Rule 1066.Form of Judgment or Order.

Adopted June 25, 1946 · Last amended December 16, 2003 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 1066 sets out the relief a court may grant in a quiet-title action, whether on default after proper service or after a hearing or trial, and lists the orders the court enters once it grants relief.

Full Text of Rule 1066

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(a) The court shall grant appropriate relief upon affidavit that a complaint containing a notice to defend has been served and that the defendant has not filed an answer, or after a hearing or trial on the pleadings or merits.

(b) Upon granting relief to the plaintiff, the court

(1) shall order that the defendant be forever barred from asserting any right, lien, title or interest in the land inconsistent with the interest or claim of the plaintiff set forth in the complaint, unless the defendant takes such action as the order directs within thirty days thereafter. If such action is not taken within the thirty-day period, the prothonotary on praecipe of the plaintiff shall enter final judgment;

(2) shall enter a final judgment that a document, obligation or deed affecting a right, lien, title or interest in the land is cancelled or is valid, invalid or discharged or that a copy of a lost plan, document, obligation or deed is an authentic copy;

(3) shall enter a final judgment ordering the defendant, the prothonotary, or the recorder of deeds to file, record, cancel, surrender or satisfy of record, as the case may be, any plan, document, obligation or deed determined to be valid, invalid, satisfied or discharged, and to execute and deliver any document, obligation or deed necessary to make the order effective; or

(4) shall enter any other order necessary for the granting of proper relief.

End

Plain-English Summary

This rule tells the court how to close a quiet-title case. If the defendant was served with a complaint containing a notice to defend and files no answer, the court may grant relief on affidavit; otherwise it acts after a hearing or trial on the pleadings or merits.

When it grants relief, the court enters the orders the rule lists, such as directing an adverse party to act or fixing the parties' rights in the land, so the judgment settles the title for good.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a quiet-title plaintiff win by default?

Yes. If the defendant was served with a complaint containing a notice to defend and files no answer, the court shall grant appropriate relief on affidavit.

What does the court order when it grants relief?

The orders listed in the rule, which fix the parties' rights in the land and may direct an adverse party to act.

Official Note

Official Note: See Rule 248, authorizing the modification of any time period prescribed by the rules on written agreement or order of court.

Amendment History

The provisions of this Rule 1066 adopted June 25, 1946, effective January 1, 1947; amended March 27, 1956, effective July 1, 1956; amended August 10, 1979, effective August 31, 1979, 9 Pa.B. 2929; amended April 12, 1999, effective July 12, 1999, 29 Pa.B. 2266; amended December 16, 2003, effective July 1, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 9. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (255221).

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: quiet title judgmentdefault judgment quiet titleform of order