Rule Text
(a) Application. These rules shall be liberally applied to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every matter to which they are applicable. In the interest of expediting decision, or for other good cause shown, an appellate court may, except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), disregard the requirements or provisions of any of these rules in a particular case on application of a party or on its own motion and may order proceedings in accordance with its direction.
(b) Enlargement of Time. An appellate court for good cause shown may upon application enlarge the time prescribed by these rules or by its order for doing any act, or may permit an act to be done after the expiration of such time, but the court may not enlarge the time for filing a notice of appeal, a petition for allowance of appeal, a petition for permission to appeal, a petition for review, or a petition for specialized review.
Amendment history: The provisions of this Rule 105 amended December 11, 1978, effective December 30, 1978, 8 Pa.B. 3802; amended January 7, 2020, effective August 1, 2020, 50 Pa.B. 505; amended November 3, 2023, effective January 1, 2024, 53 Pa.B. 7132. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (401589) to (401590).
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
The rules for appeals in Pennsylvania are meant to be flexible. Courts can bend or skip certain rules if there is a good reason, either because a party asks or because the court decides to on its own. The goal is to handle cases fairly, quickly, and without unnecessary cost.
Courts can also give parties more time to complete required steps if there is a good reason for the delay. For example, if you need more time to file a certain document, you can ask the court for an extension.
However, there are strict limits on what the court can extend. If you miss the deadline to file your initial appeal paperwork, such as a notice of appeal or a petition to appeal, the court cannot give you more time. Those deadlines are fixed, and missing them can mean losing your right to appeal entirely.
Committee Notes
42 Pa.C.S. § 5504 provides that the time limited by, inter alia, Chapter 55D of the Judicial Code shall not be extended by order, rule, or otherwise, except that the time limited may be extended to relieve fraud or its equivalent, but there will be no extension of time as a matter of indulgence or with respect to any criminal proceeding. However, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5571(a), statutory time limits under Chapter 55D do not apply to appeals to or other judicial review by the Supreme, Superior, or Commonwealth Courts.
Subdivision (b) of this rule is not intended to affect the power of a court to grant relief in the case of fraud or breakdown in the processes of a court.
