

✓ current as of May 2026
Coverage note: this corpus holds the consolidated Pa.C.S. titles only. Unconsolidated P.S. statutes (UTPCPL 73 P.S. § 201-1, Liquor Code, wage payment laws) are not included; a miss here does not mean the statute does not exist. Check palegis.us.
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section PA-LEGpalegis.us JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

 

 

CHAPTER 54

UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION

AND ENFORCEMENT

 

Subchapter

A.  General Provisions

B.  Jurisdiction

C.  Enforcement

D.  Intrastate Application

E.  Miscellaneous Provisions

 

Enactment.  Chapter 54 was added June 15, 2004, P.L.236, No.39, effective in 60 days.

Cross References.  Chapter 54 is referred to in sections 5205, 5338, 5612, 5622 of this title; section 4604 of Title 51 (Military Affairs).

 

 

SUBCHAPTER A

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

Sec.

5401.  Short title of chapter.

5402.  Definitions.

5403.  Proceedings governed by other law.

5404.  Application to Native American tribes.

5405.  International application of chapter.

5406.  Effect of child custody determination.

5407.  Priority.

5408.  Notice to persons outside Commonwealth.

5409.  Appearance and limited immunity.

5410.  Communication between courts.

5411.  Taking testimony in another state.

5412.  Cooperation between courts; preservation of records.

§ 5401.  Short title of chapter.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 23 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 2007–2026 · leading case: J.C. v. K.C., 179 A.3d 1124 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2018).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
J.C. v. K.C., 179 A.3d 1124 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2018). “'s home state pursuant to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act ("UCCJEA"), 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 5401 - 5482, which applies to both Pennsylvania and New York.”
Stouffer v. Wilson, 214 So. 3d 1192 (Ala. Civ. App. 2016). “On August 13, 2015, the Pennsylvania court entered an order finding that temporary emergency jurisdiction existed under Pennsylvania’s version of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, 23 Pa. Cons.Stat. Ann. § 5401 et seq., concluding that, due to safety…”
Bouzos-Reilly v. Reilly, 980 A.2d 643 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2009). “1 *645 ¶ 2 We recognize that the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), 23 Pa.C.S. § 5401, et seq., is designed to eliminate a rush to the courthouse to determine jurisdiction.”
K.R. v. Lauderdale Cnty. Dep't of Human Resources, 133 So. 3d 396 (Ala. Civ. App. 2013). “It is codified at 23 Pa. Cons.Stat. § 5401 et seq. . Alabama Code 1975, § 30-3B-102(l 1), broadly defines "modification” as "[a] child custody determination that changes, replaces, supersedes, or is otherwise made after a previous determination concerning the same child, whether…”
R.E.P. v. J.H. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). “(“Mother”) pursuant to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), 23 Pa.C.S. § 5401, et seq. The court dismissed Father’s custody action and directed the parties to proceed with the simultaneous custody action Mother initiated in North Carolina.”
In the Int. of: K.,G., a Minor Appeal of: York CYS (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). “See 23 Pa.C.S. § 5401 and 231 Pa.Code Rule 1915.”
J.D. v. N.T. (n.k.a. T.) (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). “) (“Mother”), to enforce the child custody order issued in the Kobe Family Court, Japan, pursuant to the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), 23 Pa.C.S. § 5401, et seq., with respect to the parties’ son, L.”
Cohen, J. v. Gold-Bikin, L. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2018). “Section 5421 of the UCCJA provides that a Pennsylvania court has jurisdiction to make an initial child custody determination only in the following circumstances: 4 See 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 5401 et seq. -8 J -A25004-17 (1) this Commonwealth is the home state of the child on the date of…”
J.J. v. S.G.G. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2018). “The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), 23 Pa.C.S. § 5401 et seq., governs jurisdictional questions in interstate child custody disputes.”
N.a.-d. v. A.a.-s. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020). “(“Child”) after the trial court determined that it had jurisdiction to make an initial custody determination under Section 5421(a) of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), 23 Pa.C.S. § 5401- 5482. Upon careful review, we affirm.”
A.F. v. A.S., Appeal of: D.M & P.M. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020). “Paternal Grandparents challenge the trial court’s continuing and exclusive jurisdiction to make a custody determination under Section 5422 of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), 23 Pa.C.S. § 5401- 5482, as well as the trial court’s custody…”
McQuinn, R. v. Riggleman, J. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2023). “Notably, this order specifically retained jurisdiction over [Child] and did not relinquish jurisdiction unless it falls under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act [23 Pa.C.S. §§ 5401, et seq.] (hereinafter referred to as UCCJEA).”
Show all 23 citing cases →
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.