In Pennsylvania, at What Age can a Child Decide Which Parent to Live With?

In this video, Family Law Partner Gregory F. Suher answers the question “In the state of Pennsylvania, at what age can a child decide which parent to live with, when the parents are divorced?”

Although children never get to decide definitively which parent they live with in Pennsylvania, the children’s wishes are considered as those children become older. In Pennsylvania, specifically, there are 16 factors the courts are required to consider when deciding what is in a child’s best interest in child custody matters. One of the 16 factors is the well-reasoned preference of the applicable child or children.

Consequently, as children get older and their brains become more developed, their reasoning becomes more developed, and the factor of children’s well-reasoned preferences are considered with more weight over time.

While children do not get to make the definitive decision as to which parent they live with, children’s desires – as they get older – start to carry more and more weight in child custody cases.

Greg is a Partner with Leech Tishman and a member of the Litigation Practice Group, where he focuses on Family Law. Greg is based in the Pittsburgh office, representing clients in Pittsburgh and in all counties within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Greg has been practicing Family Law since 1995 and takes pride in easing the daily stress of clients as they navigate through a difficult time in life. In his years of experience, Greg has become well-versed in all aspects of Family Law, which includes divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, spousal support and protection from abuse.