Is there such a thing as a legal separation in Pennsylvania?

Technically, there is no such thing as a "legal separation" in Pennsylvania. Separation for legal purposes means that one spouse conveys the intent to the other that he or she no longer desires to remain married. That intent may be conveyed in a number of ways including by filing a divorce complaint, by one spouse vacating the marital residence without an intent to return, or by informing the other spouse of the end of the marriage verbally, in  writing, or by actions including cessation of marital relations and inhabiting a separate portion of the marital residence.  As stated, in some circumstances parties can be separated while residing in the same household.  The date of separation in a marriage impacts what constitutes the marital assets and debts as well as the timing of when a divorce decree can be finalized without the other spouse's consent.

Our office accepts Pennsylvania family law cases including divorce, equitable distribution, spousal support, alimony pendente lite, alimony, paternity and child support matters, child custody cases, juvenile law cases, and related matters in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Beaver County, Butler County, Washington County, and Westmoreland County (Greensburg).  Our law firm accepts Pennsylvania family law cases from other Western Pennsylvania counties including Armstrong County (Kittanning) Clarion County, Fayette County, Greene County, Indiana County, Lawrence County, Mercer County, Somerset County, and Venango County on a case-by-case basis. To schedule a consultation, click here.  Our office conducts appointments in our Allegheny County offices located in downtown Pittsburgh and in Whitehall borough and in our Butler County office located in Cranberry Township.  In some circumstances, telephone appointments are available. 

Disclaimer

The statements in this section are based on Pennsylvania law and have been issued to inform and not advise. The statements are general in nature and individual facts in a given case may alter their application or involve other laws not referred to here.

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