PART F. Procedures in Summary Cases for Appealing to Court of Common Pleas for a Trial De Novo
Rule 460. Notice of Appeal; Transmittal of Transcript and Associated Documents.
(a) When an appeal is authorized by law in a summary proceeding, including an appeal following a prosecution for violation of a municipal ordinance that provides for imprisonment upon conviction or upon failure to pay a fine, an appeal shall be perfected by filing a notice of appeal within 30 days after the entry of the guilty plea, the conviction, or other final order from which the appeal is taken. The notice of appeal shall be filed with the clerk of courts.
(b) The notice of appeal shall contain the following information:
(1) the name and address of the appellant;
(2) the name and address of the issuing authority who accepted the guilty plea or heard the case;
(3) the magisterial district number in which the case was heard;
(4) the name and mailing address of the affiant as shown on the complaint or citation;
(5) the date of the entry of the guilty plea, the conviction, or other final order from which the appeal is taken;
(6) the offense(s) of which convicted or to which a guilty plea was entered, if any;
(7) the sentence imposed, and if the sentence includes a fine, costs, or restitution, whether the amount due has been paid;
(8) the type or amount of bail or collateral, if any, furnished to the issuing authority;
(9) the name and address of the attorney, if any, filing the notice of appeal; and
(10) except when the appeal is from a guilty plea or a conviction, the grounds relied upon for appeal.
(c) Within five days after filing the notice of appeal, a copy shall be served either personally or by mail by the clerk of courts upon the issuing authority, the affiant, and the appellee or appellee’s attorney, if any.
(d) The issuing authority shall, within 20 days after receipt of the notice of appeal, file with the clerk of courts:
(1) the transcript of the proceedings;
(2) the original complaint or citation, or a copy thereof if electronically transmitting the transcript and associated documents, if any;
(3) the summons or warrant of arrest, if any; and
(4) the bail bond, if any.
(e) Electronic Transmission.
(1) The president judge by local rule may require the transcript and any associated documents to be electronically scanned and transmitted to the clerk of courts in digital format in lieu of transmitting the physical paper transcript and associated documents.
(2) The electronically scanned transcript and associated documents shall constitute the original documents for purposes of these rules.
(3) The issuing authority shall retain the physical paper transcript and associated documents as may be required by rule of court or records retention policies.
(f) This rule shall provide the exclusive means of appealing from a summary guilty plea or conviction. Courts of common pleas shall not issue writs of certiorari in such cases.
(g) This rule shall not apply to appeals from contempt adjudications.
Comment: This rule is derived from former Rule 86(A), (D), (E), (F), (H), and (I).
This rule applies to appeals in all summary proceedings, including appeals from prosecutions for violations of municipal ordinances that provide for the possibility of imprisonment, and default hearings. The narrow holding in City of Easton v. Marra, 326 A.2d 637 (Pa. Super. 1974), is not in conflict, since the record before the court did not indicate that imprisonment was possible under the ordinance there in question.
Subdivision (a) makes clear that in a summary criminal case the defendant may file an appeal for a trial de novo following the entry of a guilty plea.
Appeals from contempt adjudications are governed by Rule 141.
See Rule 461 for the procedures for executing a sentence of imprisonment when there is a stay.
‘‘Entry,’’ as used in this rule, means the date on which the issuing authority enters or records the guilty plea, the conviction, or other order in the magisterial district judge computer system.
When the only issues on appeal arise solely from an issuing authority’s determination after a default hearing pursuant to Rule 456, the matter must be heard de novo by the appropriate judge of the court of common pleas and only those issues arising from the default hearing are to be considered. It is not intended to reopen other issues not properly preserved for appeal. A determination after a default hearing would be a final order for purposes of these rules.
In electronically transmitted parking violation cases, because there is no original citation, the issuing authority would file the summons with the clerk of courts pursuant to subdivision (d)(3).
Rule 462(D) provides for the dismissal of an appeal when the defendant fails to appear for the trial de novo.
See Rule 462(F) regarding the retention of a case at the court of common pleas when a petition to file an appeal nunc pro tunc has been denied.
Certiorari was abolished by the Criminal Rules in 1973 pursuant to Article V Schedule Section 26 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, which specifically empowers the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to do so by rule. This Schedule section is still viable, and the substance of this Schedule section has also been included in the Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 934. The abolition of certiorari continues with this rule.
For dismissal upon satisfaction or by agreement in summary cases, as defined in Rule 103, that have been appealed to the court of common pleas, see Rule 463.
Source The provisions of this Rule 460 amended March 3, 2000, effective July 1, 2000, 30 Pa.B. 1508; amended February 28, 2003, effective July 1, 2003, 33 Pa.B. 969 and 1324; amended December 29, 2017, effective April 1, 2018, 48 Pa.B. 224; amended January 27, 2021, effective June 1, 2021, 51 Pa.B. 684; amended May 2, 2024, effective April 1, 2025, 54 Pa.B. 2738. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (404404) to (404407).
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