WomensLaw serves and supports all survivors.

Legal Information: Pennsylvania

Custody

View all
Laws current as of March 12, 2026

Do I have to tell the other parent if I give someone else temporary custody through a power of attorney?

Usually, you must tell the other parent if you give someone else custodial responsibility through a power of attorney. Within 72 hours after signing the power of attorney document, you must give the other parent notice in writing in a physical or electronic record.1

However, you do not have to notify the other parent about the power of attorney if:

  • you have a court order granting you sole legal custody;
  • the other parent has not been involved in the children’s lives for at least the past six months; or
  • you do not know where the other parent is.2

You must also file a copy of the power of attorney with any court that has issued a custody or child support order, within a “reasonable time.”3

1 51 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 4614(b)(1); 4602
2 51 Pa.C.S.A. § 4614(b)(2)
3 51 Pa.C.S.A. § 4615

Legal Information

© 2008–2025 WomensLaw.org is a project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Inc. All rights reserved. This website is funded in part through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). NNEDV is a 501©(3) non-profit organization; EIN 52-1973408.