What should I expect in Chester County family court for divorce, custody or support?

Last updated October 25, 2026.

Chester County family cases are heard at the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester. Divorce, custody and PFA matters are managed by Family Court Administration in Suite 5402 and filed with the Prothonotary in Suite 1425, while child and spousal support start at Domestic Relations in Suite 3400. Most conferences and hearing officer proceedings take place on the Justice Center's fifth floor.

Our office is in Media, in Delaware County. For an overview of the family matters we handle, see our family law page. For how criminal, DUI and family cases are routed across the county, see our guide to where cases go in Chester County.

How does a Chester County family case move, step by step?

1. Schedule or file. A custody complaint goes to Family Court Administration for scheduling before it is filed with the Prothonotary. A divorce complaint goes straight to the Prothonotary. A support complaint goes to Domestic Relations, online or in person.
2. First meeting. Support starts with a conference by telephone. Custody starts with a mediation orientation, a parenting class and a conciliation conference. A divorce with contested property or alimony claims goes to a hearing officer on either party's motion.
3. Recommendation. A conciliator's custody order issues by the close of the next business day. A support conference ends in an agreement or a temporary order. A divorce hearing officer files a report and recommendation.
4. Judge. In custody, a party who disagrees must demand a trial within 90 days of the last conciliation. In support and divorce, a party files exceptions within 20 days and a judge hears argument.

Where is each office in the Justice Center?

The county's pages give three different cut-off times for walk-in support applications (2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.), and Domestic Relations suggests calling ahead.

What are the filing fees?

These are government fees from the Prothonotary's family court schedule effective January 1, 2026, and the hearing officer amounts in Local Rule 1920.51.A. They exclude lawyer's fees and can change.

How do divorce cases run in Chester County?

A divorce starts with a complaint at the Prothonotary. Claims for equitable distribution, alimony, or counsel fees and costs are added as separate counts, and each one raises the filing fee. There is a catch: the county says a marital settlement agreement can be incorporated into the final decree only if the complaint includes at least one ancillary count or a count asking for incorporation. Otherwise the agreement is enforced like any contract, in a separate civil suit.

For a consent divorce, both spouses sign affidavits of consent 90 days or more after the complaint is served and file them within 30 days of signing (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.42; 23 Pa.C.S. 3301(c)). Without consent, the spouses must have lived separate and apart for at least one year (23 Pa.C.S. 3301(d)). The county's divorce FAQ applies two years only to separations that began before December 5, 2016, though an older county page and a fee schedule footnote still describe a two-year separation. When one spouse will not sign, read what happens if a spouse will not consent.

To finish, the requesting party serves a Notice of Intention to File the Praecipe to Transmit Record at least 20 days before filing the praecipe, unless both spouses signed waivers. The Prothonotary audits the file and Family Court Administration reviews it, and any problem comes back as a remand order. The county asks people to allow 8 to 12 weeks from the praecipe to the decree. Our page on how long a divorce takes covers the statewide minimums.

When the spouses cannot agree on property or alimony, Local Rules 1920.51.A and 1920.54.A set the track:

• Motion for a hearing officer. It may be filed any time after the complaint, must list the claims at issue and certify that an inventory has been filed and served, and needs the fee. Objections are due within 10 days.
• Preliminary conference. Held within 30 days of appointment to set the scope of the issues, usually without a stenographer. Each side submits an inventory, a vital statistics form or a memorandum.
• Discovery and settlement. The hearing officer handles discovery disputes. At the settlement conference each side submits a statement with a proposed schedule of distribution, including percentages.
• Trial readiness and hearing. Once discovery is done and grounds are established, a party files a Certification of Trial Readiness, on blue paper. Pre-trial statements are due 10 calendar days before a formal record hearing with a court reporter.
• Report and exceptions. Either party has 20 days to file exceptions (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.55-2(b)). Locally, exceptions are dismissed if the transcript is not ordered and paid for within 30 days, and briefs are due 30 days before argument.

The factors a hearing officer weighs are explained in how property is divided in a Pennsylvania divorce.

How do support cases run in Chester County?

The county says support and custody are filed as separate cases, not as part of a divorce. You can file online at the state child support website or in person at Domestic Relations, where the intake interview takes about an hour. Bring what you know about the other parent, such as address and employer, and each child's birth certificate and Social Security card.

The county says the conference is generally three to four weeks after intake and is held by telephone. Ahead of it, you send in your latest tax return, six months of pay stubs, child care verification, proof of medical coverage and a photo ID. The conference officer applies the statewide guidelines, explained in how child support is calculated in Pennsylvania. If an order is entered, a wage attachment issues right away, and the payer must pay directly until deductions begin.

Chester County uses the hearing officer track of Pa.R.C.P. 1910.12 (Local Rule 1910.10.A). Hearings are held in person, on the record with a court reporter, and the county says most plaintiffs are entitled to a staff attorney at the support hearing. Cases needing more than two hours go on a long-day list; a separate listing request is due five business days before the hearing. If a petitioner misses the conference or hearing, the petition may be dismissed; if a respondent misses it, an order may be entered or a bench warrant issued (Local Rule 1910.12.A(c)).

Either party has 20 days to file exceptions (Pa.R.C.P. 1910.12(f)). The judge reviews only the record made before the hearing officer and hears no new testimony. Locally, exceptions are dismissed if the transcript is not ordered, and paid for if required, within five days, and the excepting party's brief is due 30 days before argument. Spouses should also read spousal support, APL or alimony.

How do custody cases run in Chester County?

Take the complaint, with the original and three copies, to Family Court Administration for scheduling before filing it. The resulting order requires mediation, a parenting class and a conciliation conference.

• Mediation orientation. All parties must call the assigned mediator within three days (Local Rule 1940.3.A), and mediation is scheduled within 30 days of filing (Local Rule 1915.4.A). The orientation is not required if a party or child has been the subject of a PFA order in the 24 months before filing, and missing it can lead the conciliator to recommend sanctions, including a fine of up to $100.
• Parenting class. All parties attend the court-approved Children in Between program within 30 days of filing. The county says the classes are held online, and a party who attended within one calendar year may be excused.
• Custody crimes affidavit. The filer attaches one, and the other party files one within 10 days of service or at the conference, if sooner (Local Rule 1915.3.A(d)).
• Conciliation. A conciliator meets the parties no sooner than 10 days after filing, and an agreed or recommended order issues at the end of the conference or, at the conciliator's discretion, by the close of the next business day (Local Rule 1915.5.B).
• Trial. A party who disagrees must file a demand for trial within 90 days of the most recent conciliation, then a certificate of readiness and a pre-trial statement of no more than three pages within 30 days (Local Rule 1915.4.A). The case then moves through a pre-trial status conference, a pretrial conference and trial.

If a recommendation would change primary custody without agreement, the objecting party has five days to ask for a stay. Statewide, the first in-person court contact must be scheduled within 45 days of filing (Pa.R.C.P. 1915.4(a)). Relocation petitions are heard by a judge under Local Rule 1915.3.A(b); see moving away with your child. Our child custody and child support page describes the custody matters we handle.

How do protection from abuse cases run in Chester County?

A petitioner starts at Family Court Administration on the fifth floor and completes a petition. Temporary hearings before a judge are held Monday to Friday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and the county says to arrive by 9 a.m. for the morning hearing or by 1 p.m. for the afternoon one. Under Local Rule 1901.2.A, petitioners who want help from a domestic violence advocate may file between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and after 3 p.m., on weekends and on court holidays, an emergency petition goes to the on-call district judge. The county requires business casual dress.

A temporary order lasts until the final hearing, which must be held within ten business days of filing (23 Pa.C.S. 6107(a)). The county says a final order can last up to three years, and Local Rule 1901.4.A asks the plaintiff to file a certified copy of the order with the police. Our protection from abuse page covers both sides. Parents should read how a PFA affects custody.

What changes the answer?

• Which county the case belongs in. A divorce may be filed where either spouse lives (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.2) once one spouse has lived in Pennsylvania for six months (23 Pa.C.S. 3104(b)); custody generally belongs in the child's home county (Pa.R.C.P. 1915.2). Families near the line can compare Montgomery County family court.
• Whether a Chester County divorce with a property claim is pending. A temporary spousal support order can issue even if the other spouse challenges entitlement (Local Rule 1910.11.A), and private pay support orders can be filed under the divorce docket (Local Rule 1910.17.A).
• Whether there was a recent PFA. A PFA order in the prior 24 months excuses the mediation orientation (Local Rule 1940.3.A(c)).
• Whether the case is long or complex. Support cases with complex issues or needing more than two hours go on the long-day list (Local Rule 1910.10.A).

For example: a Downingtown couple with a house and a support claim

Here is a hypothetical. Spouses in Downingtown separate. One files a divorce complaint with counts for equitable distribution and alimony, paying $215.25 plus $80.25 for each of the two counts. The other files for spousal support online and has a telephone conference about a month later. The payer disputes the guideline figure, so the case is listed for an in-person hearing in Hearing Room A, and after the hearing officer's report the payer files exceptions and orders the transcript within five days.

On the divorce side, one spouse moves for a hearing officer and deposits $511.50. After the preliminary conference and discovery, the spouses settle at the settlement conference. Because the complaint has ancillary counts, their agreement can be incorporated into the decree, which comes 8 to 12 weeks after the praecipe. Options for the home are covered in who gets the house in a Pennsylvania divorce. This is an illustration only; real cases vary.

What mistakes do people make in Chester County family court?

• Filing a custody complaint before it is scheduled. Family Court Administration schedules it first.
• Missing the 90-day trial demand. Without a timely demand, certificate and pre-trial statement, the conciliator's recommendation becomes the final custody order.
• Forgetting the transcript. Exceptions are dismissed if notes of testimony are not ordered in time: five days in support, 30 days in divorce.
• Relying on old two-year wording. The statute now requires one year, and the county's FAQ applies two years only to separations before December 5, 2016.
• Arriving late for a PFA. Petitioners who miss the 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. cut-off may wait until later that day or the next.

What should I do this week?

1. Identify which Justice Center office runs your case, using the table above.
2. For a divorce, decide which counts you need, including any you will need to incorporate a settlement.
3. For support, gather your tax return, six months of pay stubs and child care and insurance records.
4. For custody, call the mediator within three days and register for the parenting class.
5. Calendar every deadline: 20-day exceptions, the transcript order and any 90-day trial demand.
6. Arrange a consultation before the first conference.

Frequently asked questions

Where is family court in Chester County?

At the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street in West Chester. Family Court Administration is in Suite 5402 on the fifth floor, the Prothonotary in Suite 1425 and Domestic Relations in Suite 3400.

Are Chester County support conferences held in person?

The county says support conferences are held by telephone, while support hearings before a hearing officer are in person unless a party has applied for an accommodation.

How long after the praecipe is the divorce decree entered?

The county asks people to allow 8 to 12 weeks from filing the Praecipe to Transmit Record until the decree is entered, or until a remand order explains what is missing.

What happens if no one demands a custody trial?

Under Local Rule 1915.4.A, a temporary custody order becomes final if no demand for trial, certificate of readiness and pre-trial statement are filed in time, and the docket reflects a final order no later than 180 days after filing.

How is Chester County different from Delaware County?

Both follow the statewide rules, but Chester County requires a custody mediation orientation and holds support conferences by telephone. Compare what to expect in Delaware County family court.

Does the Justice Center handle criminal cases too?

Yes. Criminal and DUI cases held for court are heard in the same building; see what to expect at the Chester County Justice Center for a criminal or DUI case.

Call Giribaldi Law at (610) 891-8303 or contact us online for a free consultation about a Chester County family case.