Grandparents And Visitation
23 Pa.C.S. 5325 — partial custody after a death, in a custody fight, or after a year in the grandparents' home
In Pennsylvania, grandparents and great grandparents may file for partial physical custody or supervised physical custody:
- Where a parent of the child has died, by a parent or grandparent of the deceased parent.
- Where the relationship with the child began with a parent's consent or under a court order, and the parents have started a custody case and disagree whether the grandparents should have custody.
- Where the child lived with them for at least 12 consecutive months and was removed by the parents.
Six months after a removal. Where the child lived with the grandparents or great grandparents for at least 12 consecutive months and the parents removed the child, the action must be filed within six months after the removal.
Standing for other forms of custody is in a neighboring section, and what a court weighs once a case is filed is set elsewhere. Neither is reproduced here. Whether to file is a question for a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- 23 Pa.C.S. 5325 — Standing for partial physical custody and supervised physical custody
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.