Rule 1007 Commencement of Action

To start a civil court case in Pennsylvania, you go to the prothonotary's office (the clerk of the civil court) and file one of two documents. You can file a complaint, which lays out your claims and what you want the court to do, or you can file a simpler request called a praecipe for a writ of summons.

The praecipe for a writ of summons is useful when you need to officially start a case quickly but are not yet ready to file your full complaint. Filing either document marks the official start of your lawsuit, which matters for deadlines like the statute of limitations.