# Pennsylvania — Filial responsibility laws by state — what each statute actually says about an adult child's liability for a parent's care For Pennsylvania, statute is § 4603; condition on the parent is an indigent person; ability-to-pay qualifier is If an individual does not have sufficient financial ability to support the indigent person; civil or criminal is civil; penalty is the court may hold the individual in contempt of court and may sentence the individual to up to six months' imprisonment, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31. - **State:** Pennsylvania _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Statute:** § 4603 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Who owes the duty:** The spouse of the indigent person. (ii) A child of the indigent person. (iii) A parent of the indigent person. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Condition on the parent:** an indigent person _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Ability-to-pay qualifier:** If an individual does not have sufficient financial ability to support the indigent person. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Civil or criminal:** civil _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Penalty:** the court may hold the individual in contempt of court and may sentence the individual to up to six months' imprisonment _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Who may bring the action:** an indigent person; or (2) any other person or public body or public agency having any interest in the care, maintenance or assistance of such indigent person _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Defences in the statute:** If an individual does not have sufficient financial ability to support the indigent person. (ii) A child shall not be liable for the support of a parent who abandoned the child and persisted in the abandonment for a period of ten years during the child's minority. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Limited to public assistance cases:** extends beyond public charge _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ ## What the source says > § 4603. Relatives' liability; procedure. (a) Liability.-- (1) Except as set forth in paragraph (2), all of the following individuals have the responsibility to care for and maintain or financially assist an indigent person, regardless of whether the indigent person is a public charge: (i) The spouse of the indigent person. (ii) A child of the indigent person. (iii) A parent of the indigent person. ## Where each value comes from This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it. ### Who owes the duty > all of the following individuals have the responsibility to care for and maintain or financially assist an indigent person, regardless of whether the indigent person is a public charge: (i) The spouse of the indigent person. (ii) A child of the indigent person. (iii) A parent of the indigent person. ### Condition on the parent > all of the following individuals have the responsibility to care for and maintain or financially assist an indigent person, regardless of whether the indigent person is a public charge ### Ability-to-pay qualifier > (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply in any of the following cases: (i) If an individual does not have sufficient financial ability to support the indigent person. ### Civil or criminal > (c) Procedure.--A court has jurisdiction in a case under this section upon petition of: (1) an indigent person; or (2) any other person or public body or public agency having any interest in the care, maintenance or assistance of such indigent person. ### Penalty > At the hearing, if the court determines that the individual liable for support has intentionally failed to comply with the order, the court may hold the individual in contempt of court and may sentence the individual to up to six months' imprisonment. ### Who may bring the action > (c) Procedure.--A court has jurisdiction in a case under this section upon petition of: (1) an indigent person; or (2) any other person or public body or public agency having any interest in the care, maintenance or assistance of such indigent person. ### Defences in the statute > (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply in any of the following cases: (i) If an individual does not have sufficient financial ability to support the indigent person. (ii) A child shall not be liable for the support of a parent who abandoned the child and persisted in the abandonment for a period of ten years during the child's minority. ### Limited to public assistance cases > have the responsibility to care for and maintain or financially assist an indigent person, regardless of whether the indigent person is a public charge ## Source - https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/23/00.046.003.000..HTM Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-08-31. Part of [Filial responsibility laws by state — what each statute actually says about an adult child's liability for a parent's care](https://referencesource.org/filial-responsibility-laws-by-state/).