What Parents Answer For
23 Pa.C.S. 5505 — $1,000 for one person, $2,500 for one act
In Pennsylvania, a parent whose child is found liable or adjudged guilty by a court of a tortious act is liable to the person injured, to the extent the chapter sets.
$1,000 a person, $2,500 an act. The parents' liability is limited to $1,000 for injuries suffered by any one person from one tortious act or continuous series of acts, and $2,500 however many people are injured by it.
When the loss is larger. If the actual loss or the judgment against the child exceeds $2,500, the parents are discharged by paying $2,500 into court, and the court divides it proportionately among those harmed on their itemized statements of loss, with costs paid from that sum.
The same limits apply when two or more children of the same parent act together in one tortious act or series of acts.
| The assumption | What the section actually does |
|---|---|
| The assumptionParents are liable even if the child is not | What the section actually doesThe child must be found liable or adjudged guilty first |
| The assumptionEach victim can collect the full limit | What the section actually does$1,000 per person and $2,500 per act, shared proportionately |
| The assumptionTwo siblings mean two limits | What the section actually doesThe same limits when children of the same parent act jointly |
What counts as a tortious act under the chapter, and claims against the child directly, run under the chapter's other sections and other law. A licensed Pennsylvania attorney reads a specific case.
Sources for this section (2)
- 23 Pa.C.S. 5502 — Liability of parents
- 23 Pa.C.S. 5505 — Monetary limits of liability
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.