Pennsylvania § 8304 Duties and powers of responding tribunal

Pennsylvania Statutes

§ 8304 — Duties and powers of responding tribunal

Pennsylvania § 8304

Title 23DOMESTIC RELATIONS

PartPART VIII-A

Ch. 83CIVIL PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION

This text of Pennsylvania § 8304 (Duties and powers of responding tribunal) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 8304 (2026).

Text

(a)Filing and notice.--If a responding tribunal receives a petition, a complaint or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to section 8301(b) (relating to proceedings under this part), it shall file the pleading and notify the petitioner by first class mail where and when it was filed.

(b)Action.--A responding tribunal, to the extent otherwise authorized by law, may do any of the following:

(1)Exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to issue or enforce a support order, modify a support order or render a judgment to determine parentage.

(2)Order an obligor to comply with a support order, specifying the amount and the manner of compliance.

(3)Order income withholding.

(4)Determine the amount of any arrearages and specify a method of payment.

(5)

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(a) Filing and notice.--If a responding tribunal receives a petition, a complaint or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to section 8301(b) (relating to proceedings under this part), it shall file the pleading and notify the petitioner by first class mail where and when it was filed.

(b) Action.--A responding tribunal, to the extent otherwise authorized by law, may do any of the following:

(1) Exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to issue or enforce a support order, modify a support order or render a judgment to determine parentage.

(2) Order an obligor to comply with a support order, specifying the amount and the manner of compliance.

(3) Order income withholding.

(4) Determine the amount of any arrearages and specify a method of payment.

(5) Enforce orders by civil or criminal contempt, or both.

(6) Set aside property for satisfaction of the support order.

(7) Place liens and order execution on the obligor's property.

(8) Order an obligor to keep the tribunal informed of the obligor's current residential address, telephone number, employer, address of employment and telephone number at place of employment.

(9) Issue a bench warrant for an obligor who has failed after proper notice to appear at a hearing ordered by the tribunal and enter the bench warrant in any state and local computer systems for criminal warrants.

(10) Order the obligor to seek appropriate employment by specified methods.

(11) Award reasonable attorney fees and other fees and costs.

(12) Issue a temporary child support order pending judicial resolution of a dispute regarding paternity if any of the following apply:

(i) The obligor has signed an acknowledgment of paternity.

(ii) The obligor has been determined under State law to be the parent.

(iii) There is clear and convincing evidence that the obligor is the child's parent.

(13) Grant any other available remedy.

(c) Findings of fact.--A responding tribunal shall include in a support order issued under this part or in the documents accompanying the order the findings of fact on which the support order is based.

(d) Visitation.--A responding tribunal may not condition the payment of a support order issued under this part upon compliance by a party with provisions for visitation.

(e) Notice.--If a responding tribunal issues an order under this part, the tribunal shall send a copy of the order by first class mail to the petitioner and the respondent and to the initiating tribunal, if any.