A person who breaks into a closed home to put out a fire he or she sees through the window can be said to be acting in good cause.

In divorce cases, good cause for the modification or revocation of alimony means a "a material and substantial change in circumstances," such as bankruptcy.

In family law, good cause is a standard by which a welfare recipient is excused from cooperating with the Child Support Enforcement agency, because cooperation would endanger the welfare recipient or the children. Here, a good cause finding usually requires documentation of a history of violence and abuse by the noncustodial parent toward the welfare recipient.

The term also has applications in discovery, when information sought is material to a party’s case.

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