Self-Help Research - Statutes, Court Rules, and More

Court Rules specify the processes by which certain actions should be followed throughout a court case. Rules can detail how the court computes time, how service of papers must be handled, the information to be included in a brief, the conduct of a jury, and much more. There may also be rules for specific types of court cases, including class actions, divorce, custody, and criminal cases.

When practicing in the Courts of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania (the county, trial level courts), make sure to check both the state rules and the county rules. For how to access the Philadelphia County Court Rules, see the Phila Court Rules page of this guide. For information on accessing the court rules for other Pennsylvania counties, see the Pennsylvania Court Rules - County guide.

The Pennsylvania State Court Rules are available on Pacodeandbulletin.gov. Use the Browse feature to find the following rules:

• Title 210: Rules of Appellate Procedure
• Title 231: Rules of Civil Procedure (includes General and Orphans' Court Rules)
• Title 234: Rules of Criminal Procedure
• Title 225: Rules of Evidence
• Title 246: Minor Court Civil Rules (includes rules for magisterial district court)

Additional rules, like Judicial Conduct and Juvenile Rules are also available.

For other ways to access the Pennsylvania state court rules, including in print as well as on subscription legal databases like Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law (which are available in the library), see the Pennsylvania Court Rules - State guide. This guide also details how to access older versions of the court rules.