Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

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204 Pa. Code § 173.1. Minimum standards for prothonotary records.

§ 173.1. Minimum standards for prothonotary records.

 (a)   General rule. The minimum standards for maintenance of records in the Office of the Prothonotary shall be as follows:

   (1)   An annual numbering system referring to the year and case number shall be adopted, to wit, 73-485.

   (2)   One General Docket shall be employed in which all actions, Judgments, Liens or matters (Federal Liens, Secured Transactions, Fictitious Names, Notary Docket and Power of Attorney Register shall be maintained as heretofore) shall be recorded in chronological order, regardless of type or description, and which shall be recorded as briefly as possible:

     (i)   Caption.

     (ii)   Attorneys.

     (iii)   Number of case.

     (iv)   Type of action or matter and, if trespass, whether motor vehicle or not.

     (v)   Jury trial, trial by judge without jury, arbitration or other.

     (vi)   The date of filing each paper and brief description of that paper, e.g., Summons, Complaint, Interrogatories, Notice of Depositions,Preliminary Order, Final Order, Judgment and amount, Award and amount, Verdict and amount, Settle, Discontinue and End, or Termination or Termination with Prejudice.

     (vii)(A)  In rem matters or those actions requiring identification by a real estate description shall be identified by either recording the name of the record owner or the tax map unit and parcel number or indicator as established by modern tax identification system.

       (B)   Prothonotaries employing manual systems shall maintain a separate Locality Index which shall contain the name of either the record title owner or a tax map unit and parcel number or indicator as established by modern tax identification system.

     (viii)   All satisfactions, terminations by parties or entries of Settle, Discontinue and End shall be accomplished by satisfaction piece and not by entry of signature on docket.

   (3)  The General Docket shall have the following index system:

     (i)   A judgement Index in which all Judgments, Liens and Lis Pendens shall be recorded in chronological order of their filing. Said index shall contain the following information:

       (A)   Name of defendant. Name of plaintiff.

       (B)   Number of case.

       (C)   Docket and page.

       (D)   Date of filing.

       (E)   Nature of Proceedings.

     (ii)   A Miscellaneous Index in which all other actions or matters shall be recorded. Said index shall contain the following information:

       (A)   Names of plaintiff and defendants.

       (B)   Number of case.

       (C)   Docket and page.

       (D)   Date of filing.

       (E)   Nature of proceedings.

 (b)  Scope. The minimum standards set forth in subsection (a) of this section shall apply to all offices adopting computer or other electro-data processing systems. The same minimum standards may also be adopted by any Prothonotary’s Office employing manual procedures. Any Prothonotary may include additional information if local practice or custom dictates.



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