Rule Text
When used in reference to documents filed pursuant to Pa.R.Civ.P. 1901—1959, a ‘‘signature’’ includes a handwritten signature, a copy of a handwritten signature, a computer-generated signature, or a signature created, transmitted, received, or stored by electronic means by the signer or by someone with the signer’s authorization, unless otherwise provided in these rules.
Amendment history: The provisions of this Rule 1930.11 added November 26, 2025, effective January 1, 2026, 55 Pa.B. 8356.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
In Pennsylvania family court cases, you have several options for how to sign your documents. You can use a regular handwritten signature, a scanned copy of your handwritten signature, or an electronic signature created on a computer.
Someone else can also sign for you electronically, but only if you have given them permission to do so. The court accepts all of these methods as valid signatures on your filed documents.
Committee Notes
See also Pa.R.Civ.P. 76 (defining ‘‘signature’’).
This rule is intended to permit the use of other forms of signature to be deemed the equivalent of a handwritten or ‘‘wet’’ signature on documents, including, but not limited to, pleadings and verifications. A signatory, regardless of the use of a signature in any permitted form, remains subject to sanctions pursuant to the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure, and penalties and liability as permitted by law. See, e.g., Pa.R.Civ.P. 1023.4; Pa.R.Civ.P. 4019; 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904; 42 Pa.C.S. § § 2503, 8351.
An original of an agreement, including a stipulation for entry of an agreed upon order, is not required to be filed. A duplicate of the agreement shall be admissible to the same extent as the original unless a genuine question is raised about the original’s authenticity, or the circumstances make it unfair to admit the duplicate. See Pa.R.E. 1003; Pa.R.Civ.P. 1019(i) (requiring a copy of an agreement to be attached to pleading).
