RulesofCivilProcedure.com Civil Procedure · Every State

Rule 1006.Venue. Change of Venue.

Last amended February 18, 2026 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 1006 fixes where a civil action may be brought, allowing an action against an individual in a county connected to the defendant, the transaction, or the property, providing special venue for entities and joint-liability cases, allowing transfer for convenience or a fair trial, and requiring improper venue to be raised by preliminary objection or be waived.

Full Text of Rule 1006

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)

(a) General Rule. Except as otherwise provided by subdivisions (b) and (c) of this rule, an action against an individual may be brought in and only in a county where
(1) the individual may be served;
(2) the cause of action arose;
(3) a transaction or occurrence took place out of which the cause of action arose;
(4) venue is authorized by law; or
(5) the property or a part of the property, which is the subject matter of the action, is located provided that equitable relief is sought with respect to the property.
(b) Venue Designated by Rule. Actions against the following defendants, except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c), may be brought in and only in the counties designated by the following rules: political subdivisions, Rule 2103; partnerships, Rule 2130; unincorporated associations, Rule 2156; corporations and similar entities, Rule 2179.
(c) Joint and Several Liability Actions. An action to enforce a joint or joint and several liability against two or more defendants, except actions in which the Commonwealth is a party defendant, may be brought against all defendants in any county in which the venue may be laid against any one of the defendants under the general rules of subdivisions (a) or (b).
(d) Transfer of Venue.
(1) For the convenience of parties and witnesses, the court upon petition of any party may transfer an action to the appropriate court of any other county where the action could originally have been brought.
(2) If, upon petition and hearing, the court finds that a fair and impartial trial cannot be held in the county for reasons stated of record, the court may order that the action be transferred. The order changing venue shall be certified to the Supreme Court, which shall designate the county to which the case is to be transferred.
(3) It shall be the duty of the prothonotary of the court in which the action is pending to forward to the prothonotary of the county to which the action is transferred, certified copies of the docket entries, process, pleadings, depositions, and other papers filed in the action. The costs and fees of the petition for transfer and the removal of the record shall be paid by the petitioner in the first instance to be taxable as costs in the case.
(e) Improper Venue to be Raised by Preliminary Objection. Improper venue shall be raised by preliminary objection and if not so raised shall be waived. If a preliminary objection to venue is sustained, and there is a county of proper venue within the State, the action shall not be dismissed but shall be transferred to the appropriate court of that county. The costs and fees for transfer and removal of the record shall be paid by the plaintiff.
(f) Multiple Causes of Action. If the plaintiff states more than one cause of action against the same defendant in the complaint pursuant to Rule 1020(a), the action may be brought in any county in which any one of the individual causes of action might have been brought.
End

Plain-English Summary

This rule is Pennsylvania’s venue rule. An action against an individual may be brought only in a county where the individual may be served, where the cause of action arose, where a transaction or occurrence took place, where venue is authorized by law, or where the property at issue is located when equitable relief as to it is sought.

Other situations have their own rules. Venue for corporations, partnerships, and other entities is set by separate rules, and a joint or joint-and-several action against multiple defendants may be brought in any county of proper venue as to one of them. The court may transfer an action for the convenience of parties and witnesses, or where a fair and impartial trial cannot be had in the county.

Venue objections are use-it-or-lose-it. Improper venue must be raised by preliminary objection; if it is not raised that way, it is waived.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I sue an individual in Pennsylvania?

Only in a county where the individual may be served, where the cause of action arose, where the underlying transaction or occurrence took place, where venue is authorized by law, or where the property at issue is located when equitable relief about it is sought.

How do you object to improper venue?

By preliminary objection. Improper venue not raised by preliminary objection is waived.

Can a case be moved to another county?

Yes. The court may transfer an action for the convenience of parties and witnesses, or where a fair and impartial trial cannot be held in the county.

Official Note

Comment. : For a definition of transaction or occurrence, see Craig v. W. J. Thiele & Sons, Inc., 149 A.2d 35 (Pa. 1959). For the recusal of the judge for interest or prejudice under subdivision (d)(2), see Rule 2.11 of the Code of Judicial Conduct. By Order of August 25, 2022, effective January 1, 2023 (‘‘2022 amendments’’), the Court rescinded Rule 1006(a.1), a special venue rule that applied to medical professional liability actions filed on or after January 1, 2002. Corresponding amendments removed references to Rule 1006(a.1) from Rule 2130, governing venue in an action against a partnership, Rule 2156, governing venue in an action against an unincorporated association, and Rule 2179, governing venue in an action against a corporation or similar entity. The 2022 amendments thus returned Rules 1006, 2130, 2156, and 2179 to their pre-2003 versions, pursuant to which medical professionals were governed by the same venue rules applicable to other non-governmental defendants. The 2022 amendments added a provision to each rule requiring the Civil Procedural Rules Committee to ‘‘reexamine the 2022 rule amendments two years after their effective date.’’ Rules 1006(g), 2130(d), 2156(c), and 2179(c). The committee received commentary on behalf of medical professionals asserting that the impact of the 2022 amendments could not yet be determined, and that more time was needed to develop the necessary data. By Order of February 18, 2026, the Court amended Rules 1006, 2130, 2156, and 2179 to remove the expired reexamination provisions. The Court will consider any future proposals as submitted through the Court’s usual rules committee processes.

Amendment History

The provisions of this Rule 1006 amended through June 20, 1985, effective January 1, 1986, 15 Pa.B. 2452; amended April 12, 1999, effective July 1, 1999, 29 Pa.B. 2266; amended January 27, 2003, effective immediately, 33 Pa.B. 751; amended December 16, 2003, effective July 1, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 9; amended June 15, 2011, effective August 1, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 3526; amended April 29, 2016, effective immediately, 46 Pa.B. 2409; amended August 25, 2022, effective January 1, 2023, 52 Pa.B. 5792; amended February 18, 2026, effective immediately, 56 Pa.B. 1106. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (411426) and (417081).

Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official text
Also known as: venuechange of venuetransfer of venueforum non convenienswhere to file