Rule Text
(a) As used in this rule,
‘‘judgment of non pros’’ means a judgment entered by praecipe pursuant to Rules 1037(a) and 1659;
(b) This rule does not apply to a judgment entered
(1) by an order of court,
(2) upon praecipe pursuant to an order of court, or
(3) pursuant to a rule to show cause.
Amendment history: The provisions of this Rule 237.1 adopted December 14, 1979, effective February 1, 1980, 10 Pa.B. 9; amended December 2, 1994, effective July 1, 1995, 24 Pa.B. 6259; amended April 12, 1999, effective July 1, 1999, 29 Pa.B. 2266; amended July 23, 2002, effective immediately, 32 Pa.B. 3884; amended May 19, 2005, effective immediately, 35 Pa.B. 3289; amended December 2, 2009, effective January 4, 2010, 40 Pa.B. 19; amended November 3, 2023, effective January 1, 2024, 53 Pa.B. 7143. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (347560).
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
Before a court can enter a judgment against you for not filing a complaint or not responding to a lawsuit, the other side must give you advance written notice. This notice gives you a chance to fix the problem before a judgment is entered against you.
This rule only applies to judgments entered by "praecipe," which is a written request filed directly with the court clerk, not by a judge's order. If a judge ordered the judgment, issued a rule to show cause, or the judgment came from a court order, this rule does not apply.
Committee Notes
When a defendant appeals from a judgment entered in a magisterial district court, Pa.R.C.P.M.D.J. 1004(b) authorizes the appellant to file a praecipe for a rule as of course upon the appellee to file a complaint or suffer entry of a judgment of non pros. The entry of the judgment of non pros is governed by Pa.R.C.P. No. 1037(a) and is subject to this rule.
‘‘judgment by default’’ means a judgment entered by praecipe pursuant to Rules 1037(b), 1511(a), 3031(a) and 3146(a).
(2) No judgment of non pros for failure to file a complaint or by default for failure to plead shall be entered by the prothonotary unless the praecipe for entry includes a certification that a written notice of intention to file the praecipe was mailed or delivered:
(i) in the case of a judgment of non pros, after the failure to file a complaint and at least ten days prior to the date of the filing of the praecipe to the party’s attorney of record or to the party if unrepresented, or
(ii) in the case of a judgment by default, after the failure to plead to a complaint and at least ten days prior to the date of the filing of the praecipe to the party against whom judgment is to be entered and to the party’s attorney of record, if any.
The ten-day notice period in subdivision (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(ii) shall be calculated forward from the date of the mailing or delivery, in accordance with Pa.R.J.A. 107.
The final sentence of Rule 237.1(a)(2) alters the practice described in the decision of Williams v. Wade, 704 A.2d 132 (Pa. Super. 1997).
(3) A copy of the notice shall be attached to the praecipe.
(4) The notice and certification required by this rule may not be waived.
A certification of notice is a prerequisite in all cases to the entry by praecipe of a judgment of non pros for failure to file a complaint or by default for failure to plead to a complaint. Once the ten-day notice has been given, no further notice is required by the rule even if the time to file the complaint or to plead to the complaint has been extended by agreement.
See Rule 237.4 for the form of the notice of intention to enter a judgment of non pros and Rule 237.5 for the form of the notice of intention to enter a judgment by default.
See Rule 3284 which requires that in proceedings to fix fair market value of real property sold, notice must be given pursuant to the requirements of Rule 237.1 et seq.
