Rule 1915.12.Civil Contempt for Disobedience of Custody Order. Petition. Form of Petition. Service. Order.

Last amended July 20, 2015 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 1915.12 provides the civil-contempt procedure for disobedience of a custody order, including the petition, its form, service, and the resulting order.

Full Text of Rule 1915.12

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(a) A petition for civil contempt shall begin with a notice and order to appear in substantially the following form: NOTICE AND ORDER TO APPEAR Legal proceedings have been brought against you alleging you have willfully disobeyed an order of court for custody. If you wish to defend against the claim set forth in the following pages, you may but are not required to file in writing with the court your defenses or objections. Whether or not you file in writing with the court your defenses or objections, you must appear in person in court on , at .M., in Courtroom , (Day and Date) (Time) . (Address) IF YOU DO NOT APPEAR IN PERSON, THE COURT MAY ISSUE A WARRANT FOR YOUR ARREST. If the court finds that you have willfully failed to comply with its order, you may be found to be in contempt of court and committed to jail, fined or both. YOU SHOULD TAKE THIS PAPER TO YOUR LAWYER AT ONCE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A LAWYER, GO TO OR TELEPHONE THE OFFICE SET FORTH BELOW. THIS OFFICE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION ABOUT HIRING A LAWYER. IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO HIRE A LAWYER, THIS OFFICE MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION ABOUT AGENCIES THAT MAY OFFER LEGAL SERVICES TO ELIGIBLE PERSONS AT A REDUCED FEE OR NO FEE.

(Name) (Address) (Telephone Number) BY THE COURT: J. Date:

(b) The petition shall allege the facts which constitute willful failure to comply with the custody order, a copy of which shall be attached to the petition.

(c) The petition shall be in substantially the following form: (Caption) PETITION FOR CIVIL CONTEMPT FOR DISOBEDIENCE OF CUSTODY ORDER The Petition of , respectfully represents: 1. That on , Judge entered an Order awarding (Petitioner) (Respondent) (shared legal custody) (sole legal custody)(partial physical custody) (primary physical custody) (shared physical custody) (sole physical custody) (supervised physical custody) of the minor child(ren) (Name(s) of Child(ren)) A true and correct copy of the order is attached to this petition. 2. Respondent has willfully failed to abide by the order in that 3. Petitioner has attached the Criminal Record/Abuse History Verification form required pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. No. 1915.3-2. WHEREFORE, Petitioner requests that Respondent be held in contempt of court. (Attorney for Petitioner) (Petitioner) I verify that the statements made in this petition are true and correct. I understand that false statements herein are made subject to the penalties of 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904 relating to unsworn falsification to authorities. Date Petitioner

(d) The petition shall be served upon the respondent by personal service or regular mail. No answer to the petition shall be required. If service is by mail, the hearing on the petition shall not be held sooner than seven days after mailing of the petition unless the court for cause shown orders an earlier hearing. If the respondent fails to appear, the court shall continue the hearing and may order personal service by the sheriff or constable, or alternative service as accepted by the court, of the petition and notice of a new hearing date or the court may issue a bench warrant for production of the respondent in court and not for imprisonment.

(e) After hearing, an order committing a respondent to jail for contempt of a custody order shall specify the condition which must be fulfilled to obtain release of the respondent.

End

Plain-English Summary

A custody order must be obeyed, and this rule provides the remedy when it is not. A party may file a petition for civil contempt against someone who disobeys a custody order. The rule sets the form of the petition — beginning with a notice and order to appear — how it is served, and the order the court may enter to compel compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can be done if a parent violates a custody order?

A petition for civil contempt may be filed against the parent who disobeyed the order.

Official Note

Official Note: See the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 5443 and 5445, relating to registration and enforcement of custody decrees of another state, and 23 Pa.C.S. § 5471, relating to intrastate application of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.

Amendment History

The provisions of this Rule 1915.12 amended November 8, 1982, effective January 1, 1983, 12 Pa.B. 4040; amended November 7, 1988, effective January 1, 1989, 18 Pa.B. 5323; amended March 30, 1994, effective July 1, 1994, 24 Pa.B. 1943; amended December 2, 1994, effective March 1, 1995, 24 Pa.B. 6263; amended March 18, 2004, effective June 16, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 1754; amended November 19, 2008, effective immediately, 38 Pa.B. 6596; amended August 1, 2013, effective September 3, 2013, 43 Pa.B. 4702; amended July 20, 2015, effective September 1, 2015, 45 Pa.B. 4158. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (368281) to (368283).

Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official text

Also known as: custody contemptdisobedience of custody ordercustody order enforcement