Taken In For An Evaluation
Mental Health Procedures Act 302 — an emergency examination, and 120 hours at most
In Pennsylvania, an emergency examination may be undertaken at a treatment facility on a physician's certification, on a warrant the county administrator issues on a written application setting out reasonable grounds, or without a warrant. Without a warrant, any physician or peace officer, or anyone the county administrator authorizes, who personally observes conduct giving reasonable grounds to believe a person is severely mentally disabled and in need of immediate treatment may take the person to an approved facility, and on arrival makes a written statement of the grounds.
| Stage | What the section requires |
|---|---|
| StageExamination by a physician | What the section requiresWithin two hours of arrival |
| StageIf the physician does not find the person severely mentally disabled and in need of emergency treatment | What the section requiresDischarge, and return to a place the person may reasonably direct |
| StageIf the need for immediate treatment ends at any time | What the section requiresDischarge |
| StageOuter limit | What the section requiresWithin 120 hours, unless the person is admitted to voluntary treatment or a certification for extended treatment is filed |
- On arrival the person is told the reasons for the emergency examination and of the right to communicate immediately with others.
- The person is given reasonable use of the telephone, and asked whom they want notified of the custody and kept informed.
- The county administrator or facility director tells those people where the person is, how they may visit or contact them, and how to get information.
- Reasonable steps are taken to see that the person's dependents are cared for and their property and home are secure.
A person may not be accepted for involuntary emergency treatment on a new application after an earlier one was granted unless the new one rests on behavior after the earlier application. Extended treatment and the hearings that go with it are in other sections of the Act and are not reproduced here. Whether an examination met the statute is a question for a court and for a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Mental Health Procedures Act 302 — Involuntary emergency examination and treatment authorized by a physician
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.