Rule Text
Unless public access is otherwise constrained by applicable authority, any attorney, or any party if unrepresented, who files a document pursuant to these rules with the prothonotary’s office shall comply with the requirements of Sections 7.0 and 8.0 of the Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (Policy) including a certification of compliance with the Policy and, as necessary, a Confidential Information Form or a Confidential Document Form in accordance with the Policy.
Amendment history: The provisions of this Rule 205.6 adopted January 5, 2018, effective January 6, 2018, 48 Pa.B. 475; amended June 1, 2018, effective July 1, 2018, 48 Pa.B. 3519; amended December 1, 2021, effective January 1, 2022, 51 Pa.B. 7619. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (392596).
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
When you file court papers in Pennsylvania, you must follow rules about keeping certain private information protected. This applies to lawyers filing on behalf of clients, and also to people who represent themselves in court.
Some personal details, like Social Security numbers or financial account numbers, need to be handled carefully in court documents. When you file, you may need to include a special form that separates this private information from the rest of your paperwork. You also need to sign a statement saying you followed these privacy rules.
The goal is to protect sensitive personal information while still allowing the public to see court records. If you are not sure what needs to be kept private, you can look up the Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania for guidance.
Committee Notes
Applicable authority includes but is not limited to statute, procedural rule or court order. The Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (Policy) can be found on the website of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at https://www.pacourts.us/public-records. Sections 7.0(D) and 8.0(D) of the Policy provide that the certification shall be in substantially the following form:
I certify that this filing complies with the provisions of the Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania that require filing confidential information and documents differently than non-confidential information and documents.
The Confidential Information Form and the Confidential Document Form can be found at https://www.pacourts.us/public-records.
