---
title: "Family Rules"
slug: "setting-circulation-family"
updated: 2026-03-05T18:14:08Z
published: 2026-03-05T18:14:08Z
canonical: "docs.surpass.cloud/setting-circulation-family"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.surpass.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Family Rules

Surpass will alert you when you attempt to check out to or hold items for patrons who have overdue resources or owe fines.

You may also want to be alerted when the patron's spouse, child or other members of the patrons's family have overdues or fines. Family member's overdues and/or fines can also restrict a patron's ability to use Self-Check to check out or hold items and, depending on security settings, can also restrict the circulation desk operator from checking out to or placing holds for those patrons.

Use this list to select which family members' overdues and/or fines will be considered for these alerts and restrictions.

📺 Video Tutorials

A video showing how to set up Family Rules is available on YouTube: [Family Rules](https://youtu.be/3BBbWeHUZts)

### Defining Patron Families

Patron family relationships are defined in the Family panel on [Patrons : View](/docs/patron-view-family).)

![settings-circulation-family](https://cdn.document360.io/dd4d24fa-d091-45a6-be6a-9adef7b432ec/Images/Documentation/settings-circulation-family.png)

#### Form Fields

- **Overdue** - Indicates whether you want to restrict check outs and holds if a person with this relationship to the patron has overdue resources.
- **Fine** - Indicates whether you want to restrict check outs and holds if a person with this relationship to the patron has an outstanding fines balance.