Is there a single, statewide Pennsylvania parenting plan form?

No. Pennsylvania law (23 Pa.C.S. § 5331) sets what a parenting plan must contain if a court requires one, and Pa.R.C.P. Chapter 1915 sets the general custody-case procedure, but there's no single statewide parenting plan form parents fill out. Each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, through its court of common pleas, sets its own local rules, forms, and conciliation process, so the actual paperwork and deadlines depend on the county where the custody case is filed.

Is a parenting plan the same thing as a custody order?

Related, but not identical. The custody order is the court's ruling on legal and physical custody, who has decision-making authority and where the child lives. The parenting plan is the more detailed written document, the regular schedule, holidays, education and health care arrangements, and how disputes get resolved, that a court may require in a contested case to help reach or support that order.

Do I have to submit a parenting plan in every Pennsylvania custody case?

Not automatically. Under 23 Pa.C.S. § 5331, a court may require the parties to submit parenting plans in a contested custody proceeding to help resolve the dispute; it isn't a mandatory filing in every case statewide. Many counties do require a proposed parenting plan or similar document ahead of a custody conciliation conference under their own local rules, so check your specific county's requirements.

What has to be in a Pennsylvania parenting plan?

Section 5331 lists required contents: the schedule for the child's personal care and control, including parenting time, holidays, and vacations; arrangements for education and religious involvement; health care arrangements; child-care arrangements; and a procedure for resolving future disputes or proposed changes, such as mediation or arbitration. A parenting plan submitted under this section, and a party's position in it, generally isn't admissible as evidence against that party.

What is a custody conciliation conference?

Most Pennsylvania counties require parents in a contested custody case to attend a conciliation conference (sometimes called a custody masters hearing) before trial. It's an informal session, no witnesses are sworn and no court reporter is present, aimed at helping parents reach an agreement, often with a proposed parenting plan as the starting point. Many counties also require a parenting education seminar beforehand. Details and timing vary by county.

Where do I get the actual parenting plan form or packet for my county?

Check your county's court of common pleas website, since forms and packets are set locally rather than statewide. Several counties, including Adams, Chester, and Philadelphia, publish their own parenting plan or custody self-help packets. The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania's Representing Yourself page is a good starting point if you're not sure which county's forms apply to your case.

Pennsylvania, United States

Pennsylvania Parenting Plans: What Parents Need to Know

What a Pennsylvania parenting plan needs to cover under 23 Pa.C.S. § 5331, why there's no single statewide form, and how the process varies by county.

Legal sources reviewed: August 11, 2026

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In short: Pennsylvania law (23 Pa.C.S. § 5331) sets what a parenting plan must cover if a court requires one, the schedule, education, health care, child care, and a dispute-resolution procedure, but there's no single statewide parenting plan form. The actual process, whether a plan is required, what form it takes, and when it's due ahead of a custody conciliation conference, is set by each county's court of common pleas under its own local rules.

This is an educational overview written for parents, not lawyers. It isn't legal advice. For anything specific to your case, talk to a licensed Pennsylvania family law attorney or check your county's family court self-help resources.

What a Pennsylvania parenting plan needs to cover

Where a parenting plan is required or used, 23 Pa.C.S. § 5331 sets out what it generally addresses:

The regular schedule: which days and nights the child spends with each parent, the underlying question a custody schedule pattern like 2-2-3 or week on/week off answers.
Holidays and vacations: the statute specifically calls out parenting time around holidays and vacations as something the schedule needs to address, since the regular rotation doesn't automatically resolve who has a given holiday. See how to build a holiday custody schedule for how this is typically structured.
Education and religious involvement: how decisions and participation around schooling and religious upbringing are handled.
Health care arrangements: how medical and health-related decisions and logistics get handled.
Child-care arrangements: who arranges and pays for child care when needed, and how.
A dispute-resolution procedure: a specified method, mediation, arbitration, or another process, for handling proposed changes, disputes, or alleged breaches of the plan later, rather than leaving that to guesswork.

How Pennsylvania actually handles this: county by county

Pennsylvania custody cases are filed and heard in the court of common pleas of the county where the child lives, and each of the state's 67 counties sets its own local rules for how custody cases proceed. That means:

No statewide parenting plan form. 23 Pa.C.S. § 5331 says a court may require parties in a contested case to submit parenting plans and lists what they must contain, but it doesn't hand down one standardized document parents fill out everywhere.
Local rules fill the gap. Pa.R.C.P. Chapter 1915 sets the general framework for custody actions, and individual counties adopt their own local rules and forms on top of it, often requiring a proposed parenting plan or similar packet ahead of a custody conciliation conference (sometimes called a custody masters hearing).
Parenting education is common. Many counties require both parents to complete a parenting education seminar before that conference.
Forms vary by county. Counties including Adams, Chester, and Philadelphia publish their own parenting plan or custody self-help packets; others handle it differently. Always check the specific county court's website (or the Unified Judicial System's Representing Yourself page as a starting point) rather than assuming one county's form or deadline applies statewide.

How a parenting plan relates to the custody order

The custody order is the court's ruling on legal and physical custody, decision-making authority and where the child lives, decided under Pennsylvania's 16-factor best-interest test. A parenting plan, where one is submitted, is the operational detail underneath that ruling: the actual schedule, education and health care arrangements, and dispute-resolution process that make the order workable day to day. Courts may incorporate an agreed plan into the custody order itself.

Reaching an agreed plan

Most Pennsylvania counties push contested custody cases toward a conciliation conference or mediation before trial, an informal session aimed at helping parents reach their own agreement rather than having a judge decide. A proposed parenting plan is often the starting point for that conversation. If parents agree, the plan (or its terms) typically becomes part of the custody order the court signs. If they can't agree, the case proceeds toward a hearing, and the court decides the specifics itself based on the child's best interest.

Building the actual schedule

Once the categories above are settled, an OnePage parenting plan generator or custody schedule generator can help draft the specific written schedule to bring into a conciliation conference or attach to your county's parenting plan form, and a general parenting plan guide covers what goes into a strong plan regardless of jurisdiction.

Official Pennsylvania resources

23 Pa.C.S. § 5331 (Parenting Plan)
Pa.R.C.P. Chapter 1915 (Actions for Custody of Minor Children)
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania: Representing Yourself
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas: Child Custody brochure (an example of a county-level resource; check your own county's court website for its specific forms)

FAQ

Questions, answered

This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Family law varies by individual circumstances and may change over time. Consult a qualified attorney or appropriate official resource for advice about your situation.